Hyundai builds two different versions of the 2014 Santa Fe crossover SUV, and each model serves completely different purposes. The smaller one, called the Santa Fe Sport, carries five people while the larger one, simply called the Santa Fe, carries seven people. Both are sized between the compact and midsize segments of this explosively popular vehicle class, making them hard to classify but easy to like.
Pictured and reviewed here, the 2014 Santa Fe Sport is the 5-passenger model that competes against vehicles like the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Escape, GMC Terrain, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4, and Volkswagen Tiguan. In most respects, this Hyundai makes an excellent case in favor of purchase, with a single, critical exception that has the potential to aggravate the owner for years to come.