2015 Hyundai Santa Fe/Santa Fe Sport Quick Spin Review

The 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe/Santa Fe Sport hold down important roles in the Hyundai brand lineup, as they cater to the heart of the crossover market: The Santa Fe proper is designed for those who need the room of a three-row entry—and can be configured for six or seven occupants, while the Santa Fe Sport serves up a nimbler, two-row package for up to five. And although they each offer their own distinct packaging, they share some noticeable improvements for the new model year, too. For example, both offer Hyundai’s version of a hands-free liftgate, along with upgrades in steering, ride and handling, too.

Both Santa Fe siblings leverage Hyundai’s “fluidic sculpture” design language although, of course, the Santa Fe Sport wears a more athletic exterior, highlighted by a radically upswept daylight opening just behind the rear doors; in the Santa Fe, designers relied on longer, more flowing lines to emphasize its extended length and interior roominess. And yes, both also offer LED exterior accent, tail and stop lights for a more sophisticated appearance.

Speaking of cabins, the Santa Fe duo shares a wide-oriented, symmetrically styled dashboard with an open and inviting feel as well as an interesting multi-layered look. Both interiors also offer a strong mix of cargo-carrying capability and premium comfort—including heated front- and second-row seating—with the Santa Fe’s range-topping Limited edition showing off second-row captain’s chairs. Stain-fighting “YES Essentials” seat fabric is standard.

The two Hyundai crossovers serve up a choice of three different engines, all mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The starting point here is the 2.4-liter four-cylinder powerplant that comes standard in the Santa Fe Sport and makes 190 hp and 181 lb.-ft. of torque, but there’s also a turbocharged unit, for even more sportiness, that four-cylinder engine can extricate 265 hp and 269 lb.-ft. of torque from 2.0 liter of displacement.

For the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe, the standard and only choice is a 3.3-liter, naturally aspirated V6 that can deliver 290 hp and 252 lb.-ft. of torque, complemented by a max tow rating of up to 5,000 lbs. Combined EPA marks range from 21 mpg for the Santa Fe to 22 mpg for the Sport turbo to 23 mpg for the entry Sport model, and remember, Hyundai’s all-wheel-drive technology is available as well.

Both Santa Fe models can be configured with some of the market’s top safety measures, such as a rearview camera, blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-change assistance, a rear parking-assistance feature and a standard driver’s side blind-spot mirror. Also, among the vehicles’ array of standard airbags is a separate unit to help protect the driver’s knee.

The Santa Fe Sport has an MSRP of $24,950, with the Santa Fe coming in at $30,150, and Hyundai has provided each with a number of premium features designed to attract customers in a very competitive segment. For example, both will offer a hands-free, power-opening rear liftgate, rear-seat climate vents (as well as third-row climate controls in the Santa Fe), an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, multiple premium audio choices, touchscreen navigation with an 8-inch display, a heated steering wheel, Hyundai’s Driver Selectable Steering Mode, rear sunshades and a panoramic sunroof.