During a one-week test drive of the five-passenger/two-row Santa Fe Sport, driver and riders were smitten by the smooth-flowing interior packed with impressive comfort features. The gadget goodies include heated steering wheel, heated front and rear seats, panoramic sunroof, 4.3-inch color touchscreen audio display with rearview camera as well as the Blue Link telematics system. The 106.3-inch wheelbase Sport serves up 35.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row. Compared to the 2012 model’s less than 8% high tensile steel usage, the 2013 crossover vehicle’s high tensile steel usage exceeds 37%. That correlates to a torsional stiffness strength uptick of more than 15% and a 266-pound weight loss versus the 2012 vehicle.

Santa Fe Sport power choices are a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder producing 190 horsepower at 6300 rpm and 181 pounds-feet of torque at 4250 rpm, or a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder releasing 264 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 269 pounds-feet of torque between 1750-3000 rpm. Hyundai’s new Driver Selectable Steering Mode adds an extra fun factor to trips as the driver can choose from comfort, normal, and sport settings. The Sport’s 35.76 foot turning circle underscores the vehicle’s agility. Santa Fe Sport with 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, 6-speed automatic transmission and all wheel drive has an MSRP of $29,450 and carries estimated mpg of 19 city and 24 highway.