Used 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport

The 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport offers a sizable chunk of compact SUV for the money, with distinctive and attractive styling, comfortable seating for five, numerous premium features, responsive and efficient engines, pleasing driving dynamics and pricing to suit average budgets. It’s offered with either a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine (Santa Fe Sport) or a strong 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder (Santa Fe Sport 2.0T), with either powerplant choice available with front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). Its likely competitors would include, but are certainly not limited to, the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Edge, Kia Sorento and Toyota RAV4, and the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport should more than hold its own in the contest for potential customers’ affections. That’s why we named it one of the 10 Best SUVs Under $25,000 for 2014.

Customers who value the driving experience will be happy to find that the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport has ride and handling qualities to match its stylish looks. Credit a robust, stiff and commendably lightweight structure for responsive behavior when the road gets crooked, and a smooth and well-controlled ride on open highways or just around town. The available Active Cornering Control AWD system utilizes torque vectoring and torque braking to improve stability while cornering, maintains traction at the most-desired wheels and helps prevent overheating during long climbs or trailer towing. The turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, with 264 horsepower, is clearly the enthusiast’s favorite, but the standard 2.4-liter engine, with 190 horsepower, is certainly no slouch. Add in some major efforts at reducing interior noise levels, and Hyundai’s Santa Fe Sport is one of the most refined, nicest-driving compact SUVs on the market.

The 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport’s contemporary interior offers a high degree of user-friendliness and a quality level of fit and finish. All controls are easy to reach and operate and storage spots are plentiful. The seats are trimmed in stain- and odor-resistant Yes Essentials fabric, and leather is available. The rear bench seat includes a 40/20/40 split, and includes 5.2 inches of fore-and-aft travel plus a recline function as part of an option package. Folding down the rear seatbacks gives a near-flat load floor and more than doubles available cargo volume from 35.4 cubic feet to 71.5 cubic feet.

The 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is a remarkably stylish compact SUV, with interesting and attractive shapes, fine detailing and impressive aerodynamic efficiency that is enhanced by hidden underbody fairings. Exterior details include a chrome grille and door handles, LED-enhanced headlights and taillights and a functional rear spoiler. Standard equipment on the Sport are 17-inch alloy wheels with 235-65R17 tires, while the Sport 2.0T has 18-inch alloys with 235/60R18 tires as standard and 19-inch alloys with 235/55R19 tires optionally available.

2.0-LITER TURBOCHARGED ENGINE
With 264 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque this 4-cylinder is a little powerhouse. Matched with a smooth-shifting 6-speed automatic, the combination delivers plenty of power for any driving eventuality.

ACTIVE CORNERING CONTROL ALL-WHEEL DRIVE
Optional on the Santa Fe Sport and Sport 2.0T, this “intelligent” AWD system integrates with the Vehicle Stability Management system and the anti-lock brakes. It actively monitors surface conditions and distributes engine and braking forces to the most-desirable wheels to improve both cornering and fuel economy.

Standard equipment for the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport includes full power assists, air conditioning, cruise control, tilt/telescoping steering column, steering-wheel-mounted controls, remote keyless entry, AM/FM/SiriusXM/CD/MP3/HD audio, iPod/USB/auxiliary inputs, Bluetooth and Blue Link. The 2.0T adds the comprehensive Popular Equipment Package, which includes roof rails, fog lights, heated mirrors, power driver’s seat, heated front seats, push-button start/stop and a wide range of other convenience and comfort features. Also standard are Vehicle Stability Management and Traction Control, Hillstart Assist Control/Downhill Brake Control, Electronic Brake-force Distribution/Brake Assist and all the usual and expected safety features.

Most of the options for the 2014 Santa Fe Sport are in packages. The Popular Equipment Package is optional on the Sport and standard on the Sport 2.0T. The Premium Package includes leather, Blind Spot Detection, dual-zone automatic temperature control and other features. The Technology Package for the Sport includes the Panoramic sunroof, rear park assist, navigation with 8-inch touch screen, Dimension premium audio, memory for driver’s seat and mirrors, heated seats and additional items. The Technology Package for the Sport 2.0T also includes 19-inch wheels and tires, HID xenon headlights, LED taillights and Infinity Logic Surround Sound 12-speaker 550-watt audio.

Under the hood of Hyundai’s Santa Fe Sport is found some modern technology. Both the 2.4-liter non-turbo base engine, with 190 horsepower, and the 2.0-liter turbo engine of the Sport 2.0T, with a robust 264 horsepower, have direct fuel injection and continuously variable valve timing for the optimum in efficiency. The only transmission choice is a 6-speed automatic with smooth shifting and a Shiftronic manual shift gate, for those who wish to do it themselves. These engines deliver responsive and impressive performance and fuel economy that should make their owners happy, in both FWD and AWD versions.

2.4-liter inline-4
190 horsepower @ 6,300 rpm
181lb-ft of torque @ 4,250 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 20/27 mpg (FWD), 19/25 mpg (AWD)

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4
264 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
269 lb-ft of torque @ 1,750-3,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 19/27 mpg (FWD), 18/24 mpg (AWD)