First Drive Review: 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited proves that mainstream need not be boring
I’m not married. Nor do I have any kids, a 401K, a mortgage, and an underlying fear for discoloring hair and sagging body parts invoked by the stress of a nine-to-fiver and coming home some to juniors running around…yet (no offense). But all in all, I pretty much seem like the worst candidate to be reviewing the all-new and completely redone 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. And that’s because, majority of the people in the market for a crossover SUV are left with options that only blend you into the mainstream automotive hodgepodge. It’s the kind of market that me, being the youthful college upperclassman that I am, seeks to avoid simply because I am by virtue, the complete antithesis to the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe’s intended market.
But the company as a whole has certainly reaffirmed its footprint in the automobile industry as of recent, representing one of the greatest automotive turnarounds of the new millennium. So that said, even my youthful self was curious to see how Hyundai’s efforts paid off with their latest model, the redesigned 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe.
Pedantic individuals would keenly note from the pictures alone that this new Santa Fe is, well, a little bit on the big side. And that’s because it is. The original Hyundai Santa Fe was originally classified as a compact SUV when compared to its peewee subcompact sibling, the Tucson. Over the course of time, the Hyundai Santa Fe grew over time from market demand, but it essentially still remained a compact crossover—and that’s something that this particular 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe, isn’t.
CarAdvice Magazine April issue available to download now!
CarAdvice Magazine has achieved 20,000 active users in its first six issues, becoming the number one downloaded Australian motoring app for iPad, and has been featured in the recommended ‘new and noteworthy’ section of the Apple App Store.
The April issue, packed with content listed below, is free to download now at https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/caradvice-magazine/id552851300?mt=8
It includes an iPad-exclusive medium-car comparison test between the all-new Mazda 6 Sport sedan, the top selling Toyota Camry Atara SX, the class favourite Honda Accord Euro and the hugely improved Hyundai i40 Active.
We measure the mids for size, comparing their performance and fuel consumption, measuring their interiors and assessing comfort levels, and noting both their up-front and long term servicing costs, in the most comprehensive test of sub-$ 35,000 petrol automatic sedans. Don’t forget to view our videos of each of the cars, and the full photo gallery of the comparison.
How Technology is Revolutionizing the Way We Drive
Automotive technology has been an exercise in improvement and advancement for most of its century-plus history, and we’re currently on the edge of several technologies that may forever alter our approach to cars.
For starters, consider the Google autonomous vehicle. This self-driving car promises to deliver a safer driving experience by avoiding crashes, and the technology is already here—it’s just not ready for the masses. Google says it’ll be ready within three to five years, and if it’s successful, it could give the elderly and disabled populations unparalleled freedom. It could also enable today’s distracted commuters to safely read their newspapers and smartphones while “driving,” perhaps giving rise to a new “rolling cubicle” – yes, a way to squeeze some professional productivity into this historically wasted time.
What else is going on with technology and cars?
Software Platforms
Cars.com: The $46,000 Sport Sedan Challenge
Cars.com selected the 2013 BMW 328i M Sport Package as the winner of their $ 46,000 Sports Sedan Challenge. Along with the F30 3 Series, the folks at Cars.com also tested the 2013 Volvo S60 T5 AWD Premier, 2013 Acura TL 3.7 SH-AWD Tech, 2013 Cadillac ATS 2.0T Performance, 2013 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro Tiptronic and 2013 Mercedes-Benz C250 Sport.
Their experts for this Challenge were:
- Kelsey Mays, Cars.com’s industry editor
- David Thomas, Cars.com’s managing editor
- Joe Wiesenfelder, Cars.com’s executive editor
- James R. Healey, auto writer for USA Today
- Brian Robinson, producer for PBS’ “MotorWeek”
Here is what they had to say about the new 3 Series Sedan:
Nissan Altima Review
The Nissan Altima already fronts the V8 Supercars program for its marque, but this markedly different production version won’t go on sale in Australia for another few months.
Following the New York auto show, however, CarAdvice sampled the car that us locals will soon be able to buy, a mid-level 2.5-litre four cylinder front-wheel-drive model with an automatic, continuously variable transmission (CVT).
While it’s important to recognise that the Altima that will race around Bathurst this year is nothing like this production car, the same can be said for the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore. Yes, the Ford and Holden offer V8 engines and rear-wheel drive, but they are only philosophical similarities – the hardware is entirely different.
More crucially for buyers shopping in the mid-sized sedan segment, the 2013 Nissan Altima is in the US-spec tested an excellent car.
When it arrives in June the four cylinder Nissan Altima will rival the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Mazda 6 and Ford Mondeo, while the optional 3.5-litre V6 will take on the Falcon, Commodore and Aurion.
WifeyMobile CLS550 Gets New ADV.1 Wheels
WifeyMobile is back in action, but this is the junior one! Even though Jordan’s wife has her own Range Rover Sport for daily driving, another head guy at ADV.1 Wheels is Miguel. So in order to stay on top of the wifey game, his future wife gets to drive around beautiful sunny Miami in a completely tricked out Mercedes-Benz CLS550 … with ADV.1′s installed.
As beautiful as Miguel’s future wife is, she is also smart, well educated and gets her own paper by doing Miami’s most beautiful interior designs. With that being said, a woman who knows design wouldn’t go for any old, run-of-the-mill set of wheels in any old color, but she opted for a sleek and sexy edition of ADV08 wheels! The ADV08 spoke design is made in their redesigned 2013 configurations in the Track Spec SL wheel line to showcase the ultimate lightness and customization possible.
The wheels are featured in a matte black center disc with a brushed smoke lip in a staggered 20×9 front and 20×11 rear setup. Let me just say the finish on these wheels is a brand new option for 2013 so there you go, another premiere showcased on our site! Talk about exclusive, right? Drop by some photoshooting epicness by William Stern Photography and you’ve got yourself a real mouth watering thing at your hands!
With style in mind, this blacked out beauty will be a real eye catcher wherever Miguel’s future wife drops by and definitely she can be satisfied with the exterior design that this CLS550 now posses with ADV.1 wheels on it! You can also check Epic Coutu for a tiny insight in what this girl does!
Mercedes-Benz E-Class pricing and specifications
Pricing for the facelifted Mercedes-Benz E-Class has been released, with buyers set to save between $ 7000 to $ 23,000 compared with the previous model.
At $ 79,900 (including GST, any LCT but excluding on-road costs) the entry level Mercedes-Benz E 200, maintains its previous manufacturer’s list price.
This is despite new standard features of a Euro 6-compliant 135kW/300Nm (+30Nm) 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, partial LED head lights, auto dimming and folding mirrors, Avantgarde styling, active park assist, blind spot assist and collision prevention assist, and a sports package with 18-inch alloy wheels.
At $ 82,400 sits the diesel-powered E 220 CDI. With the same level of standard equipment as the E 200 petrol, the 125kW/400Nm 2.1-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel E 220 CDI sees a reduction in price of $ 2400, which Mercedes-Benz says equates to a total value increase of close to $ 10,000.
With 150kW and now 350Nm (+40Nm), the updated E 250 at $ 97,400 adds full LED headlights, memory front seats, keyless start, an Artico dashboard and a sports package with 19-inch alloy wheels. Further safety aids include adaptive cruise control with steering assist and a range of Pre-safe autonomous braking technologies with active pedestrian protection and junction assist.