2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Seven Seater Debuts: 2012 LA Auto Show
Hyundai killed off the Vera Cruz in favor of the new Santa Fe, which comes in two different forms, either the Santa Fe Sport with seating for five, or the larger wheelbase Santa Fe that can take seven passengers and was just unveiled at the 2012 LA Auto Show.
The seven-seat Santa Fe is powered by a 3.3-liter direct-injection V6 good for 290 hp and 252 lb-ft of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Towing capacity is rated at 5,000 lbs., thanks in part to the Santa Fe’s active cornering control AWD system which uses both torque and brake vectoring to send specific amounts of power or braking to each wheel.
Compared to the Santa Fe Sport, the Sante Fe’s wheelbase grows four inches, while the overall length of the vehicle gains almost 10 inches. Leg room in the second row increases 1.9 inches, while the rear-bench seat passengers get 31.5 inches of legroom.
SEE ALSO: 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Review
The long-wheelbase Santa Fe gets a little bit of its own style as well, with larger rear windows and its own body side lines that stretch back from the B-pillar. 18-inch Euroflange alloy wheels, chrome-tipped dual exhaust and a flush-mounted tow hitch design round out the larger Santa Fe’s unique features.
Interior design stays the same as the Santa Fe Sport model, except for the addition of the third seat, which uses a 50:50 split and can also be folded flat into the floor.
GALLERY: 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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