Part of what’s made Hyundai so successful over the past few years isn’t that its cars are spectacular to drive; it’s that they look good, feel upscale, and represent a value (a value that is much different than the one the brand represented for the first 15 or so years of its US existence). The 2013 Santa Fe Sport is no exception.
We enjoyed our rather short drive experience in the big Volvo, though far more when we were crushing highway miles than on the few occasions that we dove into the smaller, curvier Utah roads. That’s not because the S80 felt unstable, or lacked for grip on tight corners, but rather because the car offered too detached a ride profile to really enjoy the technical bits. Steering effort was one-finger light, and quick turn-in required quite a bit more lock be applied than we’d have liked. Further, Volvo has clearly opted for ride comfort over mid-corner stiffness, or chassis feedback, as the S80 seemed to hover on a cushion of air whist we meandered through hill and dale.
The most famous brand in all of off-roading, Jeep, is reportedly set to unveil not one, not two, but six new concepts at this year’s Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, according to a recent post on Carscoop.