Hyundai unveiled a redesigned Santa Fe at the New York auto show, the first major makeover for this mid-size five-seat crossover since 2007, and second since it was introduced in 2001. What was not expected was the second unveiling, which revealed a bigger Santa Fe, on a stretched wheelbase, with three rows of seats and a V-6 engine. Having two Santa Fes in the same garage required some nomenclature adjustment. Thus the five-seater becomes the Santa Fe Sport, while the bigger version will be known as LWB Santa Fe. At least for now.Santa Fe SportAlthough the wheelbase of the five-seat Sport model is unchanged at 106.3 inches, pretty much everything else is new. Overall length stretches a half-inch, to 184.6 inches, width shrinks 0.4 inch to 74.0, and height diminishes 1.8 inches, to 66.1.Combined with yet another iteration of Hyundai’s “fluidic sculpture” design language, which seems to be dedicated to eliminating the slab-sided look of yesteryear, the revised dimensions lend more sleekness to the Santa Fe’s profile, continuing the crossover trend away from the blocky look once so popular in this class.More significant from a performance point of view, the design team has substantially pared the Sport’s curb weight, partly by the increased use of high-tensile steel—30 percent more, contributing to a 16 percent improvement in torsional rigidity, according to Hyundai—and partly by installing new engines. Hyundai claims that the basic front-drive Santa Fe is 266 pounds lighter than the current model, remarkable in an age of rising curb weights, and vastly lighter than rivals such as the Ford Edge and Chevy Equinox.The basic Santa Fe Sport gets Hyundai’s 190-hp, 2.4-liter direct-injection four-cylinder, and a 264-hp, 2.0-liter turbo four is offered as an option. Both engines are from the Sonata inventory, and they replace the previous 175-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder base engine and an optional 276-hp, 3.5-liter V-6. Both engines are paired with six-speed automatic transmissions and both are expected to generate improved highway mpg numbers—33 for the 2.4-liter, 31 for the 2.0 turbo. And as before, all-wheel drive is an option.Inside Santa FeThe inner Santa Fe features a redesigned dashboard, higher quality materials, electroluminescent gauges, Pandora audio, HD radio, and standard Blue Link, Hyundai’s telematic connectivity system. Other highlights include: seven airbags, including one to protect the driver’s knees and side airbags bags that deploy in a rollover crash; driver-selectable steering effort; a panoramic sunroof option; heated rear-seats that split 40/20/40 and offer separate fore-aft adjustability. Hyundai claims improved rear-seat legroom, and 35 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. Read More: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2013-hyundai-santa-fe-photos-and-info-news

read more: 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe: Now In Regular and Three-Row! [New York Auto Show]