Editor’s note: This Car Seat Check is of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe, but our results also apply to the 2014 model.
Hyundai worked some magic with the 2013 redesign of its Santa Fe. This family-friendly crossover now comes with two rows in the 2013 Santa Fe Sport or three rows in the 2013 Santa Fe. In the Santa Fe Sport’s Car Seat Check, we had to move the front passenger seat forward to accommodate a rear-facing infant seat, and the Latch anchors were difficult to use. While the Santa Fe can seat up to seven, our test model had second-row captain’s chairs, bringing seating capacity to six. Did it outperform the Santa Fe Sport?
How many car seats fit in the second row? Two
How many car seats fit in the third row? Two
What We Like
- Two sets of Latch anchors in the second row’s captain’s chairs are easy to use because they’re exposed.
- The second-row seats slide forward and back, giving up plenty of room for rear-facing child-safety seats.
- The booster seat and forward-facing convertible installed easily in the second and third rows.
- The second-row captain’s chairs have seatbacks that recline and seat belt buckles that are easy for little hands to grasp.
- Though the walkway between the captain’s chairs is narrow, most kids won’t have any problem getting to the third row.
What We Don’t
- There aren’t any Latch anchors in the third row — many automakers don’t put them back there; we used the seat belt to install the forward-facing convertible.
- The third row’s seat belt buckles are floppy, which can be difficult for younger kids to manage independently.
- The second-row seats only slide forward a few inches, making it difficult to access the third row.
