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2013 Family SUVs And Crossovers: Buyer’s Guide

By Suzanne Kane | HighGearMedia.com,June 12, 2012

(Page 2 of 3)

Ford adds excitement this year to the Explorer lineup with the addition of the 2013 Ford Explorer Sport, billed as the first-ever performance version of the Explorer. What’s different? Start with 350-horsepower 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine mated with a six-speed automatic transmission. In the words of our editors, the Explorer Sport is “basically an Explorer SHO.”

There are also new styling details: the Explorer name appears on the front of the vehicle, new wheels and polished tips on the high-performance exhaust. Other Sport features include rearview camera, 4WD with Terrain Management system, front heated seats, 12-speaker Sony Premium Audio system with HD radio, and SYNC with MyFord Touch. Optional safety technology includes inflatable rear seat belts, Active Park Assist, and Blind Spot Information System with cross-traffic alert.

The 2013 Ford Explorer Sport, priced from $40,720, goes on sale late this year.

2013 Hyundai Santa Fe

There are not one, but two models of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe mid-size crossover to appeal to growing and established families. There’s the two-row five-passenger Santa Fe Sport, out first this fall, and the three-row Santa Fe suitable for seven passengers, available early next year. Both offer, in the words of our editors, “aggressive new styling, terrific fuel economy, and a ton of features for a reasonable price,” which translates to our 7.8 (out of 10) overall rating for the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe.

Hyundai’s BlueLink telematics system will be available and features remote start capabilities. BlueLink also incorporates navigation and Bluetooth streaming for apps such as Pandora, and it works in conjunction with a smartphone. Other features available on some models include push-button start, heated and cooled front seats, and automatic climate control. An optional panoramic sunroof adds to the feeling of openness.

The Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and Santa Fe will both be available in front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. As for safety technology, all Santa Fe models have seven airbags, including side curtain airbags and a driver’s knee airbag. The three-row Santa Fe will offer the first Blind Spot Detection system in a Hyundai vehicle.

2013 Nissan Pathfinder

When it goes on sale this fall, the all-new 2013 Nissan Pathfinder mid-size crossover will be more car-like than truck-like, although it will still offer an available four-wheel drive traction system. But the biggest change, outside of its sleek exterior design, is the interior—Nissan actually calls it a full-sizer inside, and the packaging in the third row makes the sixth and seventh passenger seating much more accommodating. There’s also a panoramic roof on the list of features.

As for power, the Pathfinder will sport a V-6 engine paired with continuously variable transmission, a combination that Nissan says will produce a 25 percent better fuel economy on the EPA combined cycle that the 2012 model. The new Pathfinder’s aerodynamic body should also help with fuel economy.

Not much else has yet been released about the Pathfinder, but we’ll be covering it in more detail as information becomes available.

Full-size

Although not yet due for a complete redesign, the trio of General Motors full-size crossovers, the 2013 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia, do receive modest facelifts and freshening.

2013 Buick Enclave

Our editors find the 2013 Buick Enclave “one of the most distinctive and comfortable full-size crossovers,” and hail the “substantially upgraded interior” while giving it an overall 8.2 (out of 10) rating. Exterior changes include a new front fascia, new headlamp design and new hood. But it’s the interior that boasts the most change: new trim, materials, more soft-touch surfaces and ‘live stitching.’ The eight-passenger Enclave, along with its siblings, the Chevy Traverse and GMC Acadia, features the industry-first front-center airbag and, for the first time, available side blind-zone alert and rear cross-traffic alert systems.

2013 Chevrolet Traverse

The 2013 Chevrolet Traverse receives an updated exterior and interior, along with more infotainment options that our editors note are “the better to take on the Ford Flex and Explorer.” With an overall 8.0 (out of 10 rating), the three-row, seven-passenger Traverse, boasting 12 cupholders, innovative SmartSlide second-row feature, and 24.4 cubic feet of space behind the third row, is definitely a family hauler. The new front-center airbag will be standard on LT and LTZ, while the side blind-zone alert and rear cross-traffic alert systems will be standard on LTZ.

2013 GMC Acadia

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