This nameplate was introduced in the U.S. market for the 2013 model year as the two-row, five-passenger companion to Hyundai’s redesigned third-generation Santa Fe. Hyundai used the split strategy to separate the shorter, five-seat crossover from the longer three-row version, giving the brand a clearer midsize SUV lineup and a more direct way to target buyers who wanted Santa Fe styling and utility without the extra rear-row packaging. In Hyundai’s own U.S. materials, the Santa Fe was redesigned in 2013 and the Sport model was added at that point, establishing the Sport badge as the distinct short-wheelbase variant.
Over the course of its run, the model evolved through the third-generation Santa Fe family, gaining updated styling, equipment, and safety technology while staying positioned as Hyundai’s mainstream family crossover. It was also notable as the version that carried Hyundai’s midsize SUV presence in the U.S. during the period before the lineup was restructured for 2019. Hyundai later dropped the “Sport” suffix and renamed the five-passenger model simply Santa Fe for 2019, while the long-wheelbase three-row version became Santa Fe XL for that model year.
For WhipPotion purposes, this is a single continuous production run from 2013 through 2018, after which the nameplate was discontinued under that exact name in Hyundai’s U.S. lineup.