Hyundai introduced a two-wheelbase strategy for the completely new Santa Fe for the 2013 model. I tested the 5-passenger Sport model last year, and then had the opportunity to test drive the 7-passenger Santa Fe GSL and the 6-passenger Santa Fe Limited recently in San Diego.

The Sport model has been a hit so far, which isn’t a surprise given how much I liked the vehicle. In the six full months since the new model launch, retail sales for the vehicle have increased over 37%. Now the larger version with three rows is hitting showrooms as well. The GSL fits seven passengers while the Limited features captain chairs in the second row with a capacity for six passengers.

Exterior

The GSL and Limited look very similar to the Sport model, with the major difference being the lines for the rear side windows being softened in the larger wheelbase models. As I noted in the Sport review, “Hyundai continues to implement its “Fluidic Sculpture” design principles that have given Hyundai vehicles a bold and distinctive look. Specifically, the Santa Fe features a new design concept called Storm Edge, which captures the strong and dynamic images created by nature during the formation of a storm.” I like the idea of keeping the Santa Fe name across both the compact and midsize CUV models, as the design work well across both platforms. I like the front end in particular, and the rest of the design flows nicely from there.

Interior

The choice of a bench seat for the second row and two captain’s chairs offers nice flexibility for consumers. The captain’s chair offer a comfortable and roomy experience in the second row. And while there’s adequate room in the third row, there isn’t a ton of headroom there for larger adults so that third row is best used for kids. The split-folding third row seats offer very nice cargo flexibility for families and for road trips. The second row captain’s chair also fold down and then the second row bench in the GSL offers a 40/20/40 split folding option. The overall versatility is excellent.

The comfort and styling of Hyundai’s interiors have been impressive and the Santa Fe is no exception. I liked the design of the center stack as it offers a unique twist on what we often see. Hyundai offers a wide variety of option packages, so you can certainly get a loaded version that satisfies all your needs, but even the base models are stylish and very comfortable. I also liked the panoramic sunroof and heated steering wheel options in the technology package.

Performance

The power of the V6 engine in the GSL and Limited Santa Fe will grab your attention right away. When I test the Sport model I was impressed with the 2.0L Turbo 4-cylender engine, but I liked the easy power of the V6 even better. The responsiveness and acceleration were excellent and this vehicle is very fun to drive. The larger vehicle also handles nicely around corners given its size, and the six-speed automatic transmission performed flawlessly.

The Lambda II 3.3-liter GDI V6 engine is rated at 290 horsepower which is tied with the Explorer for the midsize CUV segment, and it’s the only midsize CUV with a standard direct injection V6 engine. Fuel economy is competitive at 18 city, 25 highway and 21 combined. From a safety point of view, all Santa Fe models feature seven airbags, including side curtain airbags and a driver’s knee airbag along with rollover sensors for the side curtain airbags.

Overview

Hyundai continues to put out hit after hit, and the entire Santa Fe line from the Sport to the GSL and Limited will fit into the lineup very well. With the different wheelbases and seating options, Hyundai will address the needs of most consumers looking for a CUV. Put this one on your test drive list.

We’ve had the opportunity to test drive many of the new Nissan’s over the past year, and you can see some of the photos from the drive events above, with the Altima, Sentra, Versa and Pathfinder as recent examples. Follow the links for our reviews and you’ll see we’ve been very impressed with what Nissan has been doing. Also, with the Nissan sedans, we’ve seen them completely redesigned with a distinctive new front grille.

With the New York International Auto Show coming up, Nissan has invited Bullz-Eye.com and our readers to ask some questions to Nissan’s new Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, José Muñoz. He’ll answer them at NYIAS and then we’ll post the video here on Bullz-Eye. So give us your questions here in the comments or on the Bullz-Eye Twitter account.

The ante keeps getting higher in the C Segment of cars, and the new 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe SE PZEV has made a grand entrance. This two-door coupe model of the Elantra sedan is attracting even more buyers to the Elantra lineup, further expanding its appeal to savvy consumers. It offers many of the same attributes that made the sedan version a sales success, while broadening its market reach to youthful, sporty buyers willing to forgo four-door versatility for coupe design appeal. The 2013 Elantra Coupe marks the continuing evolution of Hyundai’s “Fluidic Sculpture” design theme with sporty design language, while assuming a compact coupe segment leadership position with an eco-efficient powertrain, generous convenience features, exceptional roominess and abundant safety features.

When we drove the 2013 Elantra Sedan Hatchback GT, we were impressed with the design and architecture, so we had high hopes for the 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe SE PZEV. From the side, Elantra Coupe conveys a wedge-like sport coupe silhouette with deeply sculpted surfaces. Sporty, five-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels with dark spoke inserts add a dynamic presence, while fast A- and C-pillar angles frame a sharply tapered greenhouse, further accentuating the wedge profile. Just below the belt line, a prominent character line carries from the door through to the rear deck. Wheel arch creases give a subtle flared appearance around front and rear wheels for a wide and aggressive presence. Further, a beveled rocker panel rounds out the lean and muscular effect.

Elantra Coupe takes Hyundai’s dynamic “Fluidic Sculpture” design principles to the next level. Fluidic Sculpture design language replicates the interaction of wind with rigid surfaces to create a perception of fluid in motion. Hyundai’s signature hexagonal front fascia opening and jeweled swept-back headlights give the Elantra Coupe a lean, aggressive demeanor. Fog lights and available side mirror repeater lamps complement the view from the front. From the rear, a blacked-out rear diffuser valance contrasts with dual chrome-tipped exhaust tips, and the SE model deck lid incorporates a lip spoiler design element.

These sculpted surfaces serve to create a highly aerodynamic body. The drag coefficient for the Elantra Coupe is an exceptionally low 0.28 Cd, resulting in minimal cabin noise intrusion and optimal fuel economy. Elantra Coupe was designed in the U.S.A. at Hyundai’s North American Design Center in Irvine, Calif. And we must say they did a great job!

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The all-new Forte 5-door SX’s eye-catching, European-inspired hatchback design makes a clear statement that Kia means business! The understated attitude of the 2013 Kia Forte 5-Door SX comes to life when you get behind the wheel and realize just how much swagger this car possesses.

Our test model was delivered in some snowy conditions, but the crimson red paint looked stunning in the white winter snow falling from the sky. Born from the Kia design studio in Seoul and overseen by Kia’s global chief of design, Peter Schreyer, the Forte 5-door’s sophisticated hatchback profile, large wheels and aggressive posture give it a distinctly European appearance that speaks to its performance intentions. The chiseled body commands attention and continues Kia’s tradition as a design leader in the industry.

Like its Forte sedan counterpart, the Forte 5-door’s swept headlights stretch deep into the front fenders and the raked windshield and broad shoulders give the front end a sleek, sporty appearance. LED positioning lights add a premium look to the front fascia. Moving around the vehicle, the large 18-inch wheels filled the wheel wells on our loaner SX, and the hatchback profile affords a performance-oriented European personality. Around back, the rear hatch glass opens to reveal 23.2 cubic feet of usable cargo space. LED tail lights complete the premium feel of the exterior and a sporty rear valance with twin chrome exhaust tips maintains the Forte 5-door’s edgy demeanor. Together, these design cues reveal how far Kia has come in just a few years!

The SX trim ups the ante with standard dual chrome exhaust tips and LED tail lights. The Forte 5-door SX also offers an aggressive front fascia with larger bumper and grille openings and black gloss grille inserts. The lower front fascia and rear valance also feature carbon fiber-look trim pieces.

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He kept taunting me from the rearview mirror, daring me to bury the needle even further, to more aggressively attack the relentless twists and turns ahead of me, to see just how far I could push this beast of a car I was driving. The motorcycle driver behind me had an advantage, of course, being able to take the hairpin curves of the road at a higher speed than I could, and he also seemed to know the area intimately, weaving his way around each bend in the road with confidence, no matter how severe, as if he knew each was coming miles ahead of time. I too had an advantage, however, specifically the 310-HP V6 engine under the hood of the all-new 2014 Acura RLX I was driving through a winding road in Napa Valley. The biker may have had the upper hand on the curves, but I owned the rest of the road. He’d inch closer when I slowed down ahead of a particularly sharp corner, but the RLX left him in the dust when the road opened up ahead of us again, effortlessly accelerating as I watched the biker shrink in my mirror. Unfortunately, the RLX handled the curves on our route much better than my wife’s stomach did, so I wisely chose marital peace with my white-knuckled passenger over my inflated ego and eventually let the biker pass. But he knew. And I knew he knew.

PERFORMANCE

Clearly, Acura’s new luxury sedan is a blast to drive, which is why they invited us out to Solage Calistoga in Napa Valley to drive the RLX. The twists and turns in the surrounding roads were the perfect setting to test the limits of this direct-injection 3.5L V6 sedan, whose Precision All-Wheel Steer (P-AWS) system offered instantaneous and precise control through even the tightest of corners during our test drive. While my wife would argue that I took the turns too fast, the precision the P-AWS system offers assured me that I was only scratching the surface. My biker friend got off easy!

During our time at Solage, Acura talked about the three pillars of their Smart Luxury approach, the first of which is sustainability. The four-door RLX drives and responds like a sports car, displaying impressive agility through the winding roads with instantaneous acceleration, particularly when Sport Mode is enabled. And yet, those 310 horses deliver class-leading economy with 24 combined MPG, including 31 MPG on the highway.

We also really enjoyed the Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, which is easily activated from the steering wheel. As someone who relies on cruise control during long drives, I loved how easily this system works, and just how responsive it is. Just set the speed as you normally would with cruise control, then set your desired distance from the car in front of you. The RLX will then speed up and slow down based on how fast or slow the car in front of you is driving. If they come to a stop at a stop sign, you’ll stop too. But, as Acura warned us when we buckled up for our test drive, if that car rolls through the stop sign, you’ll roll right with them! Combined with the Lane Keeping Assist system, this Adaptive Cruise Control speaks to the second pillar in Acura’s Smart Luxury approach: Time is luxury.

INTERIOR

Acura aimed for customization, ease of use and intuitive controls with the RLX. Mission accomplished. Most notable is the debut of the next-generation AcuraLink connected car system, a cloud-based application that allows drivers to access information like near real-time surface street traffic information and media feeds from sources like Twitter and Facebook while providing a Pandora interface, Bluetooth connectivity, text-to-voice SMS texting and much more, all without taking your eyes off the road or even picking up your phone. The RLX also comes standard with a beautiful seven-inch On-Demand Multi-Use Display with audible and tactile feedback, and audiophiles will want to upgrade to the Acura/ELS Studio Premium Audio System, a 14-speaker marvel that was developed with the help of Grammy winning producer and engineer Elliot Scheiner. This system must be heard to be believed.

Gadgets and gizmos aside, the interior of the RLX exudes luxury, with its heated 12-way adjustable seats and the stitched leather on the steering wheel, console and instrument panel, which looked even more impressive all lit up at night. In fact, after our initial late-afternoon test drive, we hopped back into the RLX with a couple of our fellow testers and headed to nearby Cade Winery for an amazing dinner, and the panel was quite a sight. Additionally, the RLX boasts the most spacious five-passenger seating in its class, which our backseat passengers most definitely appreciated on our way to dinner that night.

EXTERIOR

The RLX is quite an impressive piece of machinery, inside and out, with a look that will surely help it stand out in this crowded class. Most striking are the Jewel Eye headlights, a set of 10 LEDs stacked in two rows which give the RLX a distinctive appearance while providing improved brightness, distribution and down-the-road illumination on our drive to Cade Winery.

While the RLX doesn’t necessarily break any new design ground, it clearly is an improvement over its predecessor, the RL. Most impressive is the RLX’s ability to appeal to those looking for the room of a full-sized sedan while still maintaining the look and feel of a mid-sized sedan with its wide, athletic stance that just begs you to see what’s under the hood.

CONCLUSION

The final pillar of Acura’s Smart Luxury approach is value, and with a base of around $48,000, the RLX has an advantage over competitors like the Lexus GS, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series and Audi A6. Those are some heavy hitters, to be sure, but with the RLX representing improvement by leaps and bounds over the RL, and with a truly impressive set of features that enhances the driving experience, Acura is ready to do some heavy hitting of its own with its new flagship sedan.

At first glance, this disc looks like a bit of throwaway fluff, but after watching it? If you are a Bond fan, you will love this 60 minute “Top Gear” special. Period. Host Richard Hammond – who so very clearly loves Bond as much as we do – takes viewers on a guided tour through Bond film history, packed with clips, stories and trivia. Now, I call myself a Bond freak, but there are probably a half-dozen different behind the scenes stories Hammond relates here that were entirely new to me. One involved the procuring of the iconic Aston Martin DB5 for use in “Goldfinger”; another detailed a stunt for “The Man with the Golden Gun” with the AMC Hornet that could have gone disastrously wrong.

A great deal of attention is paid to the DB5, but an equal amount of love is given to the Lotus Esprit from “The Spy Who Loved Me.” Surely you remember that one? It’s the sleek white job that turned into a submarine and made cinematic history. Though the tech of 1977 wouldn’t allow for the actual creation of such a vehicle, Hammond puts today’s technology to the test by attempting to make a fully functional Lotus submarine. You have got to see this. If that doesn’t do it for you (though how it couldn’t is baffling), there’s also his comical attempt at making an invisible car with the help of flatscreen TVs and cameras!

You can tell Hammond’s a take no prisoners fan, too. When the series starts to go to shit in the Brosnan era, he takes it to task for its failure to create proper vehicular thrills. The special also features Hammond chatting up directors Guy Hamilton and Vic Armstrong, Roger Moore, Daniel Craig, and producer Michael G. Wilson on the set of “Skyfall.” Speaking of “Skyfall,” if you’ve not yet ordered your copy from Amazon, this disc will nicely pad out your order so you can get free shipping.

Mazda invited us to the Texas Hill Country near Austin to test drive the completely redesigned Mazda6. Everything about this vehicle is new, including the platform, engine and transmission, all designed from scratch from the ground up to work together. The engineers at Mazda even had to create all-new manufacturing processes to enable the scaling of the hardware for different models. The result is a vehicle that should do well in the super-competitive mid-sized sedan market.

Exterior

Check out the slideshow above, and you’ll see that the new Mazda6 is a beautiful vehicle from all angles. The front face of the vehicle is less pronounced than previous Mazda designs, helping to create a more refined look while retaining the aggressive feel of the Mazda brand. I particularly like how the chrome under the front grille extends out to follow the upper curves of the headlights, and the obligatory LED accents are perfectly placed to help create the image of speed and power.

The designers at Mazda had some clear goals as the re-imagined this vehicle. The Mazda6 currently captures a youthful, sporty image, and they wanted to reposition the 2014 model with “a more sporty, sophisticated and premium image.” They also wanted to position it as clear step-up from the youthful Mazda3.

The design theme of “Kodo – Soul of Motion” permeates every decision made with the new vehicle, with an emphasis on proportion, stance, brand signature and aerodynamics. The muscular but fluid lines make the Mazda6 look like it’s ready to run. Overall, this new design is a head-turner that should generate significant buzz for the vehicle and the brand.

Interior

The goal of creating a more premium image led to significant upgrades to the interior of the Mazda6. The all-new seats were very comfortable, and both the standard interiors and the leather option definitely had a more luxurious and elegant feel. The leather in particular offers a combination of hidden and contrast stitching that adds to the beauty of the interior. They reduced the size of steering wheel a bit to give more of a racing feel to the vehicle as well.

The designers avoided a bulky center stack in favor of a more horizontal design across the dashboard, and the controls are presented in a manner that makes them very easy to use. The screen and TomTom navigation tools were adequate, but they won’t blow you away as the screen isn’t very large. Still, the overall design and comfort level of the interior will definitely attract a wide variety of consumers.

Performance

Mazda is all about building cars that are fun to drive, and they achieved that goal with the 2014 Mazda6. The rolling hills near Austin provided a great testing environment with plenty of tight curves along with rapid inclines and declines. The thought that struck with me the most was how agile the Mazda6 felt. The steering, handling and braking were all very impressive.

The Mazda6 we tested featured the all-new SKYACTIV-G 2.5L four-cylinder engine that is available now with the launch of the vehicle, and Mazda will be providing a SKYACTIV-D 2.2L Clean Diesel Engine for the second half of 2013. This will replace the option of a six-cylinder engine which may disappoint some buyers but may also help lead to a resurgence of diesel in the US market. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Six-cylinders are becoming much rarer in this mid-sized market, disappointing those of us who crave power. Still, Mazda went to great lengths to push the limits of performance and efficiency with its new SKYACTIV engine technology, and the efforts produced solid performance for the new engine. The engine generates 184 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque and the 6-speed automatic version offers up impressive fuel mileage at 26 MPG city and 38 MPG highway (30 mpg combined).

Mazda has also added some impressive technological features that make the vehicle more competitive in this segment, with Mazda Radar Cruise Control, Front Obstruction Warning, Lane Departure Warning, High Beam Control, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Smart City Brake Support.

Overview

Mazda’s all-new flagship model will be priced competitively in this segment, with the Sport model starting at $20,880 and the Grand Touring version topping out at $29,495. Consumers can definitely save some money choosing the Mazda6 over much of the competition without sacrificing performance and styling. I suspect the eye-catching design will lure many consumers to give this vehicle a try, and like all Mazdas it’s fun to drive, so Mazda will likely have another hit on its hands.

Bullz-Eye.com was back in South Africa again as we visited the set of “Death Race 3: Inferno.” Check out all of our “Death Race 3″ coverage which includes interviews with some of the beautiful actresses from the film, including Tanit Phoenix, Michelle Van Schaik and the Navigation Girls. One sexy Navigation Girl is paired up with each driver, while Tanit Phoenix plays Katrina Banks who pairs up with Frankenstein, and Michelle Van Schaik plays the only female driver in a badass role.

One of the biggest attractions for these films has to be the badass Death Race cars, and you can see all of them below including the car driven by the infamous Frankenstein. Check them out and compare them to the Death Race 2 cars we covered for the last Death Race film.

Driver: Frankenstein (Luke Goss)

Driver: Akula Girls

Driver: Psycho (Jeremy Crutchley)

Driver: Razor (Bart Fouche)

Driver: Tasmanian Devil

Driver: 14k (Robin Shou)

Driver: Baby

Driver: Rebel

When a company is confident about a new product, they relish the opportunity to have others compare it to the competition. That’s certainly been the attitude of the folks at BFGoodrich, who for years have been giving journalists the opportunity to test their products against the competition.

We were invited last year to test out the new BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 tire, and this year we were invited back to test the all-new BFGoodrich g-Force Rival at New Orleans Motorsport Park. The Rival was designed to fill out BFG’s product lineup in the g-Force category between its COMP-2 street tire and its pure racing tires. The Rival utilizes racing technologies which provide extreme grip on the street and on the track and is designed specifically for autocrossing and track day events. It’s a tire that will help enthusiasts race on the track, but they can drive home on the tire as well. All of the events they planned for us were designed to demonstrate the incredible grip achieved by these tires, and we were going to drive some great cars with the BMW E46 M3, Ford FR500 Mustang, Subaru WRX, and Mazda MX-5. It was going to be a great day!

The goal of the design team was to create the highest dry grip tire in the g-Force family that would be the best in class for people looking for “street tire” competition in autocross and track events. The tire can also perform fine in wet conditions, but it was specifically designed for dry surfaces. The goals included better grip around corners and better predictability for the driver in order to turn faster lap times. As I sat through the presentation, I was pretty amazed and the amount of technology that went into these tires. Here are some of the features:

Razor-sharp reflexes – The Performance Racing Core™ (PRC) with a reinforced internal structure reduces sidewall flex for instant steering response.

Designed to stick – Asymmetric tread with large, solid tread blocks on the outside shoulder to optimize cornering grip.

Raise the limit – Extreme Tread Edge (ETE) design brings tread compound farther down the shoulder for increased grip in hard cornering and predictable feedback.

Consistent grip lap after lap — Silica-infused competition compound delivers better grip from start to finish.1

Street legal with a UTQG treadwear rating of 200 so you can drive to the track and back.

The day was set up so we could feel the tire in action and compare it to the competition, along with the other tires in the BFG lineup. We got started with a skidpad test featuring the Mazda MX5 Cup. Cones were set up in a circle and each of us got the chance to test three BFG tires, starting with the COMP-2, then moving to the Rival and finally the R1 racing tire. It was fun getting up to a high speed, locking the wheel and then squealing around the track with an instructor in the passenger seat prompting us to go fast and really push the tires. The feel of the Rivals was much different than the street tire, with a huge improvement in grip, while the Rivals felt much closer to the R1 racing tires. The main different was that the Rival seemed more forgiving than the R1 racing tires. It was a great exercise that got us warmed up for some autocross.

The next stage for our group was the Subaru WRX STI autocross testing the Rivals against the Hankook Ventus R-S3 and the Toyo Proxes R1R. The course was fun and frankly there was a huge difference as the grip of the Rivals was noticeably better than the competition.

Next we got to drive the Mustang FR500 (the racing version of the Mustang) on the full NOLA track. It had been a year since I got to drive the Mustang Boss at the Miller race track in Utah, so I was pretty rusty, but this was still incredibly fun. We compared the Rivals to the Falken RT-615K in this exercise. I definitely noticed the difference in the curves.

Our last event behind the wheel was a long-course autocross in the BMW E46 M3, and here we compared the Rival to the Hankook Ventus R-S3. This event was the most fun for me, as I felt much more comfortable on the autocross as opposed to the full track with the Mustang. The course was fun and challenging, and the Rival blew away the competition here. The grip and response was superb, while the Hancock offered a much-less confidence inspiring experience.

Overall, the Rival definitely lived up to the goals of the designers. Even though I have little experience racing, I’m very confident after these tests that enthusiasts are going to be thrilled with this tire, and that was definitely the impression of other journalists at the event, many of whom had significant racing experience. The new Rival will be available for pre-order on February 1st from TireRack.com, so definitely consider checking them out if you want to improve your times at the track.

The last event of the day included “hot laps” where the pros and instructors did laps in the Mustang FR500 and we got the opportunity to ride shotgun and see how the experts did it. Here’s a video from my lap, and you can sense how much fun we had.

Bullz-Eye.com was on location in South Africa for the filming of “Death Race 3: Inferno,” which is out on Blu-ray/DVD on January 22nd. Here we have a great slideshow of three of the Navigation Girls from the film along with an interview in the video below. Bullz-Eye.com’s senior photographer Paul Miller was on the set during the filming of the movie and had the opportunity to speak with these three lovely actresses. They include Tanya van Graan who plays Amber, Charlbi Dean Kriek who plays Calamity J and Kim Engelbrecht who plays Kelly O’Donnell. Each are great in the film as they assist their various drivers through the Death Race.

Also, check out our interviews with Tanit Phoenix and Michelle Van Schaik.