Hyundai finally revealed its Santa Fe replacement at the recent New York Auto Show. The newcomer will reach South Africa before the end of the year, but it is not yet clear whether local buyers will be able to choose between the SWB, five-seat Santa Fe Sport, or the LWB, seven-seat Santa Fe, or if only one model will be offered locally.
Besides the Sport model being shorter and “sporting” more aggressive looks, an important disctinction is that it will only be offered with a choide of 2,4-litre GDI (142 kW estimated) or 2,0-litre turbocharged GDI (197 kW estimated) turbopetrols. The larger 3,3-litre V6 petrol unit is reserved for the seven-seat Santa Fe. At this stage no announcements have been made with regards to turbodiesel engines, but these will undoubtedly once again feature in the European (and South African) line-ups. At the vehicles’ US-launch it was announced that all engines will be mated with six-speed automatic transmissions with manual shift functionality.
The new model also introduces an optional new sophisticated all-wheel drive system with TVCC (torque vectoring and torque braking). All Santa Fe’s equipped with all-wheel drive feature an “intelligent control unit that continuously analyses data from the vehicle controller, and through a multi-plate clutch distributes torque to any single wheel at a time.” Braking force can also be sent to any single wheel at a time. Claimed benefits include improved lateral stability and limiting under- and oversteer characteristics.
The seven-seat model is significantly larger overall than the five-seat model and features a second-row seating system that can be adjusted to offer maximum legroom, or to improve third-row legroom or boot space. (with the third row folded down). The new Santa Fe also benefits from major weight savings compared with the outgoing model, benefitting fuel economy. Finally, the interior is claimed to represent a significant step up into the premium class in terms of fit and finishes, and also standard equipment – look out for panoramic glass roofs, seven airbags as standard, heated rear seats etc.
