Hyundai gave a world premiere to the new Santa Fe at the 2012 New York International Auto Show, reports Padraic Deane from the Big Apple.
In its latest form, the popular D-segment SUV is re-styled inside and out, and fitted with enhanced features and new technology. It is also powered by re-tuned engines with improved efficiency - all of which, Hyundai says, is to ensure it will offer European buyers a visually-appealing, sophisticated, lifestyle vehicle when it goes on sale in late summer or early autumn.
Hyundai is keeping the name Santa Fe, continuing the heritage of the car manufacturer’s well-established SUV model as it enters its third generation. The Santa Fe has achieved worldwide cumulative sales of almost 2.56 million units, and more than 350,000 in Europe, since its debut in 2000.
Hyundai expects this new-generation model to continue the company’s strong performance in the SUV market, and to capture more than a five per cent share of its market segment in Europe during its first full year on sale in 2013.
Influenced by Hyundai’s latest styling theme, the third-generation Santa Fe adopts its own design concept called ‘Storm Edge’, which the Korean carmaker says "captures the strong and dynamic images created by nature during the formation of a storm".
Featuring sophisticated and refined lines, which are in harmony with its bold and voluminous surfaces, the new generation Santa Fe certainly does present a more masculine, more aggressive, and more characterful SUV appearance than its predecessor.
Three powertrain options will be available to European buyers, including a new, super-efficient, Euro 6-compliant 2.0-litre R VGT diesel engine. Producing 150bhp, this powerplant emits 155g/km of CO2. In addition, Hyundai says the 2.2-litre diesel unit has been tuned for greater efficiency, making it one of the cleanest offerings in the segment with CO2 emissions of 145g/km.
To ensure the newcomer is best suited to the tastes of European drivers, extensive development work has been completed for the European-specification model. This includes modifications to the steering, suspension and brakes, as well as changes to the SUV’s set-up to aid high-speed stability and towing ability.
As with all newly-launched models in Europe, the new generation Santa Fe will come with Hyundai’s top customer care package, Five Year Triple Care, comprising a five-year unlimited warranty, five years of roadside assistance, and five years of vehicle health checks.
The new Santa Fe retains the earlier model’s key strengths – practicality, roominess and dependability, Hyundai boasts that it while also offers much more. The company expects it to appeal to potential new customers from a wider demographic range – including some owners of premium-brand SUVs.
A spokesman said: “With its fresh exterior styling, more efficient engines, greater comfort and improved quality, the new generation Santa Fe is a truly attractive proposition that will build on the successes of the previous model by broadening its emotional appeal.”
