The seven-seat SUV will enter a new generation as it continues to offer hybrid power
The next-generation Hyundai Santa Fe will receive a significant design overhaul next year, as the firm’s largest SUV looks set to continue to offer seven seats and a selection of hybrid powertrains.
Likely to be fully revealed next year before a 2024 launch, a heavily updated prototype of the Santa Fe was photographed testing on public roads in Germany.
The prototype was almost entirely covered with black fabric, with a black-and-white obscuring livery visible beneath. It appears to feature a much more squared-off silhouette than the previous Santa Fe, which we named Best Large Car at the 2022 Autocar Awards.
The key design changes have been made to the Santa Fe’s roof and A-pillar, with new lights at the front and rear. The door handles, most of the front grille and the entire rear of the car were hidden from view.
While the current Santa Fe uses Hyundai–Kia’s N3 Y6 platform, the new model will adopt the firm’s N3 structure, which it will share with the new Kia Sorento.
Hyundai UK confirmed the model under wraps was indeed the new Santa Fe but did not comment on a potential reveal date, powertrains or performance figures.
However, the visible exhaust suggests Hyundai is not ready to convert the Santa Fe to all-electric power just yet. It is likely to be offered with a choice of electrified powertrains once again.
The current car, which has been on sale since 2019 and received a facelift for the 2021 model year, is sold with a four-cylinder diesel producing 199bhp and 324lb ft.
It is also offered with a 1.6-litre T-GDi hybrid powertrain making 226bhp, while the range is topped by a 1.6-litre T-GDi plug-in hybrid, delivering 261bhp.
Hyundai could get rid of diesel completely, offering the Santa Fe in the UK with a purely hybrid powertrain line-up.
Source: Autocar
