Next-gen Hyundai Santa Fe spied testing in Sweden

The first spy shots of the next generation Hyundai’s Santa Fe have surfaced online.

Our Italian partners, Quattroroute have spied the all new Hyundai Santa Fe being tested on snow in Sweden. The new Santa Fe is expected to debut only in 2018 and would hit the markets as early as 2019.

The prototype, that was spied testing is the larger three row seating Grand Santa Fe which is not available in India. However, rumours suggest, Hyundai is working on an 8-seat version for the American market while the smaller Santa Fe is also due for a complete overhaul. But the Grand Santa Fe is unlikely to arrive in India.

The New Santa Fe is expected to be larger, lighter and stronger than the current generation vehicle, to meet stringent crash and emission regulations. As for the design, not much has been revealed in the images of the prototype, but some subtle changes are seen like the long bonnet, with split design headlamps where the daytime running lights sit at the top near the leading edge of the hood and the main projectors form a vertical stack positioned below. The prototype also features what looks to be like Hyundai’s new Cascading Grille design in addition to the ORVS being mounted on the door, instead of the bottom of the A-Pillar. Overall, the design is only evolutionary, rather than featuring a completely new styling.

At the moment, it is too early to make assumptions about powertrain options, but the larger Grand Santa Fe is expected to be powered by an evolution of the current V6 engine, while the smaller mid-size Santa Fe would continue to be offered with 4-cylinder options. All the engines would be tweaked to perform better and squeeze out as much fuel economy as possible. Both cars will continue to be sold as front wheel drive as standard, all-wheel drive will remain as an optional feature. As of now, it is yet to be confirmed if the Santa Fe would be offered with any kind of hybrid powertrain.

Source: Quattroroute