Hyundai Motor is yet to reveal the full specifications of the 2021MY Santa Fe crossover SUV
South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Company revealed the 2021MY Santa Fe crossover SUV earlier in June. Packing substantially more, the latest Hyundai Santa Fe is a radical improvement over the fourth-gen ‘TM‘ series rather than being an all-new generation. It is primarily aimed at European and North American markets. Hyundai claims that it offers several upgrades in terms of dynamics, equipment and safety, but has not shared the full technical specifications yet.
Perhaps the most talked-about aspect of the new Sante Fe would be its styling. Compared to other modern Hyundai products, the designers have taken a completely different approach — especially at the front. The signature cascading grille theme has been replaced by an interesting octagonal configuration. Another highlight is the T-shaped DRL layout (heavily ‘inspired’ by Volvo models albeit tilted inward) which appears to drip down through the bumper and into the full-LED headlamps. Overall, the 2021MY Hyundai Santa Fe sports a like-it-or-hate-it styling. There is certainly no in-between.
A few 2021MY Hyundai Santa Fe units were recently spotted on public roads in South Korea, without any camouflage. The world is getting used to tastelessly oversized grilles but the Santa Fe looked relatively better in official studio images. However, in the real world, the seven-seater looks rather weird from certain angles. As seen in the set shared by Kurdistan Automotive Blog on Instagram, the new Santa Fe may not be the most welcome sight in a poorly lit parking lot.
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For the 2021 model year, Hyundai has not made any major changes to the side and rear profiles. This is quite unusual since the latest model is based on an all-new ‘N3’ modular platform which supports hybrid powertrains. The example you see here is supposedly a hybrid variant; PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) to be precise. As mentioned before, the company has not shared any details regarding engine specifications though sources suggest that there would be mild-hybrid petrol and diesel formats as well.
Coming to its interiors, the new Santa Fe features a 10.25-inch touchscreen, 12.3-inch TFT instrument console, ‘shift-by-wire’ gear buttons in place of a conventional lever; premium soft-touch materials, voice command and more. It boasts of Hyundai’s HTRAC all-wheel-drive system (reportedly only in diesel format) with multiple driving modes such as Sand, Snow, Mud, Eco, Sport, Comfort and Smart.
The Indian market has not been rewarding to the only two Santa Fe generations (third and fourth) it had received. For the same reason, we do not expect the new one to come here anytime soon. Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor India is considering the Palisade (shares internals with the Kia Telluride).
