Hyundai Santa Fe coming back as Toyota Fortuner latest challenger

Hyundai Santa Fe, the most premium SUV from the brand is expected to make a comeback to the Indian market soon. Currently, Tucson is the most premium SUV offered by the South Korean brand in India but according to a report, the all-new fourth generation Santa Fe would make a comeback to the Indian market. This is quite interesting as many reports earlier dismissed the arrival of the Santa Fe in the Indian market. The new Santa Fe would also offer a 7-seat version that will allow it to take on the likes of Toyota Fortuner in the Indian market.

The confirmation has come from Puneet Anand, Sr General Manager (marketing), Hyundai Motor India Ltd about the Santa Fe, he replied by saying that the Indian market would get the SUV in the coming times. The Santa Fe was discontinued from the market in 2017 due to the falling sales figures.

However, the new SUV could gather a larger number of customers as it looks much sharper and gets European looks. The Santa Fe would be launched in India as a Completely Built Unit (CBU), which will allow Hyundai to import the number of units as per the market demand.

The all-new Santa Fe is available with both diesel and petrol engine options but the diesel engine is only available with the 7-seater configuration. The Indian market is expected to get only the diesel version of the soft-roader. There is a 2.4-litre petrol engine available with the SUV in the international markets and offers 185 Bhp of maximum power.

There is a 2.0-litre petrol engine too that churns out a maximum of 232 Bhp of power. The 2.2-litre CRDi diesel engine churns out a maximum power of 200 Bhp. Internationally, all the variants also get 8-speed automatic torque converter as standard. There is also HTRAC All-Wheel-Drive system with allows the various modes like Normal, Sport and Smart. The Toyota Fortuner, in comparison, produces a much lower power.

The fourth-generation Hyundai Santa Fe gets the latest generation Hyundai design cues like the new cascade grille and composite headlamps like the Kona SUV. It gets LED DRLs positioned on the top with the headlamp in the middle and the fog lamps placed close to the road. The Santa Fe also looks very aggressive with flared wheel arches and strong character lines on the body. At the rear, there are sharper LED taillamps and a new tailgate. It gets a silver skid plate mounted on the rear bumper with twin-chrome tipped exhaust.

On the inside, the new Santa Fe gets premium upholstery with roomy interiors. The dashboard gets an all-new touchscreen infotainment system that can be controlled through the steering wheel. It also gets high-end features like wireless phone charging, Heads-Up Display, collision avoidance assist, blind spot collision warning, safe exit assist, lane keeping assist, rear view monitor with parking guidance, rear cross traffic collision avoidance assistance and many more such features. While such will be available in the international model, it is not known if the Indian spec vehicle will get it. The Santa Fe will take on the likes of upcoming Mahindra Y400, Skoda Kodiaq, Toyota Fortuner and the Honda CR-V in India.

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