New Hyundai Santa Fe Revealed In Official Images: Fifth-Gen SUV Goes Boxy

First pictures of the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe have been revealed, shedding light on the SUV’s almost shocking design transformation. The Santa Fe, which is amongst Hyundai’s biggest SUVs globally, has ditched the outgoing model’s rounded (and arguably more generic) appearance. Instead, the fifth-generation Santa Fe adopts a boxy design that is reminiscent of the Defenders and Escalades of the world. For now, Hyundai has chosen to keep most technical details of the new Santa Fe under wraps, reserving those for the world premiere, which will take place in August.

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One look at the new Santa Fe is enough to know this generation, from an exterior point of view, has almost nothing in common with the outgoing SUV. Its square-jawed look is intended to create an imposing stance, and the new Santa Fe is as upright as any other SUV you’ve ever seen in profile.

H-shaped DRL elements linked by an LED light bar.

Dominating the face is the increasingly familiar Hyundai LED daytime running light signature that links the H-shaped LED elements in the headlight housings, and the honeycomb-style grille. The angled wheel arches house 21-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels wrapped in 245-section rubber. It is almost slab-sided, with thick C- and D-pillars, prominent roof rails, and features wraparound tail-lights low on the tailgate that have – you guessed it – H-shaped LED lighting elements. Hyundai has confirmed the new Santa Fe’s wheelbase is longer than that of the outgoing model, which has a 2,765 mm wheelbase.

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New Santa Fe's wheelbase is longer than the outgoing SUV's 2,765 mm wheelbase.

The boxy design approach carries over to the new Santa Fe’s interior. Appearing to be heavily inspired by the cabin of the new Land Rover Defender, the Santa Fe’s slab-like dash incorporates a single AC vent design that spans the width of the dashboard. Also seen is the Land Rover-esque three-spoke steering wheel, curved dual display setup housing two 12.3-inch screens, and space for two smartphones to be wirelessly charged at the same time. The centre console integrates a variety of buttons and knobs for the multi-zone climate control system as well as the drive and terrain modes. The gear lever is mounted on the steering column, a move that liberates more storage space underneath the centre console.

The new Santa Fe will have two sunroofs, including a standard-size sunroof for the front passengers, and a larger sunroof for the rear passengers. Rear seat occupants will also enjoy dedicated AC vents built into the B-pillars, and the second and third rows can fold fully flat, which Hyundai says will open up ‘class-leading’ cargo space.

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Twin 12.3-inch displays dominate dash; gear lever moved to the steering column.

There is no word on the platform the new Santa Fe utilises, and similarly, no details of the powertrain options have been shared at this point. However, one of the images released shows the Santa Fe wearing the 2.5T and HTRAC badges, denoting the presence of the 2.5-litre, turbocharged petrol engine that puts out roughly 270 bhp, and all-wheel drive. 

Hyundai is expected to offer the new Santa Fe with hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains; the latter is likely to get a larger battery that will enable a higher electric-only driving range. However, an all-electric version is unlikely, as Hyundai intends to build fully-electric vehicles only as part of its Ioniq range of vehicles.

Full reveal of the new Santa Fe will take place in August.

In India, the Santa Fe has been missing for a few years, with the third-generation model having been discontinued back in 2017. The fourth-generation model never made it to our shores, but with Hyundai’s focus on bolstering its SUV line-up going forward, the fifth-gen Santa Fe could well be a prime candidate for the Indian market.