Korea: Hyundai Santa Fe facelift spotted testing

A test mule of the facelifted version of the third-generation Hyundai Santa Fe has been spotted in Korea. The SUV was seen wearing a lot of cladding, indicating that it could receive substantial cosmetic updates.

Some of the changes likely to be seen on the Santa Fe are a reworked chrome grille, redesigned front and rear bumpers, new headlamps and tail lamps, restyled twin exhaust pipes and alloy wheels of a different design.

In India, the current version of the Santa Fe uses a 2.2-litre, turbocharged diesel engine that produces 194 bhp @ 3800 rpm and 421 Nm of torque @ 1800-2500 rpm (436 Nm @ 1800-2500 rpm for the A/T). The refreshed Santa Fe is likely to come to India in 2016 and reports suggest that the SUV could get engine and transmission upgrades  to make it more fuel efficient and less polluting.

Hyundai is also working on a hybrid version of the Santa Fe. It will feature a petrol engine to power its front wheels and an electric motor for the rear ones. Hyundai calls the technology e-4WD. The car will also get a regenerative braking system.

Source: Korean Car Blog