Soon to launch in Malaysia is the locally assembled (CKD) 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe facelift, and it has now been spotted in Malaysia whilst being transported on a trailer. The images of the car were shared by an anonymous reader of all the automotive portals in Malaysia. From the images shared, we can at tell that there will be at least 2 variants of the Santa Fe.
While the Hyundai Santa Fe has been given an all-new 5th-generation refresh globally, the new version that will soon be launched in Malaysia is a comprehensive facelift of the fourth-generation Santa Fe. This comprehensive facelift introduces a significant improvement in terms of design, equipment, and even performance.
As seen in the spied images of the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe, the front end gets new headlight enclosures that join up with the main grille. The daytime running lights are T-shaped with their vertical elements extending into the headlight cluster beneath the positioning lights.
With the headlights moved, the front bumper is also redesigned with a more off-road-friendly look. The front fog lamps on the lower bumper have been omitted from the facelift model.
The facelift is also more than skin deep as the Santa Fe now sits on the new N3 architecture that is shared with the new 5th-generation model. Overall, the facelift Santa Fe is 15 mm longer, 10 mm wider, and 5 mm taller than before. The wheelbase remains unchanged.
Inside, the facelifted Hyundai Santa Fe sports a new larger 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment display, alongside the fully digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster behind the steering wheel.
It’s unclear if the new 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe facelift in Malaysia will feature the same powertrain options as its predecessor. The pre-facelift Hyundai Santa Fe was previously offered in Malaysia with either a 2.4-litre naturally-aspirated inline-four petrol or a 2.2-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder engine. The former is paired to a six-speed automatic transmission and a front-wheel drive drivetrain, while the latter gets an eight-speed unit with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive options.
No official launch date of the CKD 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe for Malaysia has been announced just yet. It should however be just around the corner.
