Together with the upcoming all-new Hyundai Tucson, the new 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe facelift is also open for bookings in Malaysia, as revealed by Hyundai Sime Darby Motors (HSDM). The upcoming locally assembled (CKD) Hyundai Tucson will be offered in 3 variants with 2 of them being hybrids and one of them being a diesel.
The three variants of the soon-to-launch Hyundai Santa Fe are the:
- Santa Fe Hybrid Plus
- Santa Fe Hybrid Max
- Santa Fe Diesel Max
The Hybrid variants are powered by a combination of a 1.6-litre T-GDI petrol engine developing 180 hp (metric) and 265 Nm of torque, and a 44.2 kW electric motor, giving a total system output of 230 hp (metric) and 350 Nm of torque. Drive goes to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.
The Diesel Max variant’s 2.2 litre CRDi diesel engine sends 202 hp (metric) and 440 Nm of torque to all four wheels through Hyundai’s HTRAC all-wheel drive (AWD) system and an 8-speed wet DCT.
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The three variants are considerably similarly equipped – standard across the range are six airbags, the full Hyundai SmartSense safety suite including Smart Cruise Control, an eight-inch touch-screen with wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and voice recognition, auto wipers, and wireless phone charging.
The Hybrid Max and Diesel Max share leather seats, a fully digital 12.3-inch instrument panel, and a power tailgate, while the range-topping Hybrid Max exclusively gets heated/ventilated driver and front passenger seats, and driver’s seat memory. Available colours are Snowflake White Pearl, Jet Black, Meteor Grey, and Stormy Sea.
Standard safety equipment for the Hyundai Santa Fe include Smart Cruise Control (SCC), Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FAC), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Lane Following Assist (LFA), Driver Attention Warning (DAW), Leading Vehicle Departure Alert (LVDA), High Beam Assist (HBA), Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA), Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW), Rear Cross Traffic COllision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA), Safe Exit Warning (SEW), and Rear Occupant Alert (ROA).
The now-open-for-bookings Hyundai Santa Fe was earlier spotted being transported on a trailer, presumably fresh from the factory and we guessed that there would at least be 2 variant offerings based on the wheels on trims of the cars on the trailer. Looks like our guess wasn’t too far off. Hyundai has confirmed CKD operations for the Santa Fe a while back. It should presumably enable an attractive starting price for the 7-seater SUV.
