A couple of decades ago, Hyundai wasn't really known for anything other than affordability. But now the Korean powerhouse has some of the boldest, most provocative statements in the design department. The next example of this is likely to be the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe, a refresh for the mid-sized SUV.
The Santa Fe already has quite an interesting shape, but the new one will be even more difficult to explain/understand. Prototypes haven't been seen that often in America, but the Koreans spot them all the time, and one of them decided to digitally remove the camouflage.
AtchaCars has done a good job in the accurate rendering department before. And while the new Tucson and Santa Cruz are arguably more interesting, we decided to share this refreshed Santa Fe as well.
Apparently, the grille wasn't big enough before, so designers came up with a giant silver frame that's the length of the whole front end and also engulfs the lower headlight clusters. There's now a split T-shape formed by the LEDs, which you can probably easily identify at night.
As we've said in the past, the mid-life refresh should bring new interior trim, premium features and a bunch of engines. These will depend on the market.
For America, the main one is obviously going to be the 2.5-liter Theta 3, a four-cylinder that should deliver about 190 horsepower through an 8-speed auto to either the front or all four wheels.
If it's in the budget, Hyundai can also now make a Santa Fe N-Line. The name is pretty bad, but it would come with the same 290 horsepower 2.5-liter turbo as all the latest Genesis models and the Sonata N-Line. A new twin-clutch performance gearbox could be part of this package.
In Europe and Asia, Hyundai could potentially still offer a 2.2-liter diesel that has just been updated. However, the big change is the availability of hybrid and plug-in hybrid systems.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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