The South Korean automaker is diligently preparing for a wave of novelties - they just showcased the feisty 641-hp Ioniq 5 N at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, hoping to put the rivaling Tesla Model S Performance to shame. According to the rumor mill, they are also almost ready to give us a refreshed Tucson and i30 N.
But, of course, this summer's headline from Hyundai is the two-part introduction of the Land Rover Defender-lookalike, boxy-styled mid-size Santa Fe crossover SUV. For now, we only have the initial details and the inaugural batch of photos, while in late August, all the juicy details should be ready to be spilled around the world. And, until then, of course, there are some who don't have the patience to wait that long.
Of them, a few can also do something about their impatience and take matters into their hands. Or rather, at the tip of their CGI brushes as we deal with the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. Meet the virtual artist better known as Theottle on social media, who has also taken notice of his peers' attempts at enhancing the looks and prowess of the all-new, fifth-gen Hyundai Santa Fe. But unlike his fellow pixel masters, he did not just change the colors or ruggedize the tough-looking OEM design.
Instead, the CGI expert decided that this bold attempt at reinventing a very popular Hyundai nameplate not only deserves a place in automotive history but also to spawn a few siblings. Other authors have imagined it as an aggressive Santa Fe N derivative to make the Ford Explorer ST think about its success, but this artist thinks the new styling is better served in practical 'Ute' form.
As such, his dream Santa Fe is about ready to join the little Santa Cruz unibody compact pickup truck after it gets a longer wheelbase, gets rid of some of the body elements, and also adopts a more 'natural' rear look for the pixel-LED taillights. Oh, and let us not forget about the bed's cargo space, of course.
All in all, it is not a bad effort per se. However, the South Korean company might be weary of attempting another US-dedicated pickup truck because the stylish Santa Cruz is not doing fantastic when trying to mitigate the popularity of its only competitor – Ford's Maverick. So, presumably, the corner office head honchos would be even less inclined to unleash a unibody Santa Fe mid-size pickup truck on the market where Toyota's Tacoma still rules undefeated even before switching to an all-new, 2024 model year iteration.
However, there is also one argument for such a quirky Santa Fe 'Ute' scenario – Honda's unibody Ridgeline has been faring a lot better than expected as of late and even beat the Jeep Gladiator, Ford Ranger, and GMC Canyon during the first six months of the year in terms of US market deliveries. Cool, right?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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