The all-new 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe, which was unveiled at the New York Auto Show last year, has been caught testing in India. The all new Santa Fe looks much more exciting than the old Santa Fe and features Hyundai’s Fluidic styling. However, the new SUV is powered by the same 2.2 litres four cylinder DOHC common-rail diesel engine that powers the earlier generation. The engine has a max power output of 194BHP and a peak torque figure of 422 Nm. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual and a 6 speed automatic gearbox with optional AWD layout reserved for flagship variants.
The new Santa Fe will come to us with the 7-seat layout and with a high build quality. The new Santa Fe sports a soft suspension setup which will focus less on handling and more on ride quality.
The all new Santa Fe boasts of a 5-star NCAP safety rating and comes equipped with a full quota of airbags, ESP, ABS, hill start assist et al. The car also boasts of a long features list which includes electric seats, xenon headlamps, daytime running lights, keyless start & go, electric parking brake, dual-zone climate control, rear-conditioning, parking camera, 6-speaker entertainment system with amplifier & subwoofer, one-touch-folding rear seats and so on.
The earlier generation of Santa Fe that is currently on sale in India hasn’t been clocking good numbers on sales chart with a monthly sales average of just 55 units (August 2012 – January 2013). The new gen Santa Fe is expected to come to our market in the third quarter of this year and HMIL might assemble the car in India itself, unlike the current Santa Fe which comes to us via CBU route. This would enable the manufacturer to price the SUV more competitively.
It remains to be seen if the new Santa Fe will be able to eat into the sales of the Toyota Fortuner, the BMW X1 and the likes.
Via TeamBHP