Hyundai Santa Fe: the SUV that steadied Hyundai

The Hyundai Santa Fe is the crossover SUV Hyundai has built since 2000, named after the city of Santa Fe in New Mexico. It was introduced for the 2001 model year as Hyundai’s first SUV and was a milestone in the company’s restructuring of the late 1990s, because American buyers took to it. It started as a compact SUV and, after the Tucson arrived in 2004, moved up to the mid-size class.

Hyundai Santa Fe at a glance

History of the Hyundai Santa Fe

In its first year the Santa Fe came with one of two engine and gearbox combinations. North American buyers got a 2.4-litre four-cylinder as standard, with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic, or the 2.7-litre Delta V6 with the automatic only; front-wheel drive was standard with traction control optional on the V6, and four-wheel drive was an option. A 2.0-litre common-rail turbodiesel was offered outside the United States. Australian cars went on sale in November 2000 with the 2.7 V6, a four-speed automatic and four-wheel drive as standard, and a cheaper 2.4-litre manual joined them in 2001.

The first generation was updated almost every year. In 2002 the centre vents and buttons were restyled, the clock moved from the overhead console to the centre of the dashboard, and seat-mounted head and torso airbags became standard for front occupants. Mid-year brought a larger 71-litre fuel tank and an optional sunroof, plus chrome interior door handles. In 2003 Hyundai added a 3.5-litre V6 for North America with a computer-controlled four-wheel drive system and a five-speed automatic, and the unpopular Pine Green colour was dropped. The 2005 facelift changed the grille, tail lights and rear bumper, redesigned the instrument cluster and extended the sun visors. In Australia the four-cylinder engine and the entry GL trim were dropped, leaving the 2.7 V6 as the base engine and body-coloured bumpers as standard.

The range then grew in several directions. The third generation of 2012 came in short and long-wheelbase forms: the short car was sold in North America as the Santa Fe Sport without three-row seating, while the long-wheelbase model was the Santa Fe in the United States, the Santa Fe XL in Canada and the Maxcruz in Korea. The fourth generation of 2018 brought hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions for selected markets from the 2021 model year, and the fifth generation of 2023 adopted a boxier design with more emphasis on three-row seating, offering petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid power and dropping diesel engines.

Design and features

• Hyundai’s first SUV: the car that made the company credible with American buyers.
• Two- and four-wheel drive: front-wheel drive as standard, four-wheel drive as an option.
• Long-wheelbase family: from 2012 the range split into short and extended bodies.
• Electrified later: hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions from the 2021 model year.

Hyundai Santa Fe versions

• Santa Fe SM (2000–2006): the first generation, 2.4 and 2.7 engines, later the 3.5 V6.
• Santa Fe Sport: the short-wheelbase third-generation car in North America.
• Santa Fe XL and Maxcruz: names for the long-wheelbase third-generation car.
• Fourth generation (2018): with hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions.
• Fifth generation (2023): boxier body, three-row focus, no diesel.

The Santa Fe was joined in Hyundai’s range by the smaller Tucson, and the off-roader that came before it was the Galloper. More Hyundai models are in the Hyundai collection.

Video: Im Test: Hyundai Santa Fe

Video by DW Deutsch on YouTube.

Sources

• Hyundai Santa Fe, English Wikipedia: launch, engines, yearly changes, generations, wheelbase split, hybrids