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Will V6 help save Hyundai Santa Fe

The $36,990 204kW/335Nm 3.5-litre V6 2WD slots in below the base-spec $39,990 145kW/421Nm 2.2-litre turbodiesel.

But it's not the magic cure, Hyundai says. The Santa Fe did very well after its launch 18 months ago - with only a diesel drivetrain -- but numbers have dropped since then.

In May they posted sales of 305, compared to 539 in the same period last year, making then down 24 per cent for the year so far.

"We took the decision to go diesel only, and when we launched the R series we very quickly sold twice as many as we had before the launch," spokesman Ben Hershmann says.

"Could we have brought the V6 earlier? Yes. But 18 months isn't a bad product cycle. It's easy to look back with hindsight, but our decision to go with just diesel at launch was the right one."

The $36,990 204kW/335Nm 3.5-litre V6 2WD slots in below the base-spec $39,990 145kW/421Nm 2.2-litre turbodiesel -- which this year has accounted for 45 per cent of Santa Fe sales -- and Hershmann believes the new entry price will open the door to more price-conscious buyers.

"We think V6 will help lift sales performance of the car because it brings the entry point of the car down slightly," Hershmann says. "We had different powertrains in this Santa Fe since 2006 and previously had V6 petrol."

"Now we've just brought back a V6 and need to give that powertrain some time to establish itself. But we don't see this as 'the solution' ... we still need to work hard to get sales back to where they should be.

"We need to work harder with the dealers and need to perhaps invest a bit more in our communications with consumers."