Hyundai Santa Fe 2018 News

An airbag mishap during crash tests triggered a safety recall by Hyundai for its new Santa Fe SUV, but still scored a five star ANCAP safety rating.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued its latest round of safety recalls, led by American Special Vehicle’s converted Ram 2500 and 3500 pick-ups.

Hyundai Australia is aiming to appeal to families with its new Santa Fe, with a bigger and more comfortable seven-seat SUV that the company hopes will reach 1000 sales a month.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Comission (ACCC) has this month issued call backs for Toyota’s Kluger, Hyundai’s Santa Fe, Peugeot’s 4008 and the Range Rover Velar for manufacturing faults.

There will be a hybrid version of the Hyundai Santa Fe SUV, but it won't arrive for a few years yet.

Bigger, bolder and safer than ever before - that's the promise Hyundai is making with its new Santa Fe model, as the company debuts new technologies and sharper styling for its seven-seat SUV.The all-new Hyundai Santa Fe 2018 model has been unveiled in South Korea ahead of an Australian showroom arrival mid-2018, and it brings an array of vital changes to keep the seven-seat SUV competitive in its tough-fought market segment.Its design should definitely do its part in getting different buyers interested in the model, with the twin-headlight look of the smaller Kona model mirrored on the largest SUV in the brand's local range. This time around, though, it's less divisive, with LED daytime running lights at the top and LED headlights below. There will be no halogens, thank goodness.In profile you'll notice the new model has a smooth, clean look to it, and the rearmost side window is much larger than before - ensuring better vision for the driver and third-row occupants alike. Wheel sizes range between 17- and 19-inches.The back end is vastly different, too, with completely redesigned tail-lights, dual exhaust tips and a standout design for the rear bumper. It definitely looks more premium than it did previously... in fact, it looks a bit BMW-ish to me.If it looks more substantial, that's because it is - the all-new model is bigger in almost every dimension than its predecessor, measuring 4770mm long (up 70mm), 1890mm wide (up 10mm) and 1680mm tall (down 10mm), while the wheelbase has been stretched to 2765mm (up 65mm).What that all equates to is a roomier cabin, with Hyundai claiming improvements to second-row passenger space, third-row occupant room, and boot space. The cargo hold is now rated at 625 litres (VDA) with five seats in use, which is an increase of 40L.The cabin has seen major changes in terms of its design, too, with a new 7.0-inch driver information screen between the dials, a head-up display (a first for Hyundai, expected to be offered in high-spec variants) a completely rethought centre console design and a new 8.0-inch touchscreen media system with integrated sat nav on offer.There are two smaller screens - a 7.0-inch and a 5.0-inch - and Australian buyers can expect to see the 7.0-inch in lower-spec models and the 8.0-inch in the top grades.Both screens to be offered locally include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and has Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, and USB/auxiliary connectivity. The nav-equipped 8.0-inch unit will be covered by Hyundai's map update program, covering updates for the life of the car. A wireless charging pad (Qi) will be offered, too.Safety is another key talking point for the new-generation Santa Fe. The 2018 version follows the path set out by its predecessor, with Hyundai confirming it will offer every model in the range with a comprehensive suite of safety technologies including auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection (above 10km/h), adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist with steering intervention, a reversing camera and parking sensors.In addition, there are new systems such as 'Rear Occupant Alert' (will warn the driver if they're about to leave a child in the car), 'Safety Exist Assist' (using radar to sense surroundings and stop occupants from opening the door in the path of oncoming traffic), rear cross-traffic with auto braking (will stop the car from reversing into the path of oncoming traffic). These systems are expected to be bundled together in the top-spec Highlander model.Hyundai stated at the unveiling of the Santa Fe that there are six airbags fitted, including curtain airbags that will stretch to the third row. Those airbags are designed to protect occupants from impact in the event of the accident, rather than just from debris. That's an improvement over the existing version. There's no driver's knee airbag, but there is dual front and front-side protection.For the vast majority of Australian buyers the updated Santa Fe will be powered by a revised 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine. The engine is a reworked version of the existing diesel, with slightly less power -144kW at 3800rpm (down 3kW), and a little less torque - 436Nm at 1750rpm (down from 440Nm).There's a new eight-speed automatic transmission that replaces the six-speed auto in the old model (the existing six-speed manual has been dropped), and the new-generation Santa Fe also gets the Genesis-derived 'HTRAC' all-wheel-drive system.HTRAC is a variable torque system, which can distribute torque between front and rear wheels as it's needed - be it on snow, slippery roads or normal driving. The system also incorporates torque-vectoring by braking to enhance cornering stability and bite.As with all Hyundai products, the Australian arm will perform its own extensive ride, handling and steering tune to suit local demands.The existing range-opening drivetrain - a 2.4-litre petrol direct-injection four-cylinder with 136kW of power and 241Nm of torque - is expected to be carried over. That model has a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.Hyundai isn't expected to bring back the 3.3-litre petrol V6 front-wheel drive option that has been offered in the existing Santa Fe ActiveX model - a version of the SUV that has been a surprise success according to the Australian arm of the company.There's no arguing against the importance of the new Santa Fe for Hyundai, which is Australia's third-highest selling automotive brand behind Toyota (1st) and Mazda (2nd). The Santa Fe has never really sold in the numbers it could have, with key rivals like the Toyota Kluger and Toyota Prado, Holden Captiva and Isuzu MU-X all bettering the Hyundai offering on the sales charts in 2017.Buyers can expect pricing to rise incrementally for the new-generation model, but a similar model range strategy is expected, with the exception of the V6 ActiveX - though Hyundai may do a different take on that variant at some point.We should see, then, a base model Active priced at around $42,000 for the petrol and $45,000 for the diesel, a mid-spec Elite in diesel-only guise, priced at around $53,000, and and top-spec diesel-only Highlander at around $58,000 (all estimated prices before on-road costs).Check out all 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe price and spec info here.

Hyundai has today released the first high-resolution images of its fourth-generation Santa Fe, hours after the pictures were leaked by South Korean media.

Hyundai Australia has introduced its 2018 model year Santa Fe line-up, with the revised large SUV benefiting from the range-wide inclusion of the Korean carmaker's 'SmartSense' suite of safety technologies.Previously the reserve of the flagship Highlander grade, 'SmartSense' includes AEB, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control.Meanwhile, manual versions of the petrol- and diesel-powered Active have been dropped, meaning the front-wheel-drive Active X is now the price leader from $40,990 before on-road costs.Powered by a 3.3-litre naturally-aspirated V6 petrol engine, the Active X pumps out 199kW of power at 6400rpm and 318Nm of torque at 5300rpm. Fuel consumption is rated at 10.5 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle test.All models in the refreshed line-up exclusively employ a six-speed automatic transmission, with the two Active variants continuing to check in at $41,850 in petrol form and $44,850 in diesel guise.Petrol Actives are motivated by a 2.4-litre four-cylinder that produces 138kW at 6000rpm and 241Nm at 4000rpm, and drinks 9.4L/100km.Alternatively, the diesel unit found in the other Active variant is also used in the Elite and Highlander, with the 2.2-litre turbocharged four-pot developing 147kW at 3800rpm and 440Nm between 1750-2750rpm. It sips 7.8L/100km.Every non-Active X Santa Fe puts power down via an all-wheel-drive system.Further upstream, the Elite is the only grade to have its price adjusted, jumping by $1000 to $51,990.The Active and Active X also gain a 4.2-inch colour multi-function display that replaces the outgoing model's 3.5-inch monochromatic unit, as well as an electric park brake, auto-dimming rearview mirror and power folding side mirrors with puddle lights.Further upstream, the Elite is the only grade to have its price adjusted, jumping by $1000 to $51,990.However, buyers are compensated with the addition of an upgraded 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system with satellite navigation and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto support, which has also been added to the $57,090 Highlander range-topper.According to Hyundai Motor Company Australia chief operating officer Scott Grant, the addition of 'SmartSense' to the entire line-up further sharpens the Santa Fe's value proposition."Santa Fe has been a great example of affordable luxury from the day it made its debut and the MY18 range continues to deliver on this promise," he said."With SmartSense now standard across the range, buyers get the latest advanced safety technology in a practical, full-size seven-seat SUV with a starting price below $42,000."Sales of the Santa Fe have continued to surge this year, with 4717 examples sold to the end of June, representing a 7.3 per cent increase over the 4398 figure it during the same period in 2016.

Spy photos have emerged of a camouflaged next-generation Hyundai Santa Fe that suggest styling and larger dimensions.