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Being released in 2012, the current generation of the Santa Fe is going to be replaced soon enough. In its place, the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe is going to be released which is expected to come with quite a few upgrades over the ongoing car. So far not much information is known about it, but it has been spied testing a while ago.
The car will get a new design, likely new engines as well as an improved interior. With this model, Hyundai may also go ahead and release a hybrid or even an electric version. Like before, it will be released as five seats or as a seven-seat model. The latter will be the called the Santa Fe while the US market will receive the regular five-seat model as the Santa Fe Sport.
2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Price
Just like with Hyundai’s other new models, the new Santa Fe is expected to be based on a new platform. The car will most likely use their newer Y7 chassis. This features an improved rigidity over the older Y6, and it is also lighter. The new chassis should also allow Hyundai to make better use of the interior, so the car won’t have to be larger in order to offer more room inside. So far not much is known about the pricing scheme of the upcoming model. It seems the five-seat version might start around $25,000 with the seven-seat version going for more than $30,000. This time around the price will go higher though due to the added trim levels and engines. These will basically allow the Santa Fe to compete with cars a class above it which are actually a really good thing for the Korean company.
Design
Even though they haven’t said much about the car, the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe has been seen testing a few times so far. Instead of going for a radically different design, the new model seems to improve the existing look. In the front, the car definitely gets a lot from the design of the new Elantra GT. The honeycomb hexagonal grille and the slim headlights are a given at this point. However, the Santa Fe also seems to get rather large lights in the lower part of the bumper. Even though it still is unclear, it seems the high beams might be mounted where the regular headlights would be. Those mounted lower might be the low-beams and the DRLs which would create a very interesting design, unique in Hyundai roster. The rear seems to get slimmer tail lights, possibly round exhausts as well as a larger roof spoiler. So far the five-seat version hasn’t been seen, but we would expect it to be quite close to the larger model.
Interior
Considering the older model’s styling, based on a sedan, it is safe to assume the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe will follow the recipe. In fact, it is quite safe to assume that the car will get a similar dashboard to the newest Elantra GT. Things such as the cleaner-looking dashboard, the larger infotainment system or even the new climate controls mounted higher up should all be seen on the new Santa Fe. We do expect some changes though, and the materials will likely be better, but the car won’t be that far off from the sedan. With the new platform, Hyundai should also be able to deliver more room for passengers and their luggage.
Under the Hood
Most rumors suggest the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe will come as standard with the same 3.3 liters naturally aspirated V6 as before. The engine is currently capable of little over 290 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque. The one in the Santa Fe will likely not change much, so expect roughly the same performance and fuel consumption. However, the eight-speed automatic should improve the way it feels considerably. The lower end five-seat model is likely going to stick with a set of turbocharged engines with the only exception being the base trim level. We also said a hybrid, and possibly a plug-in version, is a real possibility. This would allow the new Santa Fe to enter a previously untapped market which is always great for a car company. However, not much information has been released so far, but we do expect an Atkinson cycle engine, possibly turbocharged, with a crankshaft-mounted electric motor and possibly a second electric motor mounted inside the gearbox.
