Bizarre-looking new Hyundai Santa Fe goes on sale in the Czech Republic, but it will have a hard time after the end of the most popular engines

The new Korean SUV is already available in its homeland, now it is waiting for its American and soon Czech debut. So we have new photos and technical details that might interest you.

The new edition of the Los Angeles Auto Show will start next week. Hyundai will also be there to present the new generation Santa Fe in the city of angels. We have seen the new, 4,830-millimeter-long SUV before, and we can’t exactly say that we are visually excited. The Koreans decided to switch to a box design. They then connected the headlights with it, which are supposed to symbolize the letter “H”. We consider this idea to be great, but that’s where our praise for the exterior ends.

Inside, the automaker manages to impress more positively, especially because the new generation is not only 45 mm longer than its predecessor, but also because the wheelbase has grown by 50 mm (to 2,815 mm). The width of 1,900 mm remained unchanged, but at 1,720 mm, the SUV is 10 mm higher than before. Passengers can count on more space for their knees (+35 mm for the second row and 15 mm for the third row) and head room. In addition, the volume of the luggage compartment increased by 91 liters to 725 liters.

However, where Hyundai intends to completely discourage the European audience is the engine compartment. Even though the overwhelming majority of Czechs have chosen diesel engines up until now, they will no longer be available. Instead, the Koreans expect only a 1.6-liter unit in the form of a classic hybrid or a plug-in hybrid. In the first case, we have 180 combustion and 230 total horses, in the second, 165 and 265 horses. The maximum speed of both versions is then limited to an impressive 190 km/h.

Americans will only get the Smartstream G 1.6 T-GDi Hybrid variant, but alongside it, the Santa Fe will also be available with a gasoline 2.5-liter four-cylinder. It will be available in an atmospheric and turbocharged version, with the first mentioned having 194 horses. In contrast to the hybrid system, the six-speed automatic is not on command, but the eight-speed. This also applies to the more powerful model, which has 281 horses, with which it conquers 100 km/h in exactly 8 seconds.

For both gasoline models, Hyundai is also counting on a higher maximum speed, because in the first row the limiter hits at 198 and in the second even at 210 km/h. Slowly, there is actually no reason to opt for hybrid technology, especially when in the States Koreans cannot use the electrification-leaning WLTP methodology, which assigns a consumption of 6.45 liters to a hybrid on the old continent, while it is an absolutely unrealistic 1.6 liters for a plug-in hybrid /100 km.

So we are curious about the prices, because only by significantly subsidizing the gasoline-electric version does the hybrid Santa Fe have a chance of success. Otherwise, however, the overseas clientele will reach for the petrol version. That is, if they accept the appearance. Santa Fe will have a hard time in the Czech Republic, even if 100 percent of potential buyers fall in love with its appearance. At a time when this year 535 out of 636 Czech car buyers reached for diesel, what does the brand want to charm the local audience with in just a few weeks?

The new Santa Fe probably won’t impress the European clientele much with its appearance and technology. But it could be more successful overseas, also because a 2.5-liter gasoline engine with up to 281 horsepower will go under the front hood. Photo: Hyundai

Sources: Hyundai, SDA

Petr Prokopec

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