The 2020 Hyundai Sante Fe has been revealed

The 2020 Hyundai Sante Fe has been unveiled, and I truly like what I see. The Sante Fe’s thunder may have been stolen by its cousin, the Kia Sorento, but that is all set to change now. The new gen Sante Fe looks quite aggressive, will be based on an all new platform and my personal favourite change is, the inclusion of a plug-in hybrid powertrain option.

Hyundai had released the current generation Sante Fe in 2018, and within 2 years, Hyundai have updated the vehicle in such a way, that it seems like an all-new vehicle. Changes have taken place on the outside, inside, under the hood as well, and all of these changes are very welcome.

On viewing the vehicle’s exteriors, it’s quite evident that the front has received the most changes, which has almost changed the entire demeanor of the vehicle. The grill on the 2020 Sante Fe is significantly large, which appears to be quite ‘in your face’ and bold and it sports a different mesh pattern, which differs from variant to variant. Alongside the grille are the new ‘T’ shaped day time running lights which look rather cool.

The rear portion of the Sante Fe has also been tweaked, with the most observable modification being that of a new reflector, which runs from one end of the tailight to the other (not a very big fan of this trend). The bumpers on the front and back have also been revised and a set of new 20 inch alloy wheels have also been added.

Once you enter the cabin of the next gen Sante Fe, do you realise the extent of the facelift that this vehicle has gone through. The dashboard, infotainment system and gear selector have gone through tremendous changes, and they have all been improved dramatically.

The interiors look quite very plush now, with soft touch materials all around, the infotainment system has been upgraded to a 10.25 inch system and this media system will be offered as standard. The instrument cluster is also now an all digital one. Furthermore the gear selector has not only changed but it has evolved, no more will you shift the gear lever in the Sante Fe, instead a new shift-by-wire transmission has been incorporated, which would allow the driver to shift gears by just pressing a button.

Hyundai will also be releasing a new Luxury Trim, and in this trim the next gen Sante Fe will use bespoke 20 inch alloy wheels, along with a colour matching bumper. With updates like these, the 2020 Sante Fe has surely raised the ‘premium’ in this vehicle.

Talking about the powertrain, for the first time, a hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrain will be offered on the Sante Fe. Rumours suggest that the 2020 Sante Fe may share the PHEV engine from Kia’s Sorento. Information on the Sante Fe’s powertrain is scant, but as we get closer to its international release date, we would surely know more about it by then.

Here in India, Hyundai has discontinued the Sante Fe due to poor sales, and it seems quite unlikely that the 2020 Sante Fe would find its way to India. At the moment, the only new Hyundai suv being launched in India, is the facelifted Tucson.