2010 Hyundai Santa Fe Facelift: European Version Scooped in Germany

Our man with the long lens has caught the European version of the subtly-facelifted 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe. The freshened model, which has already been unveiled in South Korea, will make its European debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and is expected to reach showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2009. The only visible cosmetic differences between the KDM and EDM Santa Fe concern the specific grille treatment with the chrome trim surround and the clear-colored lower section of the headlamps.

Other than that, the European variant features the same exterior upgrades as the Korean model which consist of redesigned bumpers and new tail lamp covers plus revised exterior mirrors that house turning signals and the new exhaust tips.

We suspect that the European Santa Fe will also receive similar updates to the interior including higher grade materials along with a redesigned center and new equipment features.

In South Korea, the redesigned Santa Fe gained a new pair of turbo diesel engines, a 2.0-liter unit with 184 horsepower and a 2.2-liter with 200 horsepower, both of which are linked to a 6-speed automatic transmission. While these fuel-efficient powertrains won't be offered in North America, our sources state that they will be available in Europe.

New Photos of 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe Facelift

We've yet to see an official announcement on the European or American market versions of the 2010 Santa Fe facelift, but Hyundai has released a digital pamphlet for the domestic market model that provides us with new photos of the SUV. The brochure reveals that aside from the subtle cosmetic changes up front that include a redesigned bumper and grille, the 2010MY Santa Fe also features a new treatment for the tail lights and the rear bumper. And yes, we sincerely doubt that anyone will notice the changes.

The Korean automaker says that the Santa Fe's refreshed interior benefits from higher grade materials along with a redesigned center console, new upholstery for the seats, updated trim and new equipment features.

As we said in our previous post, the most noteworthy update for the 2010MY Santa Fe concerns the presentation of a new pair of diesel powertrains, a 2.0-liter and 2.2-liter four-pots with outputs of 184HP and 200HP respectively, that are hooked to a new 6-speed automatic transmission.

Via: Es.Autoblog.com

2010 Hyundai Santa Fe Facelift with New Turbo Diesel Engines Debuts in Korea

Today, Hyundai swiped the wraps off its mildly facelifted 2010 Santa Fe in South Korea ahead of the compact SUV's domestic market launch in July. The reworked 2010 model features some modest cosmetic changes along with the introduction of a new pair of turbo diesel engines. On the outside, changes seem to be reduced to a lightly altered front end with a redesigned bumper and grille, reshaped exterior mirrors with turning signals and new alloy wheel designs.

There's also talk about a newly designed rear bumper and tail lights along with an updated interior but we've yet to see the full image gallery or an official press release for that matter.

The South Korean news agencies also reported that the 2010 Santa Fe benefits from the introduction of the Hyundai - Kia group's newly developed 'R' diesel engine lineup that consists of two 4-cylinder units with a displacement of 2.0-liters and 2.2-liters and outputs of 184HP / 392Nm and 200HP /436Nm respectively. Both engines are linked to a new 6-speed automatic transmission.

The European version of the facelifted Santa Fe will most likely make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September with the North American variant following shortly after.

Source: Autojoin , Via: Thecarblogger

Rated R: Lamborghini Murcielago Porks Hyundai Santa Fe

It can happen to the best of us - you know, you're going faster than the vehicle in front of you and all of a sudden he/she slows down or slams the brakes and well, say goodbye to you low insurance rates. In this case, the car behind the Hyundai Santa Fe happened to be a 'wedge-faced' Lamborghini Murcielago and the resulting accident leaves an open window for many erotic-style jokes. According to reports, luckily, no one other than the Lamborghini owner's bank account was hurt in the accident.

Via: Jalopnik, Cardomain, 6Speed, and NBC-2

2010 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV Facelift Scooped, gets new Diesel and Gasoline Engines

It's facelift time for Hyundai's mid-size SUV or if you prefer, crossover - who can tell the difference any more... In view of the fact that the latest generation Santa Fe has only been around for three years, don't expect to see any major cosmetic changes, just minor tweaks here and there that will include reshaped headlights and tail lamps along with restyled bumpers, new mirrors that incorporate turning signals and different alloy wheel designs.

Our spy photographers didn't manage to scoop the prototype's interior but our sources state that Hyundai will update the cabin with new trim options and add a few toys to the vehicle's equipment list.

Hyundai has paid more attention under the skin as the refreshed Santa Fe will benefit from the presentation of at least two new powertrain options including the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder Theta II gasoline engine that produces 175HP at 6,000 rpm and 168 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm. The second-generation Theta engine that can be mated to a five-speed manual or automatic transmission has already been confirmed for the U.S. market. Up until now, the Santa Fe was offered in the States only with a 2.7-liter V6 and 3.3-liter V6.

In Europe, Korea and other international markets, the 2010 Santa Fe facelift will also be available with Hyundai's newly developed 2.2-liter 4-cylinder 'R' diesel engine that cranks out 197HP and 435Nm or 320.1 lbs/ft of torque.

Though not officially confirmed, Carscoop's sources state that in the USA, Hyundai will replace the current 242HP 3.3-liter V6 with the Korean firm's new 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 277HP and 335 Nm or 247 lbs/ft of torque.

Expect to see the 2010 Santa Fe making its debut at the forthcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in September with the first cars arriving in Hyundai's dealerships on both sides of the Atlantic shortly after.

Hyundai Santa Fe, Elantra and Tiburon Also Recalled over Rust Problems

No sooner than we told you about the new recall on the MY2001-2004 Sonata, XG300 and XG350 models over corrosion issues of the front subframe, we learnt that Hyundai has also just issued two more separate recalls for a total of three vehicles, again for rust-related problems. In particular, the Korean carmaker issued a recall on 170,610 MY2001-2003 Elantra and MY2003 Tiburon Coupe models for corrosion and thinning of the steel in the lower control arms of the front suspension and another recall on 85,036 MY2001-2003 Santa Fe SUVs, this time for rust problems in relation to the rear suspension trailing arm.

Hyundai said that in both cases, the recalls concern vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the 'salt-belt' states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

If you happen to own any of the affected vehicles and want to learn more about the recalls, we suggest you contact Hyundai directly at the firm's U.S. customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.

Hyundai’s 38mpg Santa Fe blue Hybrid Revealed

Maintaining the Santa Fe’s overall design and dynamics, Hyundai has developed a hybrid study of its mid-size SUV model that will make its world premiere at the Paris motorshow. The Korean automaker’s engineers have equipped the Santa Fe with a proprietary parallel hybrid drive system that mates the 2.4-litre Theta engine to a 41PS electric motor coupled directly to the six-speed automatic transmission. Electrical power is stored in a 270V Lithium Polymer rechargeable battery. -Continued

To further reduce fuel consumption, Hyundai’s engineers also optimized the 2.4-litre petrol engine’s ECU module and revised major driveline and cooling system components. Other improvements over the standard Santa Fe include the low resistance tires and the extended top three gear ratios. Together these changes allow the Santa Fe to deliver a fuel consumption figure in the EU combined cycle of 6.2 lt/100km or 38 mpg US with CO2 emissions of 148 g/km. According to Hyundai, the Santa Fe blue Hybrid can achieve a top speed of 170 km/h or 105 mph.

Hyundai to Show 38MPG Santa-Fe Hybrid Concept in Paris

Alongside the new i20 supermini and the low-emissions i20 i-blue concept, Hyundai’s Paris Motor Show stand will also host the world premier of the Santa FE Concept that is equipped with a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain. Hyundai hasn't released any pictures yet but the Korean automaker said that the concept maintains the overall design of the existing Santa Fe.

Under the hood the concept features a new hybrid drive system, which mates the current 2.4-litre petrol engine to a six-speed automatic transmission and a 30kW electric motor powered by lithium-ion batteries. According to Hyundai, the result is CO2 emissions of 148g/km and an average fuel consumption figure of 38 mpg US or 6.2 lt-100km.