All-new Hyundai Santa Fe to get Land Rover-like makeover?

It might have taken a while before it arrived in the country, but the refreshed Hyundai Santa Fe finally made its way to the country earlier this year.

First revealed in the middle of 2020 as a 2021 model year, the midsize crossover gets a more aggressive front end, bigger 19-inch alloy wheels for the PH market, a refreshed and more high-tech interior, and an updated turbo-diesel engine that’s now mated to an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Soon, however, we’ll be saying hello to the next-generation Hyundai Santa Fe. But unlike the current model which has a sleek exterior design, the next iteration of the midsize crossover will supposedly be boxier and more SUV-like.

Land Rover Defender 130 for reference

Based on recent spy photos, it appears the all-new Santa Fe will look more like a Land Rover Defender. Specifically, the 130 version with its long rear overhangs. Granted, it’s still wearing a significant amount of black camouflage and false body panels, but it’s quite apparent that the prototype Santa Fe will get a boxier shape thanks to the more upright A-pillars and the flatter roof.

We’re not yet quite sure what the tailgate might look like since Hyundai hid it so well with the blacked-out body panels. But if we take a look at its roof, it seems it will be longer and more upright like the rest of the body.

We also managed to get a glimpse of the new lighting elements the next-gen Santa Fe will have. While they are still covered by camouflage, it’s quite clear they will greatly differ from the current design Hyundai uses on the crossover. This gives us the idea that the automaker might do away with the T-shaped headlights the Santa Fe currently has.

Powertrain details are not yet available for the prototype Santa Fe. But given Hyundai’s plans to make its vehicles more eco-friendly, a wide array of electrified turbocharged engines will likely power the 2023 Santa Fe. As of now, the Santa Fe is available with a hybrid electric powertrain (HEV), a plug-in hybrid system (PHEV), and a turbo-diesel engine which the Philippine market gets.

With no exact date yet as to when Hyundai will reveal the all-new crossover, we can only guess when and where Hyundai will officially take the covers off the next-gen Santa Fe. Do you think the Santa Fe will adopt a boxier design for its latest generation? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Carscoops