Not satisfied with the performance of the Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 turbo-diesel? You’ll be happy to hear the local arm has just introduced a powerful petrol V6 engine option for the popular seven-seat SUV, for the release of the 2020 model.
Yep, Hyundai Australia is perhaps going against the grain and offering a big, grunty petrol V6 option for its Santa Fe, while most rivals are striving for economy above performance. The engine is a 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V6 petrol that produces an impressive 206kW and 336Nm. It offers an official fuel consumption average of 10.6L/100km.
The V6 comes in to replace the 2.4-litre ‘Theta-II’ GDi petrol, and is connected to an eight-speed auto transmission. Buyers can opt for the V6 across all variant levels, which is a first for a V6 Santa Fe. That means you can have the V6 in Active, Elite, or Highlander trim. However, the V6 is front-wheel drive only while the existing 147kW/440Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel makes up the all-wheel drive range.
This is all part of the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe rollout, however, no other major updates have been announced . In saying that, the new-look Santa Fe only hit the market last year, so it is still a relatively new model and comes packed with all of the company’s latest tech and features.
As standard, all models come with Hyundai’s SmartSense safety suite, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go capability, blind-spot collision avoidance, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane-keeping and high-beam assist.
All models come with a comprehensive touch-screen media interface, with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. However, stepping up to the Elite and Highlander gets you an 8.0-inch screen over the Active’s 7.0-inch unit. The Elite also comes with dual-zone climate control, while the Highlander adds a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster screen over the standard 3.5-inch screen.
The 2020 Santa Fe also comes with Hyundai Auto Link, which allows users to connect with their vehicles via a smartphone app. Once set up, the technology can beam various vehicle information straight to the user’s phone app, including tyre pressure, driving history, parking management, roadside assistance, a vehicle health check, and maintenance tracking.
The updated model is on sale in Australia now from the following prices (excluding on-road costs):
2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Active 3.5 V6 FWD: $43,000
2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Active 2.2TD AWD: $46,000
2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Elite 3.5 V6 FWD: $51,000
2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Elite 2.2TD AWD: $54,000
2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander 3.5 V6 FWD: $57,500
2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander 2.2TD AWD: $60,500
