Controversial design fixed! 2027 Hyundai Santa Fe spied testing in Australia ahead of Toyota Kluger rival’s launch Controversial design fixed! 2027 Hyundai Santa Fe spied testing in Australia ahead of Toyota Kluger rival’s launch

Hyundai is readying a facelifted Santa Fe seven-seat SUV and new-expertise Tucson mid-dimension SUV for originate, presumably later this year.

Chasing Vehicles spotted camouflaged versions of the new Tucson and Santa Fe while the pair were present process sizzling weather sturdiness making an strive out in the Victorian High Nation.

While the Hyundai Santa Fe has carried out outstandingly in freeway tests and took house the accumulate at Chasing Vehicles automobile of the year, no longer all is neatly for the seven-seater.

In Australia, Hyundai’s new model was once outsold by the older and smaller Kia Sorento as neatly as the Toyota Kluger in 2025. As proper kind as the new automobile is, right here and in a foreign country its controversial styling appears to be like to be hurting its attraction.

What’s altering for the 2027 Hyundai Santa Fe?

We know the pictured automobile is an updated Santa Fe for a number of reasons. The acquainted alloy wheels have Hyundai’s ‘H’ trademarks on the centre caps and the number plate unearths this automobile is a Hyundai ‘MX5’ evaluate automobile, weighing 1906kg and registered from 14 Jan 2026.

Unheard of of what’s beneath the metal will remain, including in style proportions with the equal A-pillar and roof-line and carryover mirrors.

Korean sources recommend it will likely be belief to be one of many most radical mid-existence updates and the heavy disguise appears to narrate this. There’s padding and shaded masking the bonnet, lights, rear discontinuance and even the doorways, which is strange for a mid-existence exchange.

Depend on the Santa Fe to chase in direction of Hyundai’s ‘Art work of Steel’ kind language, as shown on the boxy Nexo hydrogen gasoline cell EV.

What we will likely be conscious are what appear to be all-new lighting particulars, including headlights mounted manner out on the facet fancy a Kia Tasman — and losing their H-formed LEDs — and original, vertically-organized hind lights.

This will likely be to tackle the most controversial feature of the present, those low-mounted, horizontal hind lights.

We did not obtain a conclude witness inside, nonetheless previous survey shots have shown a new, squared-off steering wheel and cloak structure in the entrance of Hyundai’s seven seater.

It was once evident the Santa Fe we observed was once both hybrid, or a PHEV, as it took off on electrical energy before the petrol engine might perchance perchance well also be heard up the steep hill.

There are no main changes anticipated beneath the bonnet for the Santa Fe, with the 1.6-litre four-cylinder-based mostly completely hybrid producing 172kW and 367Nm more likely to continue.

Petrol autos are anticipated to ditch the eight-bustle dual-grab for a torque converter automatic based mostly completely on buyer concepts.

The brand new-witness Santa Fe is anticipated to conclude for the 2027 model year, so expect a cloak in direction of the tip of this year.

Why is Hyundai making an strive out autos in Australia?

Hyundai, alongside with connected companies Kia and Genesis, have lengthy seen worth in Australian lunge and handling tuning for their autos, nonetheless right here’s no longer that.

As an alternative, there might perchance be at cloak a hasty of 20 Hyundai, Kia and Genesis autos in Australia for summer season sturdiness making an strive out.

Chasing Vehicles understands the mix of high altitude and sizzling weather cloak in the Victorian alpine pickle in summer season is of particular ardour to Korean engineers in terms of turbo petrol engines.

Additionally, the Australian time zone lines up better with South Korea than, remark, Loss of life Valley in California, USA.