2023 Hyundai Santa Fe facelift launching in Malaysia – CKD three-row SUV to be built at Inokom’s Kulim plant

Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) will launch the facelifted version of the fourth-generation Hyundai Santa Fe in Malaysia soon. This is after it recently announced on its LinkedIn page that Sime Darby Hyundai Integrated (SHDI) had signed a certificate of mass production with Inokom to begin production of the heavily refreshed three-row SUV.

The fourth-generation Santa Fe was first launched here back in May 2019 as a locally-assembled (CKD) model, several months before the Korean carmaker revealed the facelift in June 2020. When it went on sale, the Santa Fe was offered in both petrol and diesel variants.

As for now, the Santa Fe has been removed from HSDM’s official website, which, last we checked, listed two diesel variants, namely the Executive SE 2WD that was priced at RM196,888 on-the-road without insurance and the Executive Plus SE 2WD at RM215,888.

Changes that come with the facelift include a new front end that sees two tiers of lighting instead of three, with the small fog lamps in the lower section of the bumper omitted. The grille has also been redesigned for a full-width look by visually merging with the headlamps, which have vertical light strips that to form a T-shaped signature with the uppermost daytime running lights.

At the rear, the LED taillights are connected by a slim illuminated bar that replaces a chrome bar, while the design of the rear bumper is also new and has a longer reflector strip. Hyundai also pointed out a switch to the N3 platform (previously Y7), which is surprising for a facelift, and together with the styling tweaks, brings about minor changes to the dimensions, which are as follows:

• Length: 4,785 mm (+15 mm)
• Width: 1,900 mm (+10 mm)
• Height: 1,685 mm (+5 mm)
• Wheelbase: 2,765 mm (unchanged)

Inside, the design of the dashboard remains largely familiar, but the raised and angled centre console is entirely new, as are the controls and switch to a shift-by-wire system that uses buttons to put the vehicle in gear. It’s a lot more modern as a result, and the Santa Fe gets a Terrain Mode selector for the first time, which is a control knob for Eco, Sport, Comfort and Smart drive modes, as well as the HTRAC all-wheel-drive system’s sand, snow and mud presets (if specified).

Beneath the new “floating” centre console is additional stowage space, while other changes in the cabin are a new 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a fully digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster.

The pre-facelift Santa Fe was previously offered in Malaysia with either a 2.4 litre naturally-aspirated inline-four petrol or 2.2 litre turbodiesel four-cylinder engine. The petrol unit comes with a six-speed automatic transmission, while the diesels get an eight-speed automatic – front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive were dependent on the chosen variant.

It isn’t known if these setups will be brought back or there will be more eco-friendly options, as the switch to the N3 platform allows for hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. On the mention of the N3, the facelifted fourth-generation Santa Fe is not the latest iteration of the nameplate, as Hyundai revealed the fifth-generation (and very boxy) Santa Fe back in July this year that is based on the same platform.

GALLERY: 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe facelift

GALLERY: 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe facelift (United States market)

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