The Hyundai Santa facelift has rolled off the assembly line at Sime Darby’s Inokom plant, with units of the updated SUV being sighted on a trailer by paultan.org reader Justin Lee. For now, there’s no indication when the new Santa Fe will be launched, although we have known for a while that it’s coming following an announcement by Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) earlier this month.
The Santa Fe facelift we’re bound to get is still in its fourth generation, which was first launched here back in May 2019, several months before the facelift made its global debut in June 2020. There’s also the very boxy fifth-generation model that was revealed in July this year, but it looks like we won’t be getting that.
As far as changes go, the Santa Fe’s new face omits the small fog lamps in the lower apron so all that remains is a two-tier lighting setup. You won’t miss the new look because the LED daytime running lights now form a distinctive T-shaped signature between the upper and lower light clusters.
There’s also a wider grille between the main headlamps (the lower light cluster) that bears a more eye-catching pattern on the insert. Rounding off the changes at the front is a new bumper with contrasting trim that frames the lower intake.
At the rear, the redesigned LED taillights are linked by a slim illuminated bar to go along with the new bumper that does away with the rugged trim piece. The new body sees minimal change to the dimensions, as the facelifted Santa Fe measures 4,785 mm long (+15 mm), 1,900 mm wide (+10 mm) and 1,685 mm tall (+5 mm), while the wheelbase stays at 2,765 mm.
Inside, the dual-cockpit dashboard looks largely the same, although the 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system is new and is without a thick bezel to accommodate buttons and dials. These have been moved to the new centre console, which is raised and angled, while also playing host to the climate controls and switches for the shift-by-wire transmission.
As part of the facelift, 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).
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 came with a six-speed automatic transmission, while the diesels got an eight-speed automatic – front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive were dependent on the chosen variant.
GALLERY: 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe facelift
GALLERY: 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe facelift (United States market)
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Why only now we getting a car that was lauch 3.5 years ago???
3.5 yrs ago Pkp darurat.. parlimen pun tk buka uik
Hyundai selalu lambat .. we live in a world of internet connectivity so who in their right mind is gona buy it knowing there’s a newer model?
Blame Sime Darby Motor and AP holders idiot
seriously byd do you still want saim dabi to continue representing/shaming you in malaysia
I hope they withdraw from Malaysia. We don’t need chinese ev anyway
need yahudi ev is it? i think almost all the ev’s sold in malaysia including tesla comes from china
I feel bad for Hyundai Motor
It’s diabolical the rest of the world gets the new look Santa Fe (the one that looks a bit like a Range Rover) and Malaysia get old models with an ugly facelift.
Meanwhile others countries like Philippines and Indonesia had this facelift model for few years and now only bringing in. All new Santa Fe going to launch 2024 why go for 4yrs expired version?
at least they try maybe if they try they can push their sales in malaysia
hahahaha the facelift model just arrived wow the brand new model maybe will be arrive by the late 2027 maybe for malaysian market
Lol what a waste. This market is just either insignificant or too unimportant to be worth consideration. We are always late to the party in car scene. As long as there are those 2 quasi national car any manufacturer will not go all out or even consider malaysia as an important market. Smh..
After kah motors lost honda to drb hicom at the instigation of dr m, they started selling hyundai instead. But at that time, hyundai cars were pathetic. If kah motors had been patient, it would’ve been rewarding as hyundai is now no 3 worldwide. Bigger than honda.