World Premiere of the New Generation Hyundai Santa Fe

Hyundai Motor celebrated the world premiere of the fourth-generation Santa Fe in Goyang city, in the northern outskirts of Seoul.

Building on the success of its predecessors, the all-new 2019 Santa Fe combines Hyundai’s latest high-tech features with an intuitive spacious interior.

The new generation Santa Fe represents Hyundai’s ongoing commitment to delivering vehicles that feature world-class innovation and design. The all-new Santa Fe will start production from the second quarter of 2018 and will go on sale globally throughout this year.

“The fourth-generation Santa Fe continues the model’s global success story. The first Santa Fe is the foundation of Hyundai Motor’s SUV heritage. Hyundai truly cares about the customer’s well-being. We offer innovative and unique active safety features and class-leading roominess for extra comfort.” Byung Kwon Rim Executive Vice President at Hyundai Motor Company

Since the launch of the first Santa Fe in 2000, Hyundai has become an established brand in the SUV segment. It is the cornerstone of Hyundai’s longstanding SUV heritage and the fourth-generation Santa Fe will continue to impress customers with its premium design, spacious interior and its advanced technology.

Premium design

The design of the fourth-generation Santa Fe connects with Hyundai’s SUV family design identity. It displays a modern and elegant appearance complemented by eye-catching Composite Light and Hyundai’s signature Cascading Grille. The exterior design is characterised by a powerful wide stance and an athletic, bold look. Its refined lines reinforce the vehicle’s status at the top of Hyundai’s SUV lineup.

Exterior design

The front introduces the Cascading Grille that is complemented by the Composite Light – a design comprising LED Daytime Running Lights positioned on top of the LED headlights. The dynamic character of the side is enhanced by a sleek roofline and a bold side character line running from the headlights to the taillights. The rear creates a confident and stable stance with unique tail lights and a striking bumper design.

The exterior dimensions make the Santa Fe appear even more prominent. With a length of 4,770 mm, a width of 1,890 mm and a longer wheelbase of 2,765 mm, the Santa Fe has an even stronger stance on the road and provides more comfort for its passengers.

Interior design

The Santa Fe has a refined and ergonomic interior architecture. The stunning relationship between design and functionality combines premium quality with a roomy horizontal layout and enhanced visibility. The visibility to the rear is improved by the larger rear quarter glass, which was increased by 41 percent compared to the previous generation model.

Drivers and front passengers will enjoy the support of the electric extendable seat cushions offering 10 different positions.

The new Santa Fe increases comfort for passengers in the second- and third-row seats, even for adults. In the second row, legroom is increased by 38 mm and the seat is 18 mm higher. The new one-touch folding seats ease passenger access to third-row seats. Headroom in the third row has also been improved by 22 mm.

Luggage capacity is also increased offering flexibility for everyday needs.

Industry-first safety technologies

Hyundai truly cares about the customer’s well-being. To comply with the highest safety standards, the fourth-generation Santa Fe offers a best-in-class safety package and industry-first safety features. All features are part of Hyundai SmartSense™ active safety and driving assistance technologies.

The innovative Rear Occupant Alert monitors the rear seats to detect passengers and alert the driver that there are still passengers in the rear seat when leaving the car.

The Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist is also a Hyundai first. When reversing out of areas with low visibility, the system not only warns the driver if vehicles are approaching from the rear side, it also applies the brakes automatically.

The Safety Exit Assist prevents accidents by sensing when vehicles approach from behind by temporarily locking the doors before being opened, so that passengers can exit the car safely.

Variable torque control with HTRAC

The Hyundai in-house-developed HTRAC is based on four-wheel drive technology that variably controls the power of the wheels. The name is a combination of the H from Hyundai and the first part of the word “traction”. The HTRAC variable torque control enables agile handling and better torque application depending on the wheel grip and the speed of vehicle.

In combination with the drive modes, HTRAC improves acceleration, stability and fuel efficiency. The system increases traction on snow, gravel and on regular road surfaces while enhancing cornering performance. The ratio of torque distribution is changed with the drive modes and displayed in the cluster. In sport mode, HTRAC delivers improved acceleration with up to 50 percent torque distributed to the rear wheels. In comfort mode, it offers improved stability with up to 35 percent torque distributed to the rear wheels. In eco mode, HTRAC provides improved fuel efficiency by sending power mainly to the front wheels. In slippery conditions the system automatically distributes power to all four wheels automatically.

Enhanced powertrains with new 8-speed automatic transmission

• Korea / Europe: Powertrains meet enhanced Euro 6 emissions standards
• All regions: New 8-speed automatic transmission
• General regions: 3.3-liter MPI engine increases in displacement to 3.5 liters
• North America: R2.2-liter diesel engine

Ride and handling

The development strategy for the new Santa Fe’s suspension and steering was to improve responsiveness and vehicle stability while also enhancing comfort and overall quietness.

The suspension delivers a smoother ride feeling by reducing the impact and vibration when driving on rough roads. The suspension has been stiffened and placed vertically to give longer travel length for more ride comfort.

External vertical shock absorbers optimize responsiveness and stability while improving noise, vibration and harshness levels during driving. Road noise is reduced by reinforcing the floor panel and incorporating more materials in the carpet.

The optional self-load-leveling suspension controls the continuous ride height regardless of the vehicle load by a self-contained damping and levelling control.

Connected and caring

The all-new Santa Fe offers customers advanced connectivity features to enhance seamless integration of the customer’s smartphone, making operation more intuitive and safe while driving.

Customers can choose between three systems:

• The optional eight-inch infotainment system integrates all navigation, media and connectivity features, supporting both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. To enhance vehicle operation the system includes a rear-view camera with dynamic guidelines and trailer view.
• The Display Audio system allows passengers to switch their smartphone’s content onto the system’s 7-inch display via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Display Audio system also features an integrated rear view camera with dynamic guidelines and trailer view.
• The Standard Audio system with a 5-inch monochrome TFT screen featuring radio, Bluetooth connectivity, AUX-in and USB connection. Additionally, there is a new 7–inch TFT color display information screen located in the center of the instrument cluster between the two dials.

Full head-up display with class-leading luminance

For the first time in a Hyundai SUV, the Santa Fe features a full head-up display (HUD) that projects relevant driving information on the windshield. This allows for faster recognition of information while keeping the driver’s attention on the road ahead.

With a projected image size of eight inches at a two-meter distance and class-leading luminance of more than 10,000 candela per square meter, the new HUD guarantees the best visibility in different lighting conditions. The HUD can be adjusted in both angle and height to ensure optimum visibility for individual needs. The HUD supports driving safety by displaying information such as speed, navigation commands and fuel level as well as alerts from active safety and driving assistance features.

Wireless inductive charging

To ensure that occupants’ phones are always charged, the Santa Fe also provides a wireless inductive charging pad (Qi standard) for mobile phones. The phone’s charging status is visualized with a small indicator lamp above. To ensure the phone will not be forgotten inside the car, the central display in the instrument cluster will show a reminder when switching off the car. The Santa Fe also comes standard with a USB port and an AUX jack.

Hyundai SmartSense: Highest level of active safety

The new generation Santa Fe features the latest Hyundai SmartSense^TMactive safety and driving assistance features to comply with the highest safety standards: Blind-Spot Collision Warning, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with pedestrian detection, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Rear Occupant Alert, Safety Exit Assist and Speed Limit Info Function.

Industry-first Rear Occupant Alert protects children

The newly developed Rear Occupant Alert is the latest addition to Hyundai’s SmartSense^TM package of active safety features. Rear Occupant Alert monitors the rear seats and alerts the driver that there are still passengers in the rear seat when leaving the car.

An ultrasonic sensor monitors the rear seats to detect the movements of children or pets. The system first reminds drivers to check the rear seats with a message on the central instrument cluster display once the engine is switched off. If the system detects movement in the rear seats after the driver has locked the vehicle, it will sound the horn and flash the lights. The system also activates when children accidentally lock themselves in the car.

Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist

Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist warns the driver and applies the brakes automatically to avoid collisions when vehicles approach from the side or when reversing out of narrow areas with low visibility. Using the rear corner radars, the system scans a 180-degree area behind the vehicle. Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist operates once the reverse gear is engaged.

Safety Exit Assist

The Safety Exit Assist prevents accidents when doors are opened in the case of vehicles approaching from behind. Using the radar, the system detects approaching vehicles and warns the driver when a door is opened (doors without child lock). When the driver attempts to unlock child lock doors and the system detects approaching traffic, the vehicle maintains the child lock and issues an acoustic warning.

Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with pedestrian detection

The 2019 Santa Fe is fitted with Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) with pedestrian detection, an advanced active safety feature that alerts drivers to emergency situations, braking autonomously if required. Using front radar and camera sensors, FCA operates in three stages. Initially warning the driver visually and acoustically, it controls the brake according to the collision danger stage and applies maximum braking force to avoid a collision or minimize damage when a collision is unavoidable. The system is activated when a vehicle or pedestrian is sensed in front of the car, operating at speeds of 10 km/h or above.

Lane Keeping Assist

Lane Keeping Assist alerts the driver in unsafe movements at over 60 km/h by sensing the car’s position. It sounds an alarm before the car moves over white, grey and blue lines as well as Bott’s dots on the road. It also warns the driver acoustically and visually before inducing corrective steering to guide the driver back to a safe position.

Blind-Spot Collision Warning

Also using radar, the Blind Spot Collision Warning monitors the rear corners and, if another vehicle is detected, a visual alert appears on the exterior mirrors. If the driver then activates the indicators, an audible signal is emitted. This also applies to lane change situations in which a vehicle is detected.

Highest Passive Safety

The 2019 Santa Fe benefits from superior rigidity through the application of high strength steel, high impact energy absorption and minimized distortion to protect passengers in the event of a collision.

Passive safety is enhanced by increased body rigidity to protect passengers in the event of a collision. Thanks to hot stamping being applied over an enlarged area along with larger weld diameters, the car’s overall weight is reduced while providing top-level crashworthiness. The Santa Fe features more high-strength steel than any other Hyundai vehicle with 57 percent—that is 15 percent above the previous model.

Around the interior of the Santa Fe a total of six airbags are installed -two front airbags, two side airbags and two curtain airbags from first to second-row, protecting both driver and passengers.