Hyundai Santa Fe Facelift Set To Debut in Malaysia, CKD Confirmed

Years after making its global debut, the fourth-gen Hyundai Santa Fe facelift is finally poised to make its local debut soon, as confirmed by Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM).

Announced by the marque via its official LinkedIn page, this fourth-gen facelifted Sante Fe will be locally-assembled (CKD) at Inokom’s Kulim facility, as Sime Darby Hyundai Integrated (SDHI) had signed a certificate of mass production with Inokom.

HSDM's four new model teaser includes the facelifted Santa Fe (centre-right)

This announcement has confirmed our previous report regarding four upcoming models teased by HSDM earlier this year. Of the four models teased, only the Santa Fe has yet to be officially launched, with the other three being the Palisade full-size SUV, Creta B-segment SUV, as well as the Ioniq 6 EV fastback saloon.

Fourth-gen Hyundai Santa Fe facelift

The fourth-gen Santa Fe was first launched in Malaysia back in 2019 – also arrived as a CKD model manufactured in Inokom’s Kulim plant. The pre-facelift model was offered with either a 2.4-litre 4-cyl nat-asp petrol mill rated at 170 HP and 225 NM, or a peppier 2.2-litre 4-cyl CRDi turbodiesel mill that delivers 190 HP and 440 NM.

The diesel variant also gets a better 8-speed automatic transmission, while the petrol ones are mated to a six-speed unit instead, with both front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) drivetrain options offered to both petrol and diesel models.

Meanwhile, the facelift Santa Fe was revealed globally back in 2020, where the three-row SUV gets  a slew of mild design updates. This includes a whole new front fascia, featuring a new front grille design flanked by double-stacked headlight units with T-shaped LED DRL. At the rear, the updated Santa Fe sports sharp LED taillights design with Y-shaped lighting signature and full-width slim LED bar.

The new N3 platform grants the facelifted Sante Fe with bigger facade the the previous model

More importantly, the facelifted Santa Fe rides on a new N3 platform, which it shares with the new Kia Sorento. As a result, the facelifted model is 15 MM longer (4,785 MM), 10 MM wider (1,900 MM), and 5 MM taller (1,685 MM) than its predecessor. This platform switch also allows the new Santa Fe to be equipped with hybrid powertrains in both series-parallel (HEV) and plug-in (PHEV) forms.

The fifth-gen Hyundai Santa Fe was unveiled to the world earlier this year

However, it is also important to note that the facelifted Santa Fe isn’t exactly the newest Santa Fe model available, as Hyundai already revealed the fifth-gen Santa Fe model to the world earlier this year. Underpinning the same N3 platform, this next-gen SUV features a more radical design with boxy and chiselled elements that exudes the same retro-futuristic vibe as the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6.

With HSDM poised to launch the fourth-gen facelift model into our market soon, this means that it might take a while before we see the fifth-gen Santa Fe making its debut in our local market.