Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) has just unveiled its new Inokom Santa Fe (a Hyundai licensed product), a 7-seater mid-size luxury SUV. In tandem with Hyundai’s ‘Modern Premium’ brand direction, the new Santa Fe, which invokes a new design concept – Storm Edge, exudes quality and luxury that is set to impress anyone up close. The new design captures the strong and dynamic image created by nature during the formation of a storm. The design incorporates the Hyundai family look hexagonal grille, sporty front and back bumper skid plate, wide panoramic sunroof, HID headlamps and LED rear spoiler with high-mounted stop lamp, creating a futuristic and an urban-style SUV image. The Santa Fe’s attractive and distinctive design has won itself numerous awards including the Australian International Design Awards 2013 and the Good Design Awards 2013 by The Chicago Anthenaeum: Musuem of Architecture and Design in the United States.
Inside the SUV it is equally luxurious and modern with the projection of sophistication especially in the cockpit area where you will notice an eye-catching steering wheel, a hi-tech 4.2-inch Thin Film Transistor (TFT) LCD information display instrument, supervision cluster and a dual full auto air conditioner control.
As with all Hyundai models, the new Santa Fe also features a state-of-the-art safety system that offers optimal driving stability. These include the Active On-Demand 4-Wheel Drive System, Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) system, Hillstart Assist Control (HAC), Downhill Brake Control (DBC) and the Electric Parking Brake (EPB) with an Automatic Vehicle Hold feature. The EPB functions to hold the vehicle in its position even after the brake pedal is released. The braking function is cancelled only when the accelerator pedal is applied.
Always innovative, Hyundai has also ensured that the new Santa Fe offers a range of features that are normally associated with premium vehicles. These include an all-new Flex Steer feature with three operating modes – Comfort, Normal and Sport. This innovative system allows drivers to adapt Santa Fe’s steering characteristics to varying driving preferences and road conditions. Other premium features include automatic rain sensor, smart key, engine start button, cruise control, a 12-way power adjustable driver seat with lumbar support and premium Nappa leather seats. A Safe Drive Recorder, which has a similar function to a blackbox recorder is also fitted into this SUV.
Built for outstanding performance and fuel efficiency, Hyundai has incorporated new features in this new SUV to optimize fuel efficiency. The Active Eco is among the new feature introduced. It modifies engine and transmission control to smooth out throttle response as well as controls air conditioning output in improving fuel economy. The drag coefficient (cd) is also improved with just 0.34, which reduces wind resistance resulting in better fuel efficiency. The new Santa Fe gets a new architecture with the incorporation of a new design that improves vehicle weight and collision energy management. New hot stamping and roll forming methods are also applied for added strength, reducing the number of body parts thereby making the architecture lighter.
“The introduction of this new Santa Fe has certainly set a new standard for the SUV market with the incorporation of a series of luxury, modern innovative and safety features previously found only in upper segment luxury vehicles. With the great features and the accessible pricing of this modern premium SUV, we are confident of acquiring a larger customer base especially among existing SUV owners,” said Mr Lau Yit Mun, Managing Director of HSDM.
The Santa Fe comes in two engine options i.e the R 2.2 E-VGT diesel version and the Theta II 2.4 MPI petrol version. The R 2.2 VGT diesel engine delivers 197hp at 3,800 rpm and up 436Nm of torque at 1,800 ~ 2,500 rpm while the Theta II 2.4 MPI delivers 176hp at 6,000 rpm and up to 226Nm of torque at 3,750 rpm. All Santa Fe engines are mated to Hyundai’s six-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC® manual control.
The new Santa Fe is available in four variants, namely Theta II 2.4 Elegance (RM163, 888 OTR*) Theta II 2.4 Executive Plus (RM177, 888 OTR*), R 2.2 VGT Elegance (RM176, 888 OTR*) and R 2.2 VGT Executive Plus (RM189, 888 OTR*).
“This new Santa Fe is a premium model therefore we would like to ensure the owners of this new model enjoy and experience premium services as well. The Leader Card and priority service at selected Hyundai service centres are among privileges that they will enjoy. There will be more to come,” said Mr Lau.
Mr Dennis Ho the Managing Director of Malaysia Region, Sime Darby Motors who attended the event expressed his gratitude to Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) for the fruitful partnership and the great models that HSDM distributes. “We are honored to have Hyundai, one of the top global automotive brands as of our partner. The continuous product innovation and progress by HMC has positively impacted the brand resulting in continuous sales growth of Hyundai cars in Malaysia,” said Mr Ho.
HSDM offers a 5-year or 300,000km (whichever comes first) extended warranty on all its new passenger vehicles. Hyundai’s extended warranty is in accordance to its manufacturing warranty. A 24-hour road assist service is also now available to new and existing Hyundai vehicles.
Malaysian motorists can place their bookings at the nearest sales outlet or call its Customer Careline at 1-300-13-2000 for more information.
*Pricing is valid only for Peninsula Malaysia and is inclusive of insurance and road tax
