2021 Hyundai Santa Fe price and specs: More kit, price rises for updated seven-seater

The seven-seat Hyundai family SUV has undergone a facelift for the new year, with new exterior styling, a more premium interior and more standard equipment for the Santa Fe – but with price rises up to $3540 to match.

It also rides on a new platform shared with the new-generation Kia Sorento, allowing it to grow by 15mm in length, 10mm in width and 5mm in height, while offering 39mm more second-row legroom.

The range structure has also been reshuffled for 2021, with 'Santa Fe', Active, Elite and Highlander grades replacing the outgoing Active, Active X, Elite and Highlander line-up.

Santa Fe buyers continue to be presented with a choice of 3.5-litre V6 petrol and 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engines, though both mills have seen changes for the 2021 facelift.

The 'SmartStream' V6, shared with the related, new-generation Kia Sorento, now develops 200kW of power and 332Nm of torque, down 6kW/4Nm over its 2020 equivalent. Drive continues to be sent to the front wheels through an eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.

Above: Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander diesel.

The use of alloys in its construction, combined with revised mid-range tuning, sees fuel economy on the combined cycle fall from 10.6L/100km to 10.5L/100km.

Meanwhile, the all-wheel-drive-only diesel variant has gained 1kW for 2021, for total outputs of 148kW and 440Nm.

The addition of a more efficient, eight-speed 'wet' dual-clutch automatic transmission – replacing the outgoing torque-converter unit, shared with the petrol – has resulted in a 19 per cent improvement in fuel economy, from 7.5L/100km to 6.1L/100km.

Braked towing capacity is now rated at 2500kg (up by 500kg), while the tow-ball down weight now comes in at 200kg (up from 100kg).

Opening the local range is the eponymous 'Santa Fe', priced from $44,700 (up $710 over the outgoing entry-level model, the Active) in petrol form and $48,200 (up $1180) in diesel guise, both figures excluding on-road costs.

Above: Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander diesel.

Standard equipment includes an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen (up from 2020's 7.0-inch unit) with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a reversing camera, wireless phone charging, a 4.2-inch instrument display (between the analog dials), a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear selector, black cloth seat trim with electric lumbar support, and an electric parking brake.

There's also auto up/down windows, rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring, heated side mirrors, second and third-row air vents and a drive mode selector for standard Eco, Normal and Sport modes.

On the outside, equipment highlights include 17-inch alloy wheels (with a full-size spare wheel), automatic LED headlights (an upgrade over the outgoing halogens), LED daytime-running lights, roof rails and a black grille insert.

A wide array of active safety features are fitted as standard, including autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection and support for intersections, plus adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane-keep assist, lane following assist, high-beam assist, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert – the latter pair capable of both detecting and braking for obstacles.

There's also high-beam assist, manual speed limit assist and Multi Collision Braking, which applies the brakes after an accident to prevent further collisions. Six airbags – dual front, front side, and first and second row curtains – cover the first and second rows only.

Newly positioned as second-from-base in the Hyundai Santa Fe range is the Active, priced from $48,300 plus on-road costs with the petrol V6, or $51,800 before on-roads with the turbo diesel – increases of $1280 and $1750 respectively over the MY21 Active's mid-spec MY20 equivalent, the Active X.

Equipment additions over the entry-level model include 18-inch alloy wheels, leather-trimmed seats and dashboard, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, push-button start, remote engine start, 'shift by wire' push-button gear selector, power-folding exterior mirrors and paddle shifters.

Above: Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander diesel.

It also gains electronic child locks, puddle lamp projection, front parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, rear privacy glass and Safe Exit Assist, which notifies passengers if a door is opened into oncoming vehicles or cyclists.

Active diesel models also Snow, Mud and Sand modes to tailor the behaviour of their all-wheel-drive systems to rough terrain.

Retaining its position as second-from-top in the local Hyundai Santa Fe range is the Elite, priced from $54,300 before on-road costs with the 3.5-litre petrol V6, or $57,800 with the 2.2-litre diesel – increases of $2230 and $2700 respectively.

Compared to the Santa Fe Active, the Elite adds 20-inch alloy wheels, a dark chrome grille finish, 10.25-inch infotainment with smartphone mirroring, satellite navigation and DAB+ digital radio, a 10-speaker Harman/Kardon premium sound system, a 10-way power driver's seat and a power-operated tailgate.

It also gains an electro-chromatic rear-view mirror, a USB-A port for the third row, rear luggage net, rear window curtains, solar glass, Driver Talk (which amplifies the driver's voice for rear passengers through the speakers) and Rear Occupant Alert, which notifies drivers of passengers or pets left in the rear seat when exiting the vehicle.

Santa Fe Elite buyers can pay an additional $295 for Cognac brown leather, replacing the standard-fit black leather trim.

Above: Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander diesel.

Sitting atop the range is the Santa Fe Highlander, priced from $61,700 plus on-road costs with the petrol V6, or $65,200 for the turbo diesel.

It's the flagship model that has been hit with the biggest price rises for MY21, increasing by $3070 or $3540 in petrol or diesel guises respectively over their MY20 equivalents.

Key additions over the Elite include a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a head-up display, Nappa leather trim (available in black or 'Camel' tan, the latter costing an extra $295), memory driver's seat, power passenger seat, heated and ventilated front seats, heated outboard second-row seats and a heated steering wheel.

The Highlander also picks up 20-inch 'exclusive' alloy wheels, body-coloured wheel-arch trim, LED projector-beam headlights, LED tail-lights, a panoramic glass sunroof, 64-colour ambient LED cabin lighting, a 360-degree camera and low-speed, reverse autonomous emergency braking.

It also gains a Blind-Spot View Monitor, which projects a camera feed of the vehicle's blind spot from the door mirrors into the instrument cluster, as well as Remote Smart Parking Assist, which allow the Santa Fe to be moved forwards or backwards remotely from the key fob, when standing near the car.

Above and bottom: US-spec Hyundai Santa Fe, with the Australian-market Elite's Cognac brown leather trim.

A wide array of colours are on offer with the updated Santa Fe – though not all hues are available on all model grades – comprising Glacier White, White Cream, Typhoon Silver, Magnetic Force (grey), Phantom Black, Taiga Brown, Rain Forest (green) and Lagoon Blue.

All colours bar Glacier White, White Cream and Lagoon Blue are premium shades, and thus command $695 premiums.

A five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty is standard across the range. The Santa Fe requires a service every 12 months or 15,000km, with prices for each of the first five services fixed at $399 for the petrol or $459 for the diesel.

The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe is now on sale.

2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Australian pricing

Note: All prices above exclude on-road costs, including dealer delivery charges.