The Hyundai Santa Fe was initially released in 2001, and has been produced by the company in various generations.
The Santa Fe models produced during the period 2001 to 2006 belongs to the compact crossover SUV class and the models produced from 2007 falls under the category of mid-sized crossover SUVs.
It is built based on the four door SUV body style, front engine layout and comes either in the four wheel drive or the front wheel drive. The SUV is designed on the Sonata platform of the Hyundai group.
First generation Hyundai Santa Fe (2001-2006)
The first generation Santa Fe was launched in 2001 and the company has continued the production of the car till 2006. It was primarily manufactured at Ulsan in Korea. The crossover SUV was offered with three different engines - the 3.5 liter V6 Sigma engine that produces 149 kilo watts of power, I4 2.0 liter D4 Diesel engine and the 2.7 liter V6 Delta engine that produces 129 kilo watts of power.
2002 Model - Greater Fuel Capacity
The model offered the transmission like five-speed manual, four speed automatic and five speed automatic transmissions. The first generation Santa Fe relates to the Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai Azera and Kia Optima models.
The Santa Fe was revised to a very good extent every year, during 2002 to 2006. The 2002 Santa Fe came with the greater size fuel tank that has the capacity to store 19 US gallons of gas. The clock position and the interior layout of the vehicle also underwent changes.
2003-2006 Models
The 2003 Santa Fe model came with the 3.5 liter V6 engine equipped in it and offered computer controlled 4-wheel drive system in the car. High performance audio system was also included in the car as standard feature in all the GLS trim levels.
The final face lift for the Santa Fe was carried out in 2005 and changes made to interior instrument cluster, grill, rear bumpers and tail lights. The speedometer in the car was also modified and can read up to 140 miles per hour, while the previous device reads up to 130 miles per hour. Two color models were discontinued for 2006, Canyon Red and Merlot.
Second Generation (2007- present)
The second generation model was launched in 2007 and the production of the variant took place at Montgomery, Alabama in United States of America and at Ulsan in Korea. The model is available in three different engines like the 2.2 liter I4 diesel engine that produces 114 kilo watts of power and is not available in the North American markets, 2.7 liter V6 engine that produces 138 kilo watts of power and the 3.3 liter V6 engine that produces 180 kilo watts of power.
The new Santa Fe is offered in 5-speed automatic, 4-speed automatic and 5-speed manual transmissions. The second generation Hyundai Santa Fe is closely related to the Hyundai Veracruz model. The model was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in 2006. It is made available in three different trim levels - the Limited, SE and the GLS versions.