Beefed-up Hyundai Santa Fe XRT to arrive in September

The expansion of the new 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe large SUV line-up will begin in September with the launch of the tougher XRT off-road variant and retro-fittable accessories pack.

A more affordable 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine will then arrive in December for the more expensive new fifth-generation Santa Fe, which arrived here in hybrid-only form last month.

The turbo-petrol engine will be available in multiple trims and has already been confirmed as being cheaper and offering more power and torque than the hybrid.

But Hyundai has also now confirmed it will have better towing capacity as well.

“We certainly think the increased power and increased towing capacity of that [turbo-petrol] variant will bring additional customers to Santa Fe,” Hyundai Motor Company Australia product planning manager Sam Dabestani told carsales.

The hybrid makes 172kW/367Nm and has a 1650kg braked towing capacity.

The turbo-petrol powertrain makes a combined 206kW/422Nm and its local braked towing capacity will be 2000kg.

However, that’s still down on the old Santa Fe turbo-diesel’s 2500kg towing capacity.

In the US, the XRT is a stand-alone turbo-petrol model, but in Australia it will initially be offered as a hybrid variant and an accessories pack, before the turbo-petrol version is added.

HMCA will pitch the XRT pack as somewhat equivalent to the sporty N-Line pack that’s been added to the likes of the new Hyundai Tucson mid-size SUV.

But unlike the cosmetic-only Tucson N-Line pack, the XRT is expected to bring performance as well as styling changes to the seven-seat Santa Fe.

In North America, the Santa Fe XRT is priced from a ‘suggested’ $US40,600.

That’s equates to about $A60,000 in Australia, where the Santa Fe hybrid range already starts at $55,500 plus on-road costs – a hike of $9450 over the cheapest previous-generation model.

However, the cheapest all-wheel drive Santa Fe commands another $3000, to be priced at $58,500 plus ORCs.

In the new Tucson, the N-Line pack costs as much as $4000 and as little as $1500.

“We will have more details to announce on the XRT pack closer to its launch,” said Dabestani.

“We can expect to see XRT introduced to the new Santa Fe, which will be coming towards the end of the third quarter of this year.

Likely XRT upgrades for the Santa Fe will include all-terrain tyres and a boost in ride height.

In the US, the XRT also increases the Santa Fe’s braked towing capacity from 3500lb (1587kg) to 4500lb (2041kg), although that won’t happen here.

Local XRT specifications are still not entirely clear because our Santa Fe is manufactured in Korea while the US version (including XRT) is assembled in Alabama.

In the US, the XRT badge is also available for the smaller Tucson, the larger Palisade and is reported to be under development for the IONIQ 5 electric SUV.

Previous reports have indicated the XRT-badged Tucson and Palisade will also be headed our way.

“In terms of other models we are studying XRT applicability, but we have nothing to announce today,” said Dabestani.

He was also keeping quiet on pricing for the turbo-petrol Santa Fe, apart from making it clear it will be cheaper.

“The price will come in under hybrid variant pricing, said Dabestani.

“We’ll announce that pricing closer to the launch of that vehicle but there will be an appreciable price difference between the hybrid and petrol versions of that vehicle.”

The newly-released 2024 Hyundai Tucson should act as at least a rough pricing guide for the gap between the Santa Fe powertrains.

The new hybrid Tucson uses the same 1.6-lite powertrain as the Santa Fe and HMCA is charging a $4000 premium compared to 1.6-litre turbo-petrol variants.

Dabestani predicted more buyer interest in the non-hybrid petrol-powered Santa Fe.

“If we didn’t think there was significant and separate demand for the turbo-petrol variants then we wouldn’t be introducing that variant to Australia,” he said.

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