Hyundai reinstates V6 Santa Fe

Hyundai has this week announced the return of a V6 engine as a full-time member of its Santa Fe line-up in Australia.

The move follows the success of last year's V6 Santa Fe 30 special-edition, which was powered by the same 'Lambda II' naturally-aspirated 3.3-litre six-cylinder.

Priced from $40,990 plus on-road costs, the front-wheel drive Santa Fe Active X automatic is now positioned permanently between the all-wheel drive 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol-powered Active manual ($39,350) and automatic ($41,850).

Official combined fuel consumption is rated at 10.5L/100km combined (1.2L/100km more than four-cylinder petrol models) and the 2WD Santa Fe V6 offers the same 2000kg braked towing capacity as 2.2-litre turbo-diesel AWD auto models.

Apart from its V6 auto powertrain, which produces 199kW of power and 318Nm of torque, the Active X brings a range of extra standard equipment over the entry-level Santa Fe Active petrol models (all other models are all-wheel drive diesels).

This includes 19-inch alloy wheels, tyre pressure monitoring, automatic headlights/wipers, privacy glass, leather-appointed seat trim, heated front seats, dual-zone climate-control and heated exterior mirrors.

There's also unique badging and a 7.0-inch touch-screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality.

Like all Santa Fes, standard safety features include seven airbags, stability/traction control, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, hill-start assist, reversing camera with dynamic guidelines, rear parking sensors and a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

Naturally, it also comes with Hyundai’s five year, unlimited-km warranty with lifetime capped-price servicing.