2019 Hyundai Santa Fe teased ahead of New York Auto Show

2019 Hyundai Santa Fe is scheduled to make its debut in late March 2018, and by now, we should already be getting teasers of the said model, and we are. In fact, they have already revealed spy shots of the fourth generation model, which shows us none other than the side profile of the revamped SUV (at least on the first photo they shared).

It seems to have a more prominent upper character line now extending from the slender Kona-like headlights to the sweptback taillights. In the first photo, we cannot really see the new grille, but it looks like the more corporate cascading grille in a larger size.

Weeks after the initial spy shots have been published, Hyundai now gives us a better idea of the Santa Fe’s design by sharing a sketch of it. This time, we see it up front. And the first thing we would say is that it is definitely sportier in character compared to its predecessor - from the LED headlights that have been placed lower, to the wider central airdam as well and bumper cladding and skid plates. The wheel arches are also slightly larger now, while boasting a new set of alloy wheels. The windows will have chrome borders, and the rearview mirrors have a sportier design.

Until now, we do not know a lot about the new Santa Fe, except for the one thing that Hyundai promised us. The automaker said that the new SUV will feature the very first Rear Occupant Alert in the automotive industry. How this works is that the car monitors the rear seats and has the ability to detect passengers. The system will monitor the driver when the passengers are about to leave the car. This feature just makes driving this car safer for you and your family.

That’s not the only thing Hyundai promises us as they also mentioned that it will have the upgraded rear cross traffic collision warning that works together with an automated braking function that stops when it detects that the car will hit something when the driver is reversing in a narrow area with poor visibility.

Now, Hyundai says that they will be revealing more photos of the new Santa Fe next month, following its public debut at the 2018 New York Auto Show but probably also at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. Furthermore, sources say that the automaker has plans of making the three row SUV distinct from the two-row Santa Fe Sport after getting complaints from customers that they cannot differentiate which is which.

Part of their plan to fix this dilemma could lead them to give the smaller model a different name instead, and the big one may grow in size a little. The wait is not that long so stretch your patience just a bit more.