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SangYup Lee finds inspiration for automotive design in every part from a hen’s tail to artwork exhibitions, factories, and designers. For the redesigned 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe, he listened and discovered from a parking zone.
“Costco was positively a supply of design inspiration for me,” the top of Genesis and Hyundai’s world design middle admitted in an interview with Motor Authority in the course of the unveiling of the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe in, the place else, Santa Fe, New Mexico. “It’s unbelievable how massive the parking zone is, you see 1000’s of automobiles over there. Very first thing that I query is what the heck am I purported to do to make our automotive very particular and be liked by clients after they have so many selections.”
For the Santa Fe, it meant leaning into massive knowledge to forecast tendencies 4 years in the past, previous to the pandemic. The award-winning designer interpreted knowledge’s apparent prediction of “outside life-style” with an even bigger, boxier, blockier tackle the in any other case (sub)urbane Santa Fe mid-size crossover.
The result’s a contemporary tackle traditional SUV cues, with as a lot Ford Bronco and Land Rover Defender as Lego truck. With its boxed ends, flat roof, vertical tailgate, flexed wheel arches, and distinctive H-shaped mild signature, the fifth-generation Santa Fe seems to be nothing like its predecessors, relationship again to when it launched new in 2001.
“That is fairly a big departure for Santa Fe,” Lee stated.
It’s about six inches shorter in size than the Palisade, the model’s largest three-row SUV, however greater than its predecessor in most dimensions. The brand new Santa Fe stretches 1.8 inches longer to 190.2 inches, and the wheelbase extends practically two inches longer, to higher match a extra purposeful third row than when Hyundai tried it with the third-generation Santa Fe. At 67.7 inches, it’s 1.4 inches taller than earlier than although the bottom clearance stays the identical at 8.2 inches.
To the bare eye, it’s stunning that it’s the identical width. It seems to be a lot extra muscular, partly from the sq. corners and 21-inch wheels (18s might be customary when it goes on sale in January 2024), in addition to from the entrance axle and its bulging fenders being pushed extra to the entrance for shorter overhangs.
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
The obvious mark of distinction is the H-shaped LED operating lights that model the face like a cattle iron. The vertical bars of the H appear to run into the crease of the hood. The horizontal bar extends into a lightweight bar spanning the higher grille. Between that and the decrease grille rests an elongated dumbbell within the form of an H, housing energetic grille shutters and bookended by aspect air intakes.
“I’m very pleased with the eye to particulars, within the tailgate, the carry deal with, the grey zone step,” Lee stated.
The carry deal with hides within the C-pillar that will help you step up on the door sills to load and strap gadgets to the roof rack. The pillars are coated in gloss black, and it seems to be as if the greenhouse is one massive pair of wraparound sun shades. That’s mirrored down low on the arches and rockers, the place gloss black plastic holds up higher over time than rubber cladding, Lee defined, and if it will get chipped it’s simpler to interchange than physique coloration panels.
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
What lies underneath the hood and inside these wheel wells could be essentially the most disappointing factor in regards to the 2024 Santa Fe, on paper. At launch will probably be provided with a 277-hp 2.5-liter turbo-4 with an 8-speed dual-clutch computerized, or a 1.6-liter turbo-4 hybrid powertrain with an estimated output of 226 hp. Hyundai engineers stated they tweaked the carryover engines to enhance cooling and friction efficiencies to fulfill extra stringent particulate emissions laws. The North America market will probably get the plug-in hybrid provided abroad and on the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe, however we’ll discover out for certain on the Los Angeles auto present in mid-November.
We count on Hyundai to launch the XRT Idea it confirmed off in early August as a manufacturing mannequin in L.A. as effectively. Suspension modifications to the opposite grades stay minimal. Hyundai stated it swapped in hydraulic bushings as an alternative of rubber ones, and its next-gen shocks have higher damping. Hyundai North America engineers couldn’t converse to drive modes, however confirmed all-wheel-drive fashions will nonetheless have a middle locking differential.
Hyundai Santa Fe XRT Idea
Hyundai Santa Fe XRT Idea
Hyundai Santa Fe XRT Idea
Hyundai Santa Fe XRT Idea
Effectivity is as vital a key phrase as “outside life-style.” John Robb, the president of Hyundai America Technical Middle, stated the event of electrical autos such because the Ioniq 5 hatchback and Ioniq 6 sedan taught engineers the best way to decrease the coefficient of drag of the Santa Fe regardless of its blockier form, from 0.33 to 0.29.
These autos, in addition to the latest crop of Genesis EVs, have been heralded as design knockouts all through the automotive trade. It’s one purpose why Lee was the 2023 World Automobile Individual of the 12 months, preceded the yr earlier than by his mentor and “nice pal,” Luc Donckerwolke, president and chief inventive officer of Hyundai Motor Group.
“It’s not a typical company relationship, not like boss and worker or something like that,” Lee stated with an appreciative smile. “We’re designers that problem one another. We’re nice associates, he’s additionally my nice mentor, and made me the place I’m.”
Previous to following the honored Donckerwolke from Volkswagen Group to Hyundai and Genesis in 2016, Lee labored with him at Bentley, designing the Bentayga, Flying Spur, and gorgeous EXP 10 Pace Idea.
However Lee had already established himself as one of many automotive world’s foremost designers, spanning 15 manufacturers over 25 years, beginning with Basic Motors and the fifth-gen Chevy Camaro, then idea automobiles such because the Stingray Corvette that starred as Sideswipe within the second Transformers film, “Revenge of the Fallen.”
2009 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Idea
“Lee has confirmed himself as one of many world’s finest car designers within the world platform,” Donckerwolke stated on the hiring of Lee to Hyundai in 2016.
Arguably, the dynamic design duo have finished their finest work elevating the Hyundai and Genesis manufacturers. When requested if Lee felt extra inventive freedom working with the Belgian native, he stated, “Completely.”
“Luc all the time comes with concepts, I all the time include concepts, and the very best thought is all the time created when Luc and myself are speaking collectively,” Lee stated. “Once we discuss we’re not speaking about all the massive company issues, we’re solely speaking about design in our important precedence to ship the very best product.”
That relationship may have a draw back, notably in social conditions between the 2 households that Lee described as very shut.
“One time, I had dinner with Luc and his spouse Melinda, and we’re speaking like nonstop for a half hour,” Lee stated. “And Melinda says, “Luc you must have married SangYup.” And Luc says, “Melinda, I like SangYup however not that a lot.”
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
The pairing works finest right here on the considerate inside of the Santa Fe. The broad modular look carries over inside, the place the most recent tech blends as an alternative of overwhelms traditional fashion parts appropriated from luxurious automobiles. Twin 12.3-inch shows curve towards the motive force, and a touch decked in obtainable wooden trim snakes from finish to finish, underscored by a stomach of metallic vents. The entrance passenger faces twin glove packing containers cut up by a hidden storage shelf.
The pairing of type and performance continues to the middle console. Hyundai moved the digital gear shifter to the steering column, identical as within the Ioniq 5 electrical crossover, to open up a tiered console topped by two wi-fi cellphone prices and a UV sanitizer. Bands of drive mode and local weather buttons restrict overreliance on the screens, although the local weather panel is one other touchscreen with precise local weather knobs. The deep armrest console opens from the entrance or again, and a storage tray slides out of the underside for second-row riders to stow different gadgets.
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
The third row could also be bigger than the 2018 mannequin, however with simply 30 inches of legroom there must be some bargaining with second-row passengers to maneuver up their captain’s chairs for six individuals to suit. The 50/50-split third row reclines as much as 10 levels into a big cargo maintain, able to 25.6 cubic ft of storage.
The eye to element marries type and performance again right here, too. Hinged deep throughout the flat roof sits Hyundai’s largest tailgate and a large opening. Lengthy and skinny struts prolong vertically up the perimeters of the opening. The taillights are mounted low close to the bumper to permit for this, and the gate opens to barely greater than a fair angle with the roof, permitting these about 6-foot-2 and underneath to face underneath it with out ducking.
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
It ought to be no shock that Costco served because the inspiration for such a large, tall opening.
“I found by how a buyer exits the automobile to reply the best way to do the design, how they carry their procuring cart and cargo the stuff contained in the automobile, how they entry via the rear door, how the mother and children would possibly entry the kid seat,” Lee stated. “And I assumed perhaps I ought to open up the grey zone slightly bit for simpler entry to it. A mid-size SUV is a household automotive. In terms of a household automotive, excessive tech is vital, however it needs to be straightforward to make use of.”
That’s a common design factor that stands the take a look at of time.
Hyundai offered airfare and lodging for Motor Authority to deliver you this report.
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