Hyundai's Upcoming 8-Seater SUV Spotted Testing

It was at the unveiling of the new-generation Hyundai Santa Fe that the South Korean carmaker announced its plan to come out with a new eight-seater SUV. Unlike the five-seater Santa Fe or its long wheelbase seven-seater version, the Santa Fe XL, the upcoming new eight-seater Hyundai SUV will not take the Santa Fe moniker and instead will get an all-new name. A test mule of this upcoming full-size SUV was recently spotted undergoing cold weather testing, and judging by the looks of it, Hyundai might reveal the new model as soon as late 2018 or early 2019.

Also Read: 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Unveiled

Hyundai's 8-seater SUV will borrow its styling bits from the new Santa Fe

Though it comes with some heavy camouflage, based on the portions that have been left uncovered, we can tell that the upcoming full-size SUV is, in fact, based on the new-gen Hyundai Santa Fe. The silhouette hints at a much larger Santa Fe like design with more brawny proportions. We can also see some styling similarities like the low-mounted LED projector headlamps, and the sharper-looking LED daytime time running lamps placed above it. We also see a large portion of Hyundai's signature cascading grille and the wide central airdam. A close look at the profile of this prototype SUV will tell you that the model though very similar to the new Santa Fe, is considerably larger and gets a larger rear portion to accommodate the bigger third row. We do get to see a set of black alloy wheels but these are purely for testing purposes and the production unit will get different ones.

Hyundai's 8-seater will come with larger proportions and a 3-row setup for 8 passengers

The larger footprint also indicates that the SUV might be built on a new platform underneath and is likely to come with a front wheel drive (FWD) as standard and an all-wheel drive (AWD) setup as an option. It's too soon to comment of the engine and other technical specs, but it's said that Hyundai might equip the SUV with a 3.3-liter V6 making 290 bhp along with a possible hybrid version that will belt-out close to 400 bhp.

Hyundai's 8-seater SUV will get a larger rear section

Considering the segment that Hyundai is trying to enter is largely lucrative in only the US market, this new eight-seater Hyundai SUV could be exclusive to the North American market. As for our domestic market, we expect the new-gen Santa Fe reach the Indian shores by the second half of 2019 considering by that time the new-gen Honda CR-V will also enter the Indian market.

Source: Motor1