Hyundai are keeping the “Santa Fe” name for their third generation, all-new SUV (sports utility vehicle), and if we were to park this new car alongside the first incarnation of the New Mexico-named motor, we’d see just how far the Korean manfacturer has come in relatively few years, since their first SUV rolled out in 2000.

Codenamed DM at the Hyundai HQ, the new Santa Fe featues the brand’s so-called “Storm Edge” body design and could indeed be a hint as to how the entire range of new Hyundai models will be styled for the future. Basically, the new Santa Fe looks altogether sharper and meaner, but saying that, concept sketches always look super-cool on paper.

The real proof of this Korean pudding will be the car’s official public unveiling at the New York International Auto Show, in early April. Indeed, Hyundai will tell you that their latest design language captures the strong and dynamic images created by nature during the formation of a storm. You can make your own mind up on that one.

Still, with previous Santa Fe models racking up impressive worldwide sales of around 2.5 million units, the on-the-up Koreans must be doing something right. And if this car looks as good as it looks here and drives as good as we’d hope, the future is surely bright, and not so "stormy" afterall.

www.hyundai-car.co.uk

By Daniel Anslow

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