2013 Hyundai Santa Fe redesign revealed on twitter

In a nod to the importance of social media, Hyundai chose Twitter to reveal the look and name of its new style for the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe.

The tweet shows the newly redesigned medium sized sport utility vehicle will have a sleek look called “Storm Edge.” The tweet says that this is a derivative of the hugely successful Fluidic Sculpture design that that rocketed the Elantra and Sonata up the sales charts. During the Boston show 2 years back this reporter named the Elantra the best looking car in show – at any price. Strong sales have proven the popularity of the new look.

The last major redesign of the Sonata was over five years ago in the 2007 model year. That redesign was a huge improvement over the previous smaller model. Aimed straight at the Toyota Highlander, the Santa Fe was a big success for Hyundai. The design was more forward looking that Highlander’s and this new 2013 model looks to again up the ante in the styling game. The side view shows that the Santa Fe’s back quarter has a look that takes the best elements from the Subaru Tribeca. However, the design can only be called original.

Already competitive in the class for fuel mileage, the 2013 could adopt the company’s 2.0 liter turbo, direct-injected engine. That engine offers very strong torque, over 270 HP, and uses regular unleaded gasoline. That would put the power on par with the current V6 offered in the 2012 Santa Fe. Fuel economy could improve dramatically. This move would follow the same change made in the Sonata sedan when it was redesigned.

The 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe’s new look is stylish, fresh, and if coupled with a new engine offering better power and greater fuel economy could shake up the mid-size sport utility marketplace.