The Frenchman won last...
The Frenchman won last weekend’s Rally Portugal, but with arch-rival Marcus Gronholm finishing second, the Citroen star was still two points adrift of the series lead. However, the Finn and his fellow Focus WRC runners were given a five-minute time penalty for infringing the regulations, when an official post-rally technical check discovered that the leading Fords were running illegal rear side windows. The decision dropped Gronholm from second to fourth position and, as a consequence, allowed Loeb to move into the lead of the championship by one point.
Despite the 4x4"s disguise...
Despite the 4x4"s disguise, there"s no hiding the fact the newcomer is larger than the vehicle it replaces, which will give the Santa Fe more interior space than its main rival, the Land Rover Freelander. In addition to the interior improvements, the next model has better ground clearance than the current car. This, plus a new four-wheel-drive system, should ensure it has decent mud-plugging capability.
To complement the rugged image, the off-roader is expected to feature more aggressive styling, which should help boost its appeal with European buyers. Meanwhile, Hyundai has revised the current car to keep it fresh until the new model arrives. On sale from October, only two versions will be available.
The 2.7-litre V6 CDX rises í‚á£1,000 in price to í‚á£19,495, but benefits from í‚á£2,250 worth of extra equipment, including cruise control, leather trim and side airbags. The 2.0-litre diesel variant - also available only in CDX trim - will carry a í‚á£17,995 tag.