Big changes coming for popular family SUV: 2027 Hyundai Santa Fe takes shape in digital renders as it sharpens up to tackle the 2026 Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-80 and Toyota Kluger

Hyundai is already heading back to the design studio for its smash hit Santa Fe large SUV.

The South Korean brand has been applauded for the design of its family SUV, which sports a blocky square profile reminiscent of an old Land Rover Discovery.

Now the company is prepping some styling tweaks to keep it ahead of the pack.

New renders published by Koreancarblog, show a reworked front end with vertical headlights and a light bar that runs the length of the front.

A more closed-off grille replaces the big dual grille of the current version. This front end is closer in style to the current Kona small SUV and the soon to be updated Tucson mid-size SUV.

The updated Santa Fe is also expected to ditch the current rear tail-lights in favour of vertical LEDs, such as those seen on the new Ioniq 9 electric SUV.

A heavily camouflaged version of the updated Santa Fe has been spotted undergoing testing in South Korea, but it isn’t expected to go on sale until 2027.

Hyundai is also expected to drop the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission from the current turbocharged petrol variant in favour of a conventional eight-speed gearbox.

Sister brand Kia has made a similar move in its Sportage, ditching a dual-clutch for a more city-friendly standard eight-speed auto transmission.

The 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol motor makes 206kW and 422Nm and drinks 9.1 litres per 100km of the cheapest unleaded fuel.

The Santa Fe will likely keep its hybrid setup and add a plug-in hybrid variant to more markets, as the brand increases its focus on plug-in petrol-electric power.

The standard hybrid is already available on the current Santa Fe. It pairs a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor to make a combined 172kW and 367Nm. Fuel use drops to 5.6L/100km.

A plug-in hybrid is already available in other markets but not Australia yet. Hyundai is working on the next generation of its plug-in tech, which is claimed to boost electric-only driving range to at least 100km.

The Hyundai Santa Fe has been a success in Australia, with sales up more than 20 per cent through the first eight months of this year.

Some styling tweaks to tone down its design could give it a boost to chase down the segment's top-selling Kia Sorento and Toyota Kluger.