Prices for the new Hyundai Santa Fe SUV, which goes on sale in the UK on October 15, will start from £25,495 on-the-road for the 2.2-litre CRDi Style 2WD model.

Since its launch in the UK in 2001, the Hyundai Santa Fe has sold 37,500 units in total. Last year, was the second best year in terms of sales for the SUV in Britain with just over 4,200 sold – which equated to a third of European Santa Fe sales in 2011.

Tony Whitehorn, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor UK, said: “Globally Hyundai has decided to keep the Santa Fe nameplate as it has, and continues to be, a hugely popular product with customers and is synonymous with the Hyundai brand. We know that Santa Fe buyers are amongst our most loyal customers and it is their feedback that has helped to shape the new model.

“We think that the new Santa Fe will not only appeal to existing customers with its fresh design and improved levels of standard technology, but will attract a new range of buyers looking for a stylish, premium and authentic SUV.”

The Santa Fe will be powered by a 2.2-litre CRDi engine at two torque levels. Six-speed manual or automatic transmissions will be available.

The 2WD version returns 47.9mpg on the combined cycle and emissions fall below the benchmark 160g/km level for the first time (155g/km) designed to make it an attractive proposition for fleets. The 4WD manual Santa Fe has a combined fuel consumption figure of 46.3mpg and 159g/km. The automatic model delivers 41.5mpg and 178g/km.

Three trim levels are available and there is still a choice of either five or seven-seat configurations.

On the outside, the Style model gets 18-inch alloy wheels, body coloured door handles, body coloured door mirrors with integrated indicator lights, reverse parking sensors, daytime running lights, self-levelling suspension (seven seat only) and a rear spoiler with high-mounted brake light. Inside, air conditioning is standard along with Bluetooth with voice recognition, multi-function steering wheel and Hyundai’s adjustable Flex Steer system.

A number of safety features are also standard from entry including ESP, hill start assist, vehicle stability management, trailer stability assist and seven airbags. A first for Santa Fe is the 'active bonnet system', which raises the bonnet by 60mm in the event of a pedestrian collision to help minimise the impact of head injuries.

The premium mid-trim adds additional specification over the entry-level style such as touchscreen satellite navigation, reverse parking camera with parking guidance system, electric folding door mirrors with puddle lamps, dual zone climate control, heated front seats, roof rails, chrome effect door handles and black leather seat trim. Beige leather can be specified as an alternative at no additional cost. Prices for the Premium models begin at £28,995.

The new range-topping Premium SE trim starts at £32,695 for the seven-seat four-wheel drive manual. In addition to the Premium trim, Premium SE gets 19-inch alloy wheels, electric driver’s seat adjustment, panoramic sunroof, xenon headlights, keyless entry with engine start/stop button, front parking sensors, smart parking assist, tyre pressure monitoring system and supervision cluster with LCD display.

Interior space and packaging differs from the outgoing Santa Fe with improvements to rear legroom (+45mm) and first row headroom (+11mm). Luggage capacity is 534 litres plus an additional 48 litres under the boot floor.

The Santa Fe comes with Hyundai’s '5 Year Triple Care' package, which means owners get a fully transferable five year unlimited mileage warranty, five years roadside assistance and five years free vehicle health checks.