HYUNDAI will be moving the Santa Fe upmarket in the next few months following the introduction of the new Tucson sports utility vehicle.

The Santa Fe will undergo a mid-term facelift from August production, with the revised cars reaching the UK in the next two months.

The Tucson, which is more compact than the Santa Fe, will target drivers of the Toyota RAV4, Suzuki Vitara, Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin and Honda HR-V as well as three-door versions of the Land Rover Freelander.

With a reduced range, and more focus on high-specification models, the Santa Fe will aim for a share of the five-door Freelander, Nissan X-trail, Honda CR-V and Kia Sorento market.

The new Santa Fe will have a revised front and rear end styling and cleaner, less sculpted side panels. It will continue to offer manual and auto versions of Hyundai’s 2.0-litre common-rail diesel as well as the petrol 2.7 V6 auto. The changes are expected to arrive with a modest price increase.