Hyundai Australia has announced it will launch a ‘sporty’, range-topping Santa Fe SR in the first quarter of 2015.

HYUNDAI HAS REVEALED it will add a new variant to the 2015 Santa Fe line-up in early 2015 with the launch of the Santa Fe SR. It will join other SR models in the Hyundai stable: i30 SR, Veloster SR Turbo and Accent SR.

According to Hyundai, the 2015 Santa Fe SR will feature an “eye-catching sports bodykit, Brembo brakes, H&R performance springs, matte-black Oz Racing wheels and Michelin Latitude Tour high-performance tyres”.

Using the Santa Fe sports package formulated by Hyundai Motor Corporation’s Customising Team in Korea as a base, the new Santa Fe SR has received extensive local tuning.

The SR’s Brembo brakes feature four-piston monobloc front calipers and two-piston rears. Overall disc diameter and thickness also have been increased. And while dimensions of the Sport Pack’s new 19-inch Oz Racing Versilia performance alloy wheels are unchanged over those available on the top-spec 2015 Santa Fe Highlander. However, Hyundai says, the new wheels offer better caliper clearance than the standard wheels. The new Santa Fe SR also features high-performance 235/55 R19 Michelin Latitude Tour tyres.

“For the Santa Fe SR we’re sticking with the standard engine while offering unique, sportier styling, improved braking performance and higher-specification tyres,” says Andrew Tuitahi, Hyundai Motor Company Australia’s Senior Manager Product Planning.  “Combined, these attributes make a significant difference in terms of lateral grip and cornering, and so too do the springs in terms of feel and response.”