Rated R: Lamborghini Murcielago Porks Hyundai Santa Fe

It can happen to the best of us - you know, you're going faster than the vehicle in front of you and all of a sudden he/she slows down or slams the brakes and well, say goodbye to you low insurance rates. In this case, the car behind the Hyundai Santa Fe happened to be a 'wedge-faced' Lamborghini Murcielago and the resulting accident leaves an open window for many erotic-style jokes. According to reports, luckily, no one other than the Lamborghini owner's bank account was hurt in the accident.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Via: Jalopnik, Cardomain, 6Speed, and NBC-2

2010 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV Facelift Scooped, gets new Diesel and Gasoline Engines

It's facelift time for Hyundai's mid-size SUV or if you prefer, crossover - who can tell the difference any more... In view of the fact that the latest generation Santa Fe has only been around for three years, don't expect to see any major cosmetic changes, just minor tweaks here and there that will include reshaped headlights and tail lamps along with restyled bumpers, new mirrors that incorporate turning signals and different alloy wheel designs.

Our spy photographers didn't manage to scoop the prototype's interior but our sources state that Hyundai will update the cabin with new trim options and add a few toys to the vehicle's equipment list.

Hyundai has paid more attention under the skin as the refreshed Santa Fe will benefit from the presentation of at least two new powertrain options including the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder Theta II gasoline engine that produces 175HP at 6,000 rpm and 168 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm. The second-generation Theta engine that can be mated to a five-speed manual or automatic transmission has already been confirmed for the U.S. market. Up until now, the Santa Fe was offered in the States only with a 2.7-liter V6 and 3.3-liter V6.

In Europe, Korea and other international markets, the 2010 Santa Fe facelift will also be available with Hyundai's newly developed 2.2-liter 4-cylinder 'R' diesel engine that cranks out 197HP and 435Nm or 320.1 lbs/ft of torque.

Though not officially confirmed, Carscoop's sources state that in the USA, Hyundai will replace the current 242HP 3.3-liter V6 with the Korean firm's new 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 277HP and 335 Nm or 247 lbs/ft of torque.

Expect to see the 2010 Santa Fe making its debut at the forthcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in September with the first cars arriving in Hyundai's dealerships on both sides of the Atlantic shortly after.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Hyundai Santa Fe, Elantra and Tiburon Also Recalled over Rust Problems

No sooner than we told you about the new recall on the MY2001-2004 Sonata, XG300 and XG350 models over corrosion issues of the front subframe, we learnt that Hyundai has also just issued two more separate recalls for a total of three vehicles, again for rust-related problems. In particular, the Korean carmaker issued a recall on 170,610 MY2001-2003 Elantra and MY2003 Tiburon Coupe models for corrosion and thinning of the steel in the lower control arms of the front suspension and another recall on 85,036 MY2001-2003 Santa Fe SUVs, this time for rust problems in relation to the rear suspension trailing arm.

Hyundai said that in both cases, the recalls concern vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the 'salt-belt' states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

If you happen to own any of the affected vehicles and want to learn more about the recalls, we suggest you contact Hyundai directly at the firm's U.S. customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-633-5151 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com