Hyundai Santa Fe and Tucson to get new four-cylinder engines

In response to soaring fuel prices and increased demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles in North America, Hyundai will add a four-cylinder engine to its redesigned Santa Fe. Furthermore, the next Tucson crossover, due in 2010 or 2011, will only be equipped four-cylinder engines – the V6 model being replaced by a turbocharged engine.

The Santa Fe is currently available with 2.7L and 3.3L V6 engines in the U.S. but the redesigned version, due in 2010, will be available with Hyundai’s 2.4L Theta II four-cylinder engine. The vehicle will also get a new six-speed automatic transmission, Hyundai’s U.S. product planning chief John Krafcik revealed to Automotive News.

The new engine has already debuted in the 2009 Sonata sedan where it delivers a respectable mileage rate of 22mpg (10.7L/100km) in the city and 32mpg (7.35L/100km) in highway driving. The engine is rated at 175hp (130kW) and 168lb-ft (228Nm) of torque.

Hyundai is also setting up a new engine plant in Alabama to start manufacturing the new 2.4L engines for use in U.S. produced vehicles. The carmaker currently imports all its four-cylinder engines from South Korea.