Hyundai took a bold decision and introduced the first generation of the Santa Fe SUV in 2001 as part of its plan to expand on all car segments.
While the customers were looking for experienced 4x4 builders such as Nissan, Toyota, Jeep, or Ford, the newcomers such as BMW, Honda, and Volvo were trying hard to make their way onto the market. Hyundai built the Santa Fe, but neither its design team nor the engineering department had enough SUV building experience. In 2004, Hyundai refreshed the Santa Fe’s first generation.

For the 2005 model, Hyundai removed the radio’s antenna from the drier’s rear-side window to the roof. Most trim levels received body-colored bumpers and side moldings. The Korean carmaker introduced the side-steps for the upper trim level as a standard feature.

Inside, Hyundai refreshed the instrument cluster and added new silver rings around the four-dial panels. Its high-mounted seats made led to better legroom for the rear passengers than in the Sonata. Thanks to the split-folding rear bench, the trunk could increase its size from a regular 850 liters (30.2 cu-ft) to an excellent 2,100 liters (74.16 cu-ft). The carmaker installed an opening rear windscreen to the tailgate to ease the loading and unloading of small items.

Under the hood, the 2004 Santa Fe dropped the 3.5-liter gasoline engine and kept only the smaller, 2.7-liter unit. Besides that, it used two fuel-efficient turbo-diesel units.