The 2010 Detroit Auto Show was the stage for the new, fully redesigned 2011 Hyundai Santa-Fe. The new hood of the 2011 Santa-Fe features a pair of ridges extending back from the grille to the A-pillar, as well as sculpted bars in the grille similar to the Sonata. The lower front fascia also gets some new forms that evoke a similar look to the Tucson. The most important updates for the 2011 Santa-Fe are under the hood.

The old engines have been taken out and pair of engines with better performance and efficiency have been put in. The base model has a 2.4-liter inline-four 175-hp, and the optional engine is a 3.5-liter Lambda V6 with 276-hp. Both engines are mated up with six-speed transmissions but only the four gets a manual option.