There must be something big coming with the updated Hyundai Tucson as the company keeps its crossover under heavy camouflage for this new test session. Our photographers caught a prototype of the refreshed South Korean model in the Austrian Alps and it was towing a small trailer.
That thick disguise doesn’t let us see what’s happening with the exterior, though at the front, there’s a new grille sneaking through the concealment. We can’t see all the details but it appears that there’s a new grille pattern but the overall shape remains unchanged. The headlights seem unchanged but we can’t confirm no tweaks are in the cards yet.
The situation is almost identical at the back. We see no changes to the taillights but there’s one element in the rear bumper that catches our attention. That red pipe pointing towards the road is the revised Tucson’s placeholder tailpipe, which replaces the rectangular exhausts of the current model. This rather weird setup could be a hint at novelties under the hood where more electrification is expected.
Speaking of the engines, the outgoing Tucson is available in the United States with a relatively large range of engines. These include the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder mill with 187 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque, as well as the upgraded 1.6-liter with an electric motor, offering 226 hp and 258 lb-ft. There’s also a plug-in hybrid good for 261 hp, while the range-topping N Line comes with a turbocharged 2.5-liter engine making 290 hp.
Big changes are planned for the cabin. As you can see in some of these spy shots, the steering wheel will receive a new design inspired by the new Kona. Also, larger displays will be installed featuring new infotainment software, as well as a new head-up display. The more expensive trims are expected to gain new adaptive LED projector headlights replacing the older reflector LED beams.
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