It can be a tough game, winning attention for a new model at an auto show, particularly at this year’s Geneva affair, which is crowded with new supercars such as the Audi R8, the Ferrari 488GTB, and the McLaren P1 GTR. So Hyundai is showing its new 2016 Tucson a little early.
It may not be a supercar, but there’s plenty that’s promising about the new Tucson.
And while the decision to unveil it in Europe means most of the details
are specific to the European version, we can certainly fill you in on
the basics.
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First, this car is going to be called the Tucson everywhere; the ix35
name that was used in some markets for the last-generation model is
officially dead. The Tucson will be built in both South Korea and the
Czech Republic, with U.S. versions supplied from Asia. Mechanically,
it’s pretty much as before—despite Hyundai’s claim that it sits on an
all-new platform—with transverse-mounted engines and the choice of
either front- or all-wheel drive via an electronically controlled clutch
ahead of the rear axle.
Exterior styling was the work of Hyundai’s European studio in Germany,
and it looks like a reasonably handsome thing to us. The company’s
California design center did the classy interior. The new car looks
bigger than the last one, thanks in large part to its square-set front
profile and very tall hood, but the differences in dimensions are
actually small. At 176.2 inches in length, it’s just 2.6 inches longer
than before. An unusual design detail is the asymmetric wheel arches,
which have an arc of black plastic cladding that increases their
perceived size.
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As to what’s under the hood, we know that European versions top out with
a 1.6-liter turbo that’s good for 174 horsepower and will be available
with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. That engine
replaces the old 2.4-liter four in Australia, for instance, and could do
so in the States, as well. Other non-European markets get a
direct-injected 2.0-liter four, which we expect would be the
U.S.-market’s standard engine. We’re also told there will be a
performance version, carrying the branding of Hyundai’s new “N” performance division
(all the good letters having already been taken); it will likely use a
tuned version of the 1.6-liter turbo making about 200 horsepower. Again,
there’s no confirmation that this will come to the States. There’s also
no word on whether Hyundai will again offer a fuel-cell version.
In addition to the expected high levels of equipment availability, the Tucson is set to launch with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
compatibility. The 2016 Tucson will go on sale here this summer, after
Hyundai reveals more U.S.–specific details at the New York auto show in
April, where the brand won’t have to shout to be heard over the din
surrounding new Ferraris and McLarens in Geneva.
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