Hyundai Tucson

Ahead of being unveiled at the Geneva motor show, Hyundai took the wraps off its next generation medium SUV, the Tucson, at an exclusive event in Berlin, and Diesel Car was there at the unveiling. If you think that the Tucson name sounds familiar, you would be right, as before Hyundai’s current C-segment SUV, the ix35 was launched, its predecessor wore the same name plate. And while European markets switched over to the ix35 badge, countries like South Korea and the United States retained the Tucson moniker.

The newcomer arrives as Hyundai celebrates the sale of one-million SUV models in Europe, ever since the first Santa Fe arrived back in 2001. Of that total, more than 116,600 have been sold in the UK. Last year, the ix35 was the second best-selling Hyundai, behind the i10 city car, with 16,890 shifted by its dealers, a 26 per cent increase on 2013s sales figures. So it’s an important car for the Korean brand, with all examples of the new Tucson to be built at the company’s European production facility in Nošovice, Czech Republic.

Three diesel engines will be on offer a 114bhp 1.7-litre CRDi engine, along with a pair of 2.0-litre CRDi units producing either 134bhp and 181bhp. All come equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox, with the latter two on offer with a six-speed automatic transmission, too, while all of the powerplants meet the latest Euro 6 emissions regulations.

The new Tucson boldly adopts Hyundai’s new signature hexagon front grille, which dominates the front end, tieing in with a pair of large headlights, and a front bumper that incorporates both fog and LED daytime running lights. Along the side, chunky grey mouldings give the Tucson a lower, more grounded appearance, while at the rear, there are similarly shaped tail lights to those found on the latest i20. Overall, the design is more muscular, better resolved and importantly looks and feels more premium. On the inside, the cabin has been transformed with the inclusion of the latest soft-touch high quality mouldings, while the optional deep red leather gives a more sumptuous and distinctive appearance. Boot space at 513 litres, while generous, isn’t quite as sizeable as the outgoing ix35, which boasted 591 litres with the seats in the upright position, though still comfortably improves upon the amount of luggage room provided by rivals like the Ford Kuga and Volkswagen Tiguan.

More technology is packed in than ever before, with an electric tailgate, automated parking and autonomous emergency braking available for the first time. The latest generation satellite navigation system is three times faster than ever before, and safety equipment like the lane keeping assistant, rear traffic cross alert, traffic sign recognition and blind spot detection all make their debut on the latest Tucson, while the provision of a deployable bonnet gives some extra protection in the event of a collision with a cyclist or pedestrian.

The latest Tucson makes its debut at the Geneva motor show before arriving in UK showrooms in September. While it’s too early to talk prices and definitive specifications, it is expected that the line-up will follow a similar path to the recently launched i10, i20 and i30 by offering a choice of S, SE, SE Nav, Premium and Premium SE trim levels.