The Hyundai Tucson is currently the brand’s flagship SUV in the market, offering ample space, good features and also gets optional all-wheel-drive. Hyundai has now given the Tucson a minor update, which we had first got wind of at the Auto Expo earlier this year. The styling is a tad bit sharper, the interior gets a tech update and there are a set of updated engines — more of an evolution than a revolution.
On the outside, not much has changed on this facelifted Tucson, but minor changes like the updated LED headlights and taillights, both of which are sharper and sleeker, and the new cascading grille make the Tucson look a touch more modern. There are also new 18-inch rims on offer, and the front and rear bumpers have also been retouched ever so slightly. While the facelifted Tucson does look very similar to the outgoing one, the Tucson is still one of the better looking SUVs in our market.
On the inside, the most notable change is the updated dashboard with an 8-inch floating central infotainment display. The interiors are now all-black, ditching the black and beige scheme, and the quality of the materials has been upped too, with a more extensive use of soft touch materials. The facelifted Tucson also gets power operated seats for both driver as well as the front seat passenger. Other updates include the Bluelink suite of connected car technology and a tyre pressure monitoring system and a wireless phone charger.
There are two BS6-compliant engines on offer with the new Tucson — a 2-litre petrol engine making 149bhp and 192Nm of torque, and a BS6-compliant 2-litre diesel engine making 182bhp and 400Nm of torque. The diesel engine also comes paired to a new eight-speed automatic gearbox, replacing the old six-speed unit. Both engines produce almost identical power and torque figures to their BS4 counterparts.
Prices for the facelifted Tucson start at an introductory price of Rs 22.3 lakh for the GL (O) variant. This marks an increase of Rs 3.5 lakh over the outgoing Tucson’s entry-level variant, owing to the added kit and the BS6 updates as well as the fact that the base 'L' and 'GL' trim have been omitted. So, spec-for-spec the facelifted Tucson is priced very similarly to the outgoing model. The top of the line GLS 4WD variant costs Rs 27.03 lakh. The Tucson goes up against some stiff competition like the recently updated Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace and the Skoda Karoq, although the latter doesn’t have nearly the same amount of real estate as the Tucson but is priced a touch higher at Rs 24.99 lakh.
Petrol 6AT:
GL(O): Rs 22.3 lakh
GLS: Rs 23.52 lakh
Diesel 8AT:
GL(O): Rs 24.35 lakh
GLS: Rs 25.56 lakh
GLS 4WD: Rs 27.03 lakh