New 2027 Hyundai Tucson gets bold look and practicality boost
Hyundai has given the Tucson a high-tech makeover as it looks to bat off new Chinese rivals such as the Jaecoo 7 and BYD Seal U – and remain one of the world’s best-selling cars.
The new mid-sized SUV was previously unveiled in Korea but the firm has now detailed the shorter variant that is bound for European markets, including the UK.
Hyundai said that improving interior space and practicality was a key consideration in developing the fifth-generation Tucson.
To that end, it’s 35mm longer than before, at 4.56m, while the wheelbase has been stretched by 40mm. It’s also slightly wider and taller, making it more imposing in the metal.
Boot space is up by 79 litres to 695 litres and the rear seats are split 40:20:40, with the ability to slide 150mm forwards or backwards to improve passenger room or expand cargo capacity as needed.
Up front, the Tucson adopts the arrangement from the new Ioniq 3 electric hatchback, pairing a small, low-set steering wheel with a high-set digital instrument panel – in similar fashion to Peugeot’s i-Cockpit.
According to Hyundai’s European design chief, Eduardo Ramírez, there was a “long process” of tuning this so that it wouldn’t cause frustration for end users.
“We had to challenge the conventional steering wheel shape for the interaction between the driver, the handling and the visibility of the displays,” he said.
“The main focus was safety. Every second that you [look down at a conventional instrument binnacle] without looking at the road is many metres that you drive blindly. We had that as a clear priority.”
Among the Tuscon’s new features is a different kind of driver attention monitor. Rather than being mounted on the steering column, it’s placed on the rear-view mirror, allowing it to watch both the driver and passenger.
This means it now can detect whether someone is sitting in an improper position – such as the front passenger putting their feet up on the dashboard – and whether both are wearing a seatbelt.
Alongside the upgraded attention monitor is a new system that warns you if you’ve left a child unattended in the back seat when you leave the car and lock it, honking the horn as a reminder.
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