New Hyundai Tucson Spotted in the Wild for the First Time

A few days ago, Hyundai released the first official photos of the next-generation Tucson. The vehicle looks significantly different from its predecessor, but until now, it was possible to judge the changes only from studio photos and renderings. The other day, however, the redesigned SUV was photographed for the first time in the real world on public roads without any camouflage.

The Hyundai Tucson has been in production since 2004 and occupies the compact crossover slot in the brand’s global lineup. Over several generations, the model has become one of Hyundai’s key SUVs, sold in markets around the world. The previous Tucson debuted in 2020 and has been one of the most popular crossovers in its class in recent years.

South Korean outlet Healer TV recently shared photos of the latest-generation Tucson. Judging by the images, the new crossover will indeed have a futuristic SUV design reminiscent of modern EVs rather than internal-combustion vehicles. The vehicle will feature a more upright silhouette with a massive front end equipped with vertical daytime running lights and a full-width LED light bar forming an elongated “H.”

The rest of the body will have the look of a rugged SUV, with massive square wheel arches, skid plates, and body cladding giving the crossover a noticeably more aggressive appearance than the previous model. The rear will feature a similar LED light bar and vertically oriented taillights.

The vehicle will be offered in two lengths: a short-wheelbase version will be sold in Europe, while the global model will measure 4.7 meters long, making it 180 mm longer than the current Tucson. The interior was not shown in the real-world photos, but judging by the official images, the redesigned crossover will borrow its cabin design from the Ioniq 3 EV.

There is no information on the engines yet, but a similar lineup of gasoline-electric hybrid powertrains as the current model can be expected.

Trim levels are also being kept under wraps, although the off-road-oriented Tucson XRT was partially revealed at the same time as the announcement, featuring a different grille, unique wheels, and even more substantial body cladding. We showed what the rear of the XRT could look like today in unofficial renderings.