Hyundai is preparing to radically reinvent the Tucson, its best-selling model, giving the family SUV a boxy new look inspired by the larger Santa Fe.
It’s expected to go on sale in the latter half of next year, with test mules having been spotted on public roads.
They reveal it will adopt the brand’s rugged new ‘Art of Steel’ design language, as seen on the Santa Fe and the hydrogen-powered Nexo.
While both of those models share that design philosophy, they also have their own unique cues – something Hyundai design chief Simon Loasby has previously said was key to making the range like “chess pieces” rather than “Russian dolls”.
The Tucson mules are heavily disguised but it is clear that the new model receives a longer bonnet, chunkier wheel arches and a more upright stance.
The change from fourth to fifth generation looks to mirror that of the Nexo, which Loasby said now has a character that is “much more SUV-like” and “capability-driven”.
Explaining that car’s upgrade, Loasby said: “We deliberately wanted to turn the volume up on the capability and SUV-ness. Pretty much every region in the world has become more comfortable with SUVs and wants [the seating position] to be up.”
The Tucson’s new shape is likely to result in more interior space, too, and could even improve on the current car’s vast 620-litre boot.

It will have the brand’s next-generation interior, which Loasby and Hyundai Group design boss Luc Donckerwolke said could result in a smaller infotainment display and simpler software for the touchscreen – as well as more physical buttons – in an effort to improve safety.
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Powertrain options are expected to mirror those of the Santa Fe, which is offered with either a 212bhp 1.6-litre turbo petrol hybrid (with front- or four-wheel drive) or a 249bhp plug-in hybrid (four-wheel drive only).
The Tucson is a critical model for Hyundai as it targets further growth in Europe. It has been a major catalyst in the brand’s drive to steal sales from established brands such as Volkswagen and BMW, and it last year recorded some 600,000 sales globally.
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Will is Autocar’s news editor.​ His focus is on setting Autocar’s news agenda, interviewing top executives, reporting from car launches, and unearthing exclusives.
As part of his role, he also manages Autocar Business – the brand’s B2B platform – and Haymarket’s aftermarket publication CAT.
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