Hyundai Motor unveils all-new Tucson with bigger body, smarter tech after 6-year wait

Hyundai Motor unveils fifth-generation fully redesigned 'The All New Tucson'

Media day held Friday

Length, width and wheelbase grow by 60mm, 40mm and 30mm over outgoing model

Best-in-class cabin space secured

First Hyundai SUV to feature Pleos Connect

Price to be announced in October

Hyundai Motor held "The All New Tucson Media Day" at the CJ ENM Studio Center on Friday and unveiled the all-new Tucson for the first time. Exterior of The All New Tucson [Hyundai Motor]

Hyundai Motor has unveiled the fifth-generation, fully redesigned Tucson compact SUV — the model's first complete overhaul in six years.

The automaker held "The All New Tucson Media Day" at the CJ ENM Studio Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday, showcasing the redesigned exterior and upgraded features of the new model.

On the design front, the Tucson draws on Hyundai Motor's "Art of Steel" design language, reinterpreting the inherent solidity of steel in a modern idiom to give the SUV a firm yet dynamic stance.

At the front, vertical H-Edge lighting daytime running lamps and a horizontally slim center lamp using indirect lighting make the body appear wider and project a confident, next-generation SUV presence.

The sides balance sculpted fender volume, restrained door surfaces and a sharp character line that runs horizontally along the body. At the rear, prism taillamps featuring intricate patterns inside a three-dimensional clear lens create varied visual effects depending on whether the lights are on or off.

The Tucson grows by 60mm in length, 40mm in width and 30mm in wheelbase over the outgoing model, securing best-in-class interior space.

Hyundai Motor extended second-row headroom by 29mm to 1,031mm for a more comfortable cabin, and widened the second-row door opening angle from 73 degrees to 83 degrees to make getting in and out easier.

Inside, a floating-structure crash pad with separate upper and lower sections and a large center display enhance the sense of openness and provide a more convenient user environment.

Interior of The All New Tucson [Hyundai Motor]

For customers who favor an outdoor lifestyle, Hyundai Motor offers an XRT trim with a dedicated front grille, wheel arch garnishes and skid plates — design elements that emphasize a rugged look and off-road character.

The Tucson will be offered in two powertrains — a 1.6 turbo gasoline and a 1.6 turbo hybrid — with pricing to be announced in October ahead of the domestic sales launch.

The 1.6 turbo gasoline model produces a maximum output of 193 horsepower and peak torque of 27.0 kgf·m.

Hyundai Motor fitted the gasoline model with a 1.6 turbo engine delivering 13 more horsepower than its predecessor, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The hybrid model adopts Hyundai Motor Group's next-generation hybrid system with improved performance and efficiency, achieving a combined system output of 245 horsepower and fuel economy of 17.4 km per liter.

A "Stay Mode" feature lets occupants use climate control, infotainment and other functions while the engine is off during a stop — much like an electric vehicle — delivering an electrification experience unavailable in conventional internal-combustion vehicles.

The new Tucson also receives a redesigned suspension valve with greater tuning flexibility for finer suspension adjustment according to road conditions and driving situations. The hybrid model additionally gains E-Traction, which uses the drive motor to control the vehicle's vertical and longitudinal movement.

Sound-absorbing pads on the dash panel reduce engine-bay noise entering the cabin, while thicker door glass across all seats cuts wind noise at highway speeds.

Despite the larger body, Hyundai Motor refined the aerodynamics to lower the drag coefficient of both the gasoline and hybrid models from 0.33 to 0.30.

Yoon Hyo-jun, executive vice president and head of Hyundai Motor's domestic business division, delivers a welcome address at "The All New Tucson Media Day" held at the CJ ENM Studio Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. [Hyundai Motor]

The new Tucson also introduces a range of advanced safety and convenience technologies. Among them is "Door Unlock Power Redundancy," making its debut on the Tucson, which maintains door-unlock functionality using a backup power source even if the main power is cut in a collision, enabling occupants to escape quickly and facilitating rescue in emergencies.

Standard across all trims are "Pedal Misapplication Safety Assist," which limits drive force and applies braking when a stationary or slow-moving driver accidentally presses the accelerator hard instead of the brake, and "Forward Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist 2 (PCA-F)," which helps brake when there is a heightened risk of collision with a pedestrian or obstacle ahead during low-speed forward travel — a feature added in consideration of the model's larger body.

Also making a segment-first appearance is "Memory Reverse Assist," which records the vehicle's recent path and automatically controls steering during reverse maneuvers.

Standard equipment further includes nine airbags, Navigation-based Smart Cruise Control 2 (NSCC 2), Shift-by-Wire (SBW) P-position emergency braking and Rear Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist 2 (PCA-R). Segment-first additions include a Surround View Monitor with transparent view and a Ground View function that displays the road surface beneath the vehicle through the infotainment screen.

Rear side design of The All New Tucson [Hyundai Motor]

The Tucson becomes the first Hyundai Motor SUV to feature Pleos Connect. The platform pairs "Glleo AI" — a next-generation generative AI agent built on a large language model — with the Pleos App Market, where customers can download apps of their choice, delivering a mobility experience tailored to individual preferences and situations.

Glleo AI understands natural, continuous conversation and goes beyond simple vehicle control to support knowledge searches, travel itinerary recommendations and casual chat. The Pleos App Market aggregates third-party service apps — including video and music streaming and games — beyond the features the automaker provides at the time of delivery.

Inside the cabin, Hyundai Motor paired a 17-inch or 12.9-inch 16:9 display with physical buttons for key functions, creating a spacious, open feel and an intuitive user environment.

Occupants can view and operate a wide range of functions — navigation, media, vehicle settings and more — at a glance on the high-resolution large screen, and can check multiple pieces of information simultaneously through split-screen while driving, enhancing both convenience and immersion.

"The All New Tucson has achieved innovation across design, space, electrification and digital technology in every dimension, befitting a full model change after six years," a Hyundai Motor official said. "It will set a new standard in the compact SUV segment with best-in-class product quality."

Exterior of The All New Tucson XRT trim [Hyundai Motor]

To coincide with the launch of The All New Tucson, Hyundai Motor is rolling out a brand campaign inspired by the literary world of Philip K. Dick — the science fiction master and author of the source novels behind the films "Blade Runner" and "Minority Report."

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor has recently drawn praise from CarBuzz, a leading US automotive media outlet, alongside Kia and Genesis. The publication said the Korean brands are "rapidly closing the product quality gap with traditional luxury brands, including German ones, and shaking up the existing order of the automotive market."

CarBuzz is one of the major US automotive media outlets, with more than 6 million monthly readers and about 7.5 million social media followers, providing vehicle review content for consumers considering a car purchase.

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