India-Bound Hyundai Tucson Facelift Revealed

The updated SUV gets new powertrain options, subtle aesthetic changes and, more importantly, a thoroughly revised interior

Hyundai unveiled the Tucson facelift at the 2018 New York International Auto Show. The South Korean carmaker is now expected to showcase the updated mid-size SUV in European markets in the coming weeks. When will it launch in India? Scroll down to the bottom of the article for the answer.

Pictured: Pre-facelift Hyundai Tucson (old)

Hyundai Tucson Facelift: What’s new? 

• The Tucson facelift gets a redesigned front profile. It now sports the latest iteration of Hyundai’s signature cascading grille, which appears to be slightly larger than the one seen on the outgoing model

• It gets full-LED headlamps this time around. The pre-facelift SUV features twin LED projector units for the low beam and multi-reflector halogen lamps for the high beam. There’s a new LED light guide as well

• The front bumper looks a lot sharper than before and features an all-new faux skid plate. The fog lamps and the daytime running LEDs are now housed within a single unit

• At the sides, it gets a new set of alloy wheels (up to 19-inch in size) while the remaining bits have been carried over

• It still features split wrap-around tail lamps. However, the part on the boot lid has been subtly redesigned. There’s a new LED graphic for tail lamps as well 

• The rear bumper has been redesigned as well. The licence plate housing on the bootlid, which appears to be wider than before, round off the list of changes to the exterior

Pictured: Pre-facelift Hyundai Tucson (old)

• The most noticeable change in the updated Tucson is its completely revised interior. The pre-facelift model has been criticised a lot for its bland-looking cabin and Hyundai has finally addressed the issue with the facelift

• The new dashboard looks relatively low-set when compared to the previous one as the display is now a free-floating unit similar to the new Santa Fe. The AC vents don’t flank the touchscreen anymore. Instead, they are now placed underneath the display

Pictured: Pre-facelift Hyundai Tucson (old)

• The cabin seems to exude a more premium feel than before thanks to the new leather-wrapped middle layer 
• Apart from the addition of a new 1.6-litre diesel motor (Hyundai’s latest U3 CRDi), the carmaker has retained the same set of engines as before. The India-spec model is expected to carry forward the existing 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engine options 
• The Tucson powered by the 2.0-litre diesel engine now gets a new 8-speed automatic transmission (AT). This gearbox made its debut in the fourth-gen Santa Fe and replaces the existing 6-speed AT. Expect the new transmission to be offered in the India-spec model as its arch-rival, the diesel-powered Jeep Compass, is set to receive a 9-speed AT soon.  The petrol-powered Tucson, on the other hand, will continue with the 6-speed AT   

Check out: Jeep Compass Trailhawk: All You Need To Know

When will it be introduced in India? 

A quick recap of the third-gen Tucson’s journey in India: Hyundai showcased the third-generation Tucson at the 2016 Auto Expo. The mid-size SUV went on sale in India on November 14, 2016. Eleven months later, Hyundai introduced the all-wheel-drive variant of the SUV to fend off the best-selling mid-size SUV, the Jeep Compass.

Carmakers tend to launch facelifts two or three years after a model’s introduction. The third-generation Tucson was launched in Europe and USA in 2015, nearly a year before it came to India. So, we can expect Hyundai to introduce the updated Tucson in India in the first half of 2019. Hyundai currently assembles the Tucson at its Chennai facility by importing CKD (completely knocked down) kits. It is expected to do the same with the Tucson facelift as well and the prices are likely to remain unchanged. It currently retails between Rs 17.99 lakh and Rs 25.44 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Check out: 2018 Honda CR-V Revealed At Auto Expo 2018

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