The new generation of Hyundai Tucson crossover is unveiled at the 2009 LA Autoshow and just like the new Sonata we featured earlier, it comes with a totally new design, not a bit like the outgoing model. The new Tucson is designed and engineered at Hyundai’s Frankfurt-based design and technical centers, with European standards. It also gets the firm’s new Theta II 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine tuned for best-in-class-fuel efficiency.
New Tucson’s design received a very warm welcome by the media, not because it is amazing and extraordinary, in fact it’s still not as good as European models! What’s so good about the new model is its progression over the old generation which was a pathetic box on wheels! 2010 Tucson combines practicality and functionality with style and dynamism, to make a good affordable compact crossover for the younger generation.
The body of new Tucson is mostly made of high-strength steel for extra rigidity, but simultaneously engineers managed to keep the weigt fairly low at 3,203 pounds. It is also 173.2 inches long, 71.7 inches wide and 66.3 inches high. 2010 Hyundai Tucson comes with a whole new design for the interior as well, which is also very feature-rich. You get standard equipments such as Hyundai’s signature blue lighting, power windows, power door locks, fold-away mirrors and remote keyless entry with alarm and panic button. Bluetooth hands-free phone system with voice recognition and steering wheel audio and cruise controls are also available. Another premium feature in the Hyundai Tucson Limited is a CleanAir Ionizer that automatically cleans the air when the heater or air conditioner is running.
Other available features include leather seating surfaces, heated front seats, power driver seat with lumbar support, automatic headlights, side repeater exterior mirrors, front wiper de-icer and dual front automatic temperature control. There is also a top-notch 160-watt AM/FM/XM/CD/MP3 audio system with six speakers. This system includes XM Satellite Radio® and iPod®/USB auxiliary inputs as standard equipment. You can also order a brilliant navigation system with rearview camera and 6.5-inch LCD touch-screen or voice-activation by headliner-mounted microphone.
As mentioned earlier, new gen Tucson is powered y the Theta II 2.4-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder 176 hp – 168 lb.-ft. of torque engine which delivers the same amount of power as the old V6 but with 20 percent less fuel consumption. Equipped with the ix-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC and front wheel drive, it’ll do 31mpg on highway. The 4×4 models average 21 mpg city/28 mpg highway. In 2011 a high-mileage Blue model will be introduced with an optimized version of the Theta engine returning even better fuel economy.
