Hyundai to introduce blown Tucson

A NEW dual-clutch automatic transmission and a turbocharged petrol engine are the surprising big-ticket items for Hyundai’s fresh-faced Tucson SUV when it arrives in Australian showrooms this August.

Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA) public relations manager Guido Schenken confirmed to GoAuto that the Veloster’s 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine will be fitted to the premium Tucson model.

“The 1.6-litre engine will replace the 2.4-litre engine,” he said.

“This engine will come with the new dual-clutch automatic that in the future will be available on other models including the i30 and i40.”

Borrowed from the Hyundai Veloster SR and available in sister company’s Kia sporty Pro_cee’d GT and Cerato Koup, the turbo-petrol engine is rated at 150kW and 265Nm.

The Pro_cee’d GT is only available with a manual transmission but the Koup has an optional six-speed torque-converter automatic.

The Tucson will be Hyundai’s first vehicle with the new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and the first with it mated to a turbocharged engine.

A six-speed dual-clutch gearbox is available on the aspirated Veloster. The turbocharged Veloster SR comes only with a six-speed torque-converter automatic.

The other drivetrain options on the 2015 Tucson will carry over from the existing model that is dubbed ix35. The 2.0-litre petrol and 2.0-litre turbo-diesel will be available with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission and in front-wheel or all-wheel drive configurations.

Hyundai started on its Australian-based suspension and steering tuning program for the Tucson on February 23 with the focus on providing high standards of road holding with a compliant ride.

Mr Schenken said the flagship turbo-petrol Tucson would only be available with the new transmission and with all-wheel drive.

“The new model will be launched in early quarter three of this year, in July or August,” he said.

“We are finalising the specifications with the aim to have a competitive price and value equation for all models.

“We will, for example, have reverse cameras on all models. But it’s too early to announce pricing.”

However, based on current pricing trends which show few deviations from the previous model, the Tucson will open as a petrol-engined front-wheel manual at about $27,000, plus on-road costs.

The outgoing 2.4-litre petrol with all-wheel drive is now $35,990 and the diesel models start at $38,590.

The Tucson is understood to be Hyundai’s first model with the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems.

This means the entire range will be capable of accepting Hyundai’s full satellite-navigation suite and is capable of using Google Voice/Siri for SMS, dictation and other functions.

While all Tucson variants will have the capability, it is expected that only the high-end versions will have the complete application as standard.

All Tucsons will continue to be sourced from both South Korea and the Czech Republic. This dual sourcing has allowed HMCA to maintain a strong supply of stock and to balance currency fluctuations.

The Tucson will replace the ix35 which was Australia’s third best-selling SUV in 2014, following the Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4.

The ix35, introduced in 2009, found 17,922 new homes in 2014 and was the highest seller in its sub-$40,000 small-SUV category, beating the Subaru XV by about 6000 units.

In year-to-date figures for 2015, the ix35 is Australia’s second-biggest SUV seller behind the CX-5, with 3492 sales this year.

But from its August launch, the bigger Tucson will move out of the small-SUV category and into the medium-SUV category alongside the CX-5, RAV4 and Nissan X-Trail.