2021 Hyundai Tucson bags UK publication’s Car of the Year award

The all-new Tucson is also named the Best Medium SUV.

The 2021 Hyundai Tucson is arguably one of the most stylish crossovers in the global market today. The all-new design of the Tucson is more distinctive than ever as it features a sharper, and more angular exterior while having a refined interior layout.

2021 Hyundai Tucson front shot

2021 Hyundai Tucson

The design concept integrated into the all-new Hyundai Tucson seems to be working well as it managed to get the attention of one of the UK’s largest publications, the DieselCar & EcoCar Magazine. The said publication awarded the fourth-generation Hyundai Tucson as the ‘Car of the Year 2021,’ and ‘Best Medium SUV’.

Hyundai shared that the judges praised the Tucson’s “trend-setting design language, excellent infotainment system, [and] plentiful performance.” The team behind DieselCar & EcoCar Magazine also handed the awards to the Tucson due to its notable fuel economy, which is said to yield around 21 km/l (Tucson hybrid variant).

“The Hyundai Tucson ushers in a new design language, taking it from ‘handsome’ to ‘trend-setting.’ Its interior is a big step up, with great materials, a mature design and an excellent infotainment system with an attractive instrument display. The hybrid model serves up plentiful performance and near-50mpg (21 km/l) economy,” said DieselCar & EcoCar Magazine Editor Ian Robertson.

2021 Hyundai Tucson interior

The all-new Tucson comes with a refined interior

Hyundai UK Managing Director Ashley Andrew is delighted that the 2021 Tucson bagged the Car of the Year award. Aside from the bragging rights, Andrew said that the award provides further validation of Hyundai’s design and engineering values.

“We are delighted that the Hyundai Tucson has received such a prestigious accolade as the 2021 DieselCar & EcoCar Magazine Car of the Year title. The all-new TUCSON has already proven very popular with our customers. Of course, experts such as the professional road testers at DieselCar & EcoCar Magazine can be even more demanding, so for the TUCSON to receive the top award is extremely pleasing,” said Andrew.

2021 Hyundai Tucson rear shot

Look at that character lines

The all-new Hyundai Tucson has yet to make its debut in the Philippine market. Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai vehicles in the country, previously said that it has plans to launch the 2021 Tucson in the local market.

HARI announced at the virtual Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) last year that it will be bringing in four new models including the Tucson. The other Hyundai vehicles to be launched this year are the following: the new Kona, the next-gen Santa Fe, and the new Starex. However, HARI has yet to give an update about the launch of the said models.

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Know more about Hyundai Tucson 2024

Hyundai Tucson 2024

The 2024 Hyundai Tucson is a five-seater compact crossover. Locally, this model has three variants.

Under the hood, the GLS+ CRDi variant uses a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine that can make up to 183 horsepower and 416 Nm of torque. The GLS meanwhile gets a 2.0-liter gasoline mill that can churn out 153 horsepower and 192 Nm of torque.

For transmissions, the diesel variant uses an eight-speed automatic tranny. The gasoline version meanwhile uses a six-speed automatic tranny. Both variants are front-wheel-drive.

Size-wise, the new Tucson is 4,630mm long, 1,865mm wide, and 1,665mm in height. They also come with a wheelbase length of 2,755mm, and a ground clearance of 181mm.

Locally, the Hyundai Tucson competes against the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, Chery Tiggo 5 Pro, Subaru Forester, Peugeot 3008, among others.

>>> New and used Hyundai Tucson 2024 for sale in the Philippines

Hyundai Tucson Launch

The 2024 Hyundai Tucson was launched together with Hyundai’s re-entry into the Philippine market under the management of Hyundai Motor Philippines Inc.

At launch, this compact crossover comes in two different trims. There’s the diesel-powered Tucson GLS+, and the gasoline-powered Tucson GLS.

Hyundai Tucson Exterior

On the outside, the 2024 Hyundai Tucson comes standard with LED headlamps, LED daytime running lamps, LED taillights, power-folding side mirrors, roof rails, front and rear fog lamps, and a rear spoiler.

The higher-spec GLS+ then rides on a set of 19-inch alloy wheels, whereas the GLS gets 18-inch alloy wheels.

Moreover, the GLS+ also comes with a power tailgate.

Hyundai Tucson Interior

Inside, the Tucson can seat up to five occupants. All are kept comfortable with an automatic climate control system, and it gets leather-wrapped seats with power adjustability for the front row for the GLS+.

The rear seats are also 60:40 split-folding, and the driver is also provided with a 10.25-inch TFT LCD digital gauge, as well as a push-to-start button. Also present are USB charging ports and a wireless charging pad.

Technology & Safety Features

Keeping its occupants entertained is an eight-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The said headunit also has voice recognition, and it is linked to a six-piece speaker set.

The Tucson’s safety kit then includes dual front airbags, side and curtain airbags, curtain airbags, anti-lock braking, electronic stability control, downhill brake control, hill-start assist, trailer stability assist, tire pressure monitoring, parking distance warning, ISOFIX child seat anchors, cruise control, among others.

Platform & Chassis

Underpinning the 2024 Tucson is the Hyundai-Kia N3 platform. It shares this with the Hyundai Santa Cruz and the Kia Sportage.

For suspensions, this model uses a MacPherson strut for the front, and a multi-link suspension for the rear. It also gets disc brakes for all four wheels, and it gets an electronic parking brake as well.

Engine & Drivetrain

There are two engine options for the 2024 Hyundai Tucson. The more powerful of the two is a 2.0-liter turbodiesel mill that can make up to 183 horsepower and 416 Nm of torque. It is then connected to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Meanwhile, the other engine choice is a 2.0-liter gasoline four-cylinder that can make up to 153 horsepower and 192 Nm of torque. Unlike the diesel model, the gasoline version uses a six-speed automatic tranny.

The Philippine-spec 2024 Hyundai Tucson gets six different color choices. There’s White Cream, Shimmering Silver, Crimson Red, Deep Sea, Amazon Gray, and Phantom Black.