You’ve heard that Hyundai is launching four new vehicles in the Philippines this year. Sporting the collective moniker “Fab 4”, the upcoming releases comprise the facelifted Kona, the new Santa Fe, next-generation Starex, and the fourth-generation Hyundai Tucson.
Hyundai Tucson N Line highlights
There is a side to this bit of good news that’s disappointing, though (but not by much). See, while our market has yet to receive the standard new Tucson in showrooms, the N Line version has already made its appearance elsewhere in the world. As can be expected from models of this series, there are a number of visual and handling tweaks.
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It packs a more assertive look than its standard sibling
First off, the Tucson N Line eschews the black body cladding on the regular Tucson in favor of rocker panels and wheel arch extensions rendered in body color. And what a shade it is, an exclusive Shadow Gray limited to the N Line, paired with an available Phantom Black roof. This is accompanied by blacked-out side mirrors, dual exhausts, and redesigned alloy wheels that retain their size at 19 inches from the standard model.
The N Line sports a more aggressive-looking “parametric dynamics” grille and a subtly redesigned front bumper featuring a silver skid plate. Inside, the seats are covered in suede, complemented by red highlight stitching also found on the center console, steering wheel, and doors. The pedals, footrest, and side sills are constructed from metal, while a black headliner dominates the cabin. The result is an aura of increased sportiness, even if it’s mostly aesthetic.
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The suede seats even feature prominent 'N Line' branding
Expect no changes to the powertrain, which still range from gasoline and diesel to hybrid versions, available in either two-wheel or all-wheel-drive. However, there are tweaks to the Tucson N Line’s road manners, mostly from the electronically controlled suspension that’s been retuned for increased responsiveness and vibration damping.
Hyundai claims that the Tucson N Line’s steering represents a significant improvement over the model’s vanilla sibling, with less roll, pitch, and vertical movement.
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2021 Hyundai Tucson N Line
We’re now unsure whether to keep waiting for the standard Tucson or be up in arms at the thought of missing out on the enhanced version. Things are not helped by the juicier thought of a full-fledged Tucson N version down the pipeline, with a rumored output well in excess of 300 hp. For now, we’ll see what the regular Tucson has to offer in the metal when it shows up on our roads.
Get a glimpse of upcoming models on the horizon at Philkotse.com.