I drove a facelifted Hyundai Tucson. Your neighbors won't notice the difference, but you will

The fourth-generation Hyundai Tucson, which was launched less than four years ago, made a big impression when it debuted, because no one expected the conservative Koreans to have such a bold design. Now the model has been facelifted, but looking at the car from the outside, you can feel that the designers are still very happy with their original work. However, a real revolution took place internally. How have the best-selling models in the compact SUV segment changed?

• The Hyundai Tucson has been on the market for 20 years, and the current generation model was shown in 2020. Now it's time for a facelift
• This model is one of the brand's best-selling products in Europe. In Poland, it accounts for about 40% of Hyundai car sales
• From the outside, the changes are subtle, but on the inside they have changed beyond recognition

Long gone are the days of producing the same model for years without making any changes. Change is market-forced. Every few years, if not a completely new model, a complete facelift is carried out at least in the middle of the market. What if the customer likes the current model? What if it still sells well? This must be done carefully, but change is necessary because the competition does not sleep either.

Distinguishing the appearance of the modern Tucson before the facelift from the version currently on display in the showroom is a daunting task for the discerning eye. A little hint: you need to look at the lights: if the headlight consists of five modules on each side, it is an old model, and if there are four modules, you see a facelifted model.

The Hyundai Tucson before the facelift: The lights are mainly composed of five LED modules.

After the Hyundai Tucson facelift

The new lights, in addition to a smaller number of modules, have a different structure (now matrix LEDs), so they emit better light.

The facelifted Hyundai Tucson: the interior is like the IONIQ

However, no one buys a Hyundai car to impress their neighbors, but because of their other advantages. Here I must admit that after the first few minutes in the cab of the facelifted car, I really liked the direction of the designers this time. Although I really like the pre-facelift model from the outside, I don't like the interior design. Lots of shiny plastic and a touch panel to control, air conditioning, oddly shaped steering wheels - all this may have looked quite modern four years ago, but it was not very convenient to use, and it quickly became old. This time, the designers clearly didn't want to open the doors - because the interiors of the electric IONIQ 5 and 6 models are usually highly praised by users and professional testers, and the facelifted Tucson, as well as the previous new generation Kona models, received interiors that looked very similar.

Hyundai Tucson: This is the interior of the version shown in 2020

The facelifted Hyundai Tucson: This measure is similar to the brand's electric models. Inside is a brand new model!

So: we have two curved screens, each 12.3 inches diagonal, in a common case, and also physical and well-described knobs and buttons. These buttons have disappeared from the drive mode selection panel - now, in the version with an automatic transmission, the driving mode can be selected using the control lever under the steering wheel, which looks the same as in the modern "electric car". Contact and operation with this car became much more pleasant. This facelift is really needed!

The facelifted Hyundai Tucson: in Poland it is equipped only with a gasoline engine

What about technology? I had the opportunity to drive two versions: with a basic supercharged gasoline engine (1.6 l/160 hp) and a manual transmission, as well as a hybrid, in which the same engine is combined with a more powerful electric motor than before (with a total system power of 215 HP) and a 6-speed classic hydrodynamic automatic. There is no larger engine on the Polish market than the 1.6 petrol engine, and some European markets and markets outside Europe also have diesel engines, among other things, 2.5-liter petrol engines.

Compared to the pre-facelift version, the new model reduces the power of the internal combustion engine, but this does not have a noticeable effect on its temperament, and the hybrid version looks even slightly more powerful thanks to the more powerful electric engine than before.

The version, powered only by a gasoline engine, has no desire for sportiness, but it is also not a drag - if someone needs a practical car to drive, for example, outside the city, they will have no reason to complain. In terms of handling and driving comfort, the Hyundai Tucson, which is also equipped with this engine, is a very good car, in no way inferior to its German rivals.

In urban conditions, hybrids with automatic transmissions will certainly perform better, offering not only better performance and lower fuel consumption, but also better driving smoothness. Hyundai hybrids also perform well on the road, although here we will not notice the benefits of kinetic energy recovery during braking. Fuel consumption in hybrid mode is about 6-7 l/100 km and is easily achievable.

Hyundai Tucson after the facelift: price and warranty

The facelifted Tucson model starts at PLN 135,900 (1.6 T-GDI, 160 hp with manual transmission) and PLN 159,900 in the hybrid drive (215 hp) and automatic transmission version. All versions come with a 5-year unlimited kilometre warranty, and for hybrids, an additional 8-year warranty on the battery.