The 2025 Hyundai Tucson will be sold in Australia without the option of diesel power for the first time in a decade, as the updated popular SUV goes petrol and hybrid-only.
Australian deliveries of the facelifted Hyundai Tucson are due to begin in mid-2024, with a hybrid drivetrain joining the range for the first time – just as its turbo-diesel engine is dropped.
Hyundai Australia has confirmed there will be four drivetrains on offer across three grades.
Headlining the Tucson range will be a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, paired with an electric motor, small lithium-ion battery and a six-speed automatic transmission for total system outputs of 169kW and 350Nm.
This hybrid layout will be available in both front- and all-wheel drive, and as with the rest of the range an N Line styling pack will be offered.
Hyundai Australia’s product planning and development manager, Tim Rodgers, previously told CarExpert the brand wants to avoid supply constraint issues which hampered the Tucson’s Kia Sportage Hybrid cousin.
“Obviously the market demand is very strong for a hybrid, and we’ve seen that with Kona for example – without any kind of marketing the hybrid was flying off shelves,” Mr Rodgers said.
“It’s quite incredible what that powertrain brings for a car like the Tucson which is already so popular.”
The non-hybrid turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder which previously served as the flagship is now the mid-range engine, continuing to develop 132kW and 265Nm, while retaining its seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive system.
A naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine will continue as the base engine, producing 115kW and 192Nm, exclusively paired to a six-speed automatic transmission and driving the front wheels.
As previously detailed, there are minimal changes to the exterior of the 2025 Tucson – save for a new grille with hidden daytime running lights, new wheel designs, and revised front and rear bumpers with full-width skid plates.
LED headlights are also standard across the range, with matte paint a new option.
Inside the cabin there’s been a much more visible overhaul, as the Tucson gains dual 12.3-inch screens – one for the digital instrument cluster, the other for the infotainment system – with over-the-air updates and wireless Apple CarPlay.
Hyundai’s BlueLink suite of connected services will be standard across the range.
There’s now a head-up display for certain grades, while a new-look climate control panel and a new steering wheel which sits in front of a column-mounted shifter are standard across the range.
The Hyundai Tucson’s safety equipment now includes highway driving assist, which combines its adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping systems in one package.
While the petrol Tucson grades will adopt a global suspension tune, hybrid variants receive Australian-specific adjustments to better suit local roads.
Pricing for the 2025 Hyundai Tucson is expected to be announced closer to its Australian arrival in mid-2024.
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