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2005 Hyundai Tucson Preview

Little SUV, Big Value

The Santa Fe has done a great deal for Hyundai since its inception a few years ago. It not only reaches an entirely new, slightly more affluent demographic than the cars purveyed when the Korean automaker hit the American scene in 1985, but enhances the brands image as well.

But the Santa Fe is big compared to some of its lightweight competitors, making an opportunity for something a little more compact to come to market. Enter the Tucson, the much anticipated compact SUV unveiled at the Chicago auto show on February 4.

Theres no question of this 5-door SUVs heritage, its clearly a Hyundai. Pulling sculpted

Hyundai Motor America President and CEO Robert Cosmai unveiled the newest addition to the brands U.S. lineup. The 2005 Hyundai Tucson sport utility vehicle is scheduled to go on sale late this coming summer. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)

styling cues from the larger Santa Fe, especially in the grille and hood, albeit modernized variations of its big brothers organic theme, the new model looks tough in a pesky, impudent kind of way.

On the inside its less organic than the Santa Fe, showing a

Hyundai Motor America President and CEO Robert Cosmai (left) and Vice President National Sales, Edward Bradley launching the 2005 Hyundai Tucson at the Chicago Auto Show. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)

clean, modern design language that should be welcomed by consumers. A leather-wrapped steering wheel joined leather trim in the pre-production show car, a hint that Hyundai will offer an upscale environment in fully-loaded versions. Rather than the common brushed aluminum accents, Tucson trim surfaces get an attractive platinum finish that brightens up the cabin while offering a unique motif. Materials and workmanship look to be top-grade

The Tucson is spacious inside, with ample room for both passengers and cargo. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)

for this class, boding well for the little SUVs acceptance when it finally arrives.

Its said to be spacious inside as well, designed to accommodate four occupants in total comfort with the capability to carry one more in the rear seat center position when needed. The commodious cargo area gets larger when the split-folding rear seatbacks are dropped, and even allows for extremely long items to be hauled if the front passenger seatback is folded forward - a feature that is showing up more and more these days. While the cargo floor initially seems to be carpeted, its

The Tucson will be available with either an optional 2.7-L V6 or the standard 2.0-L 4-cyliner engine. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)

actually a removable mat that once taken out exposes a more resilient, easier to clean plastic floor with tie-down hooks for gear.

While not designed for towing heavy loads, the optional 2.7-L V6 with 173-hp and 178 lb-ft of torque will make the Tucson more capable than any competitor. A 2.0-L 4-cylinder producing an estimated 140-hp at 6,000 rpm and 136 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm comes standard, mated to a 5-speed manual, Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT) transmission or 4-speed Shiftronic manual-mode automatic. The V6 comes with the Shiftronic automatic only.

Four-wheel-drive can be ordered with either engine, and its

Unlike most in the compact SUV segment, the Tucson will come standard with 4-wheel disc brakes. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)

an impressive setup. Made by Borg-Warner, the Electronic InterActive Torque Management 4-wheel drive system saves fuel over traditional 4WD by running up to 99 percent of the engines power through the front wheels when traction is good. When road surfaces are slippery, the system automatically monitors throttle position, front wheel angle and slippage before sending up to 50 percent of the power to the rear wheels. Whats more, a dash-mounted 4WD lock button allows the driver to manually lock the driveline into 50 percent front, 50 percent rear four-wheel drive when needed.

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