The all-new Hyundai Tucson has only just been released, when there is already speculation about more possibilities with the new SUV. For example, an N version is anything but excluded.
It is clear that Hyundai has quite a taste for it with its N-division. It all started here with the i30 N and it just so happens to be ready for round two. We have now also been introduced to an i20 N and the Kona N is also in the pipeline. That the latter comes was a little bit of a surprise. It seems to be paving the way for another sporty version of an SUV: the Tucson N.
In conversation with Caradvice Lorenz Gaab, who is primarily responsible for Hyundai’s global product management, does not want to confirm anything yet. Still, he hints that something is on the table. “Everything is possible. If we feel that there is a market for it in that segment, if it seems logical, then we can respond quickly.” And a market for sporty SUVs is more than ever before. Chief designer SangYup Lee adds to his colleague and believes that the Tucson N should be distinct enough from the ‘non-N’. “The N version must really be able to handle a circuit. That badge must have enough value, that is very important.”
We are not surprised when eventually a packed and slightly thicker Tucson is spotted at the Nürburgring. After all, there Hyundai N extensively tests its new products. In the case of the Tucson N, count on an output of approximately 300 hp, obtained from a blown four-cylinder, although it is also not unlikely that Hyundai will look a notch higher in the engine range for a possible N version of that SUV.