Bold new-look SUV will be available with hybrid, mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and conventional powertrains
The introduction of a new plug-in hybrid powertrain option for the new, Mk4 Hyundai Tucson means the SUV will offer “the widest range of electrified powertrains in its class”.
The radically overhauled SUV – revealed earlier this year ahead of a market launch at the beginning of 2021 – is also available with mild-hybrid petrol and diesel engines and a 227bhp hybrid powertrain.
The new plug-in hybrid system uses a 177bhp turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine and a 90bhp electric motor for combined outputs of 261bhp and 258lb ft – matching the mechanically identical new Kia Sorento PHEV.
Electric power comes from an underfloor 13.8kWh lithium ion polymer battery, which Hyundai claims offer more than 31 miles of zero-emissions running.
The car is equipped with a 7.2kW onboard charger, and while Hyundai has yet to confirm official charge times, charging from empty to full should take around two hours from a 7kW wallbox.
Drive is sent to all four wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox, with the electric element taking over propulsion duties automatically at low speeds, or on demand via a driving mode selector.
The four-wheel-drive system means the Tucson PHEV is equipped as standard with a Terrain Mode selector that varies power delivery to each axle according to driving conditions, optimising traction and stability.
Save for the addition of a charging port, the Tucson PHEV will be largely identical to the conventionally fuelled car, both inside and out, though a price premium is to be expected to account for the added functionality.
Customer deliveries of the plug-in car will begin in spring 2021, a few months after the standard Tucson. Full WLTP-certified CO2 and consumption data will be released nearer the time.
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Source: Autocar
