Hyundai Tucson: prices and specifications
3 generations Country of origin: South Korea
Hyundai Tucson is a compact crossover from South Korea, named after the American city of Tucson in Arizona. It was initially designed for the US and South Korean markets, but later decided to sell in Europe as well, where the model became very popular.
The production version debuted in 2004 at the Geneva Motor Show and quickly reached dealers. The car is built on a modified Elantra platform with a unibody construction — the same base underpins the 2005 Kia Sportage. The main rivals of the Tucson in Europe were the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Ford Escape. The Korean crossover stood out with its unconventional design, decent off-road capability (ground clearance was 195 mm), and low price. Even the base version offered climate control, ABS+EBD, and an audio system.
In 2005, an electric version of the Tucson appeared with an 80 kW electric motor, offering a range of up to 300 kilometers on a single charge.
Throughout the production of the first generation, the model underwent only one mild facelift — in 2007. Assembly took place in India, Brazil, China, Turkey, and Egypt. Since 2008, semi-knocked-down assembly of the Hyundai Tucson was carried out at a plant in Cherkasy. Production ended in late 2012, when it was replaced by the Hyundai ix35.
In Ukraine, the crossover was offered with three engines: two gasoline (2.0 and 2.7 liters) and one diesel (2.0 liters). Transmissions were a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Initially, only all-wheel-drive versions with the 2.0 diesel and 2.7 gasoline engine were supplied to Ukraine. From 2007, front-wheel-drive modifications with the 2.0-liter gasoline engine began to be supplied.
