“Over the next two years you’ll see our next generation of interiors coming out. The safest way to drive is to keep our customers’ eyes on the road, so you build your philosophy around that. You quite quickly realise that the centre screen is actually just a distraction.”
This suggests the Tucson will balance the use of screens and physical controls, and avoid the integration of oversized digital interfaces. Instead, we expect there to be new displays high up on the dash, with key physical controls for the most-used controls and commands.
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“We believe nine is the best number of both legal and physical, regular interactions,” Loasby added. “They’re all physical buttons and they will stay physical buttons because they are things that I want to adjust without looking away [from the road].”
Beyond this, the Tucson should retain its versatile five-seat interior, with lots of rear legroom and a decent boot.
Hybrid powertrain
With such a wide remit as a key car in all global markets, the Tucson will be available with a range of powertrains, but hybrids will take precedence in the UK and Europe. Expect a range of mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid options, with a new generation of full-hybrids the most important addition.
Developed in-house by Hyundai for its next-generation models, the new hybrid system will combine a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with two e-motors – a large one mounted in the gearbox, and the other acting as a starter generator. Hyundai says this powertrain improves efficiency by more than four per cent compared with the previous system, while offering more torque and better driveability.
Peak power is yet to be confirmed, but torque will be 380Nm – 13Nm more than the brand’s previous hybrid set-up in this class. There won’t be a full-electric version – electric car buyers will be catered for by the forthcoming Ioniq 4 – but there is likely to be a hot N model with a new high-spec hybrid powertrain.
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