First Look: 2010 Hyundai Tucson

Light weight and high power wins every time.

In the second punch of a one-two combination aimed at Toyota and Honda,  Hyundai unveiled the latest version of the Tucson crossover today in Los Angeles, which joins the upcoming Sonata in its evolving and increasingly sophisticated product line.

Like Sonata, Tucson has more room, more economy and more technology in an attempt to succeed in what’s, arguably, the most important segment of the U.S. market now that fuel prices have driven a stake into the heart of body-on-frame SUVs.

Tucson is one of seven new or revised models planned by the end of 2011, as the Korean company continues to stalk leading Japanese and domestic competitors in its quest for global automotive domination.

This Tucson version is the first Hyundai crossover utility vehicle designed and engineered in Europe at Hyundai’s Frankfurt-based technical center.

It has weight saving technologies – it’s measurably lighter than Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4– and the efficient “Theta II” 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, which is also due to appear on the mid-size Sonata sedan early next year.

Here, it is rated at 31 mpg highway, more fuel efficient than its predecessor and current competitors. The 2010 Tucson does this trick while being 3.3 inches longer and one inch wider than before, while having a longer wheelbase than Honda CR-V, Ford Escape and Subaru Forester.

The EPA numbers are clearly good, estimated 23 mpg city, 31 mpg highway fuel when equippped with the optional six-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. A six speed manual is standard will be rated a couple of mpg ‘s less thatn the auto.

Tucson has low rolling resistance silica tires to contribute to the 31 mpg highway. With all-wheel drive, Tucson is rated at an estimated 21 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, apparently exceeding all the main competitors. How this works out on the pavement remains for our test drives to confirm, since the company doesn’t always integrate disparate components  of a vehicle with the same skill as the Japanese companies it is chasing.

With an overall length of 173.2 inches, a width of 71.7 inches and a height of 66.3 inches, and the roof rails that the pioneering Lexus RX300 crossover made requisite a decade ago, Tucson has the good stance favored by buyers in the segment.

Tucson also has up-to-date safety technologies as standard equipment while offering, for the first time, Downhill Brake Control (DBC) and Hillstart Assist Control (HAC).

As always, I will leave the final judgment to you of what is being billed by Hyundai as a “Fluidic Sculpture design philosophy.”

To my eye it remains very much a work in process, lacking the grace, harmony and sophistication that more experienced car companies bring to their products.

The over-sized hexagonal front grille, large air intake, exaggerated hood creases, swept back headlights, diminished glass and wraparound taillights are at odds with one another, and are close to a parody of current auto styling clichés.

The Tucson is built in the Ulsan plant in South Korea. Known by the project name LM, the Tucson took 36 months and $225 million to develop. Tucson has been one of the most popular Hyundai models with more than one million units sold worldwide since its launch in 2004.