All-New Tucson Debuts in New York With a 42-MPG Target

The all-new 2027 Hyundai Tucson made its world premiere in New York on October 1 as a bigger, squarer compact SUV with a hybrid Hyundai is targeting at 42 mpg. It also brings a 17-inch dashboard screen and a hybrid-only XRT PRO off-road trim.

The fifth-generation Tucson reaches North America in 2027, after Korea gets it later this year, and Hyundai has not announced U.S. pricing. The 1.6-liter turbo gas engine makes 184 horsepower, while the hybrid pairs the same engine with electric motors for 233 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, and the hybrid’s towing rating climbs by 1,000 pounds to 3,000 pounds.

Hyundai staged the reveal in Long Island City with the Manhattan skyline as the backdrop, and the company’s brand journal says New York was chosen because the United States is the Tucson’s largest market. The release calls it Hyundai’s boldest SUV, and President and CEO José Muñoz said, "Millions of families around the world count on the Hyundai TUCSON, and this is the best one we have ever built." Muñoz also framed it as the opening of a product offensive of more than 100 new and refreshed vehicles worldwide by 2030, 58 of them in North America.

The body grows in every direction. Hyundai lists the long-wheelbase model, which is the one North America gets, at 4,700 mm long, 1,905 mm wide and 1,685 mm tall, gains of 60 mm, 40 mm and 20 mm over the current Tucson, with a wheelbase stretched 30 mm to 2,785 mm. The rear doors now open to 83 degrees instead of 73, cargo space is listed at 41.7 cubic feet, and the "Art of Steel" styling swaps the current car’s parametric creases for pronounced fenders and a flatter, boxier profile. Up front, an H-Edge light signature spreads across the nose, and the taillamps use a sculpted Prism design.

The cabin is the biggest change for anyone trading in a current Tucson. A 17-inch or 12.9-inch center touchscreen runs Hyundai’s new Pleos Connect software with the Gleo AI voice assistant, paired with a 9.9-inch slim driver display mounted above the steering column. The shifter moves to a column stalk, physical buttons stay for climate and audio, dual 15-watt wireless charging pads sit in the console, and a two-layer dashboard adds an open storage tray under the upper surface.

Hyundai’s next-generation hybrid system is the headline powertrain. The company targets 42 mpg for the front-drive hybrid on 17-inch wheels and 40 mpg with all-wheel drive, with 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds, and a new HEV Stay Mode runs the climate control, audio and charging ports with the engine off. The gas model is rated at 28 mpg with front-wheel drive and 26 mpg with all-wheel drive, and Hyundai quotes 0-60 mph between 9.5 and 12.4 seconds depending on configuration. A plug-in hybrid with 292 ps and an estimated 50 miles of electric range is listed for select markets, and Hyundai’s spec sheet leaves the U.S. output column blank, so a U.S. plug-in has not been confirmed.

The XRT PRO is the first Tucson built for real trails. It comes with all-wheel drive, all-terrain tires, front recovery hooks and 210 mm of ground clearance, 30 mm more than the standard model, and it introduces Hyundai’s first Smart Terrain Assist, a North America-only system that scores traction in real time and holds a set crawling speed on rough ground. Hyundai says the XRT PRO is hybrid-only in the U.S., and a sport-styled variant followed at the Paris Motor Show on October 12 for Europe.

Timing is tighter than the "2027" launch window suggests. Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama said on October 28 that it will begin building the all-new Tucson before the end of 2026 at its Montgomery plant, where the current Tucson is built. The outgoing model is still Hyundai’s best seller, with 181,687 sold through September, up 10 percent, and Hyundai says hybrids made up 31 percent of U.S. Tucson sales in 2025.

Motor1 reported that the new Tucson took 15,045 pre-orders on its first day in Korea, beating the 10,842 the outgoing generation drew at its 2020 launch, and concluded that the redesign could be the most popular Tucson yet. Hyundai says it will release U.S. pricing closer to the on-sale date.

The HyundaiHQ Take

The current Tucson has been winning on value and a hybrid that most rivals could not match at the price, and this redesign goes after the things it was losing on, which are cabin tech, presence and towing. A 42-mpg target puts it right on top of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, and the 3,000-pound tow rating removes a reason buyers walked across the street. The risk is the screen. Hyundai kept physical climate and audio buttons, which is the right call, but a 17-inch display running brand-new software is exactly the kind of thing that generates first-year complaints, so the Pleos launch matters as much as the sheetmetal.