The 2027 Hyundai Tucson gets bigger, squarer and much better at towing
Hyundai unveiled the next Tucson in New York with a longer, wider body, a 233-hp hybrid that targets up to 42 mpg, and an off-road XRT PRO that tells you, in color, exactly how stuck you are.
Specs and dates checked against Hyundai's Oct. 1, 2026, releases on Oct. 4, 2026. Hyundai has not announced U.S. pricing, and the EPA has not rated the car.
Hyundai unveiled the all-new Tucson in New York on Oct. 1, against the Manhattan skyline. That is a lot of backdrop for a compact SUV, but Hyundai calls the Tucson its best-selling SUV worldwide, and it was not about to be upstaged by a few skyscrapers.
For American buyers, the headline is the hybrid. Hyundai says the North American Tucson Hybrid makes 233 horsepower, runs from 0 to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds and targets up to 42 mpg in two-wheel-drive form on 17-inch wheels. That last number is Hyundai’s target, not an EPA rating, so for now it is a promise rather than a receipt.
Bigger in every direction
The long-wheelbase body is 4,700 mm long, 1,905 mm wide and 1,685 mm tall. That is 60 mm longer, 40 mm wider and 20 mm taller than the outgoing car, and the wheelbase grows 30 mm to 2,785 mm. In American units, the new Tucson is nearly two and a half inches longer. It is less a growth spurt than a good summer.
Hyundai has also widened the door opening angle from 73 to 83 degrees. Nobody has ever bought a car for its door hinges, but anyone who has wrestled a child seat into a back seat will quietly appreciate the extra 10 degrees. Cargo space is quoted at 41.7 cubic feet on the SAE measure.
Inside, the Pleos Connect infotainment system pairs a 17-inch or 12.9-inch touchscreen with a 9.9-inch slim display above the steering column. Hyundai also lists tactile buttons below the center screen for climate and audio, which may be the most welcome sentence in any press release this year.
The numbers that matter
- Hybrid: 233 hp, 0 to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds, and a targeted 42 mpg in North American two-wheel-drive form on 17-inch wheels.
- Gas: a 1.6-liter turbo with 184 hp and an eight-speed automatic.
- Towing: up to 3,000 pounds for the hybrid in North America, 1,000 pounds more than before. That moves the Tucson from “small trailer, nervously” to “small boat, confidently.”
- Why the hybrid matters here: hybrids made up 31 percent of Tucson sales in the U.S. in 2025, and the U.S. accounts for about 20 percent of the Tucson’s cumulative global sales.
XRT PRO, and the stuck score
The off-road XRT PRO adds all-wheel drive, all-terrain tires and front recovery hooks, and raises ground clearance by 30 mm, to 210 mm. It also debuts Hyundai’s first Smart Terrain Assist, which analyzes traction and wheel slip and shows a green, orange or red “stuck score.” In other words, the car now has a polite way of telling you that you should have turned around 10 minutes ago. In North America, Hyundai says Smart Terrain Assist comes only on the XRT PRO.
Alongside it, Target Speed Control manages acceleration and braking at a driver-selected speed between 2 and 25 km/h, or roughly 1 to 16 mph. Hyundai says that lets the driver focus on steering. We would add steering and regret.
When, and how much
The new Tucson launches in Korea later this year, with North America to follow in 2027. Hyundai also said a sport-inspired variant would debut at the Paris Motor Show on Oct. 12.
Hyundai has not announced U.S. pricing, and the EPA has not rated the new car yet. Anyone quoting you a monthly payment today is guessing, with confidence.
