Hyundai Tucson

Continuing to expand its model line in the United States, Hyundai has introduced its second sport utility vehicle for the U.S. -- the Tucson. The Tucson is the company's first entry into the small SUV segment and the second Hyundai SUV to be named after a city in the American southwest.

"The new Hyundai Tucson is a value-packed SUV that meshes with our buyer's active lifestyles," said Hyundai Motor America's President and CEO Robert F. Cosmai. "Tucson has all the features buyers have come to expect from Hyundai, including a segment-leading set of standard active and passive safety equipment and it's covered by America's Best Warranty, The Hyundai Advantage which includes the 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty."

Tucson styling provides an athletic appearance and delivers lots of utility. As Hyundai's newest SUV, the Tucson is designed to be a versatile companion to the buyer's lifestyle, providing the best combination of equipment, style, image and value in the segment.

2005 Hyundai Tucson Front Angle

The Tucson features a spacious, well-configured interior that provides lots of room and comfort for the driver and passengers and all their cargo. The Tucson also provides a large, versatile and durable cargo area with fold-flat rear seats, and folding front passenger seat. The seat can be folded forward to provide extra storage room or a workspace for the driver. It can also be fully reclined as a seat. The rear mat is removable and exposes a durable, easy-to-clean plastic floor with multiple tie down locations for everyone's "gear."

Since January 2003, all Hyundai vehicles manufactured for sale in the U.S. are fitted with side-impact airbags as standard equipment. The Tucson builds on this safety leadership, coming equipped with a total of six airbags: driver and passenger front airbags, driver and front passenger seat-mounted side-impact airbags and roof-mounted side curtain airbags for both front and rear outboard seat occupants.

Tucson buyers can select from two engines. The base model GL features Hyundai's high-tech 2.0-liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine fitted with Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT). It is matched to a standard 5-speed manual transmission or available Shiftronic automatic transmission.

Hyundai's 2.7-liter DOHC V6 is standard on the GLS and LX models and it is matched to the Shiftronic automatic transmission. The 2.7-liter V6 as used in the Tucson is fitted with a variable length, tuned intake system for smoother delivery of power across the entire engine RPM band. Four-wheel-drive is available with either engine.

Tucson uses the state-of-the-art Borg Warner Electronic InterActive Torque Management four-wheel-drive system that routes up to 99 percent of the available power to the front wheels. As road conditions or torque demand changes, the system automatically diverts up to 50 percent of the available power to the rear wheels. The system monitors throttle position, front wheel angle and slippage.

As surface conditions change, power is automatically routed to the wheels with the best traction. There is also a dashboard-mounted 4WD lock button that allows the driver to manually "lock" the driveline into 4WD for a 50/50 torque split.

Key standard features on the Tucson include: four-wheel disc brakes, 16-inch alloy wheels, 4-channel ABS with electronic brake force distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Program (ESP) with traction control system; air conditioning; power windows and door locks and mirrors, seat-mounted side-impact airbags for the driver and front seat passenger, roof-mounted side curtain airbags for front and outboard rear-seat passengers and remote keyless entry system with alarm.

Additional standard features include: heated outside rear view mirrors, heated windshield wiper rests, tinted glass, roof rack side rails, rear intermittent wiper, AM/FM/CD stereo system with six speakers and more.

Available features include leather seating surfaces, a power sunroof with tilt, fog lights, heated front seats, AM/FM/Cassette/CD/MP3 with six speakers (standard on GLS), AM/FM/Cassette/6-DC changer with six speakers and woofer (standard on LX; available on GLS), roof rack cross rails and rear privacy glass.

Source: Hyundai

Gallery: Hyundai Tucson (2005)