New spy photos of the next-generation Hyundai Tucson are in and this time we can see the South Korean crossover testing around the Nurburgring. That’s obviously not the natural habitat of a compact high-riding family vehicle but these days automakers want to ensure their new products are capable of dealing with all kinds of driving situations, including dynamic cornering and high-speed braking.
Update:
This prototype uses the new model’s production body and the amount of camouflage is not enough to hide its overall form and some of the little details of the body. As you can see, everything seems to be done at the front but the rear end still features provisional taillights that are going to be replaced by much sleeker units for the production model.
Gallery: 2021 Hyundai Tucson spy photos from Nurburgring
More importantly, the fake body panels at the back are now gone to reveal the coupe-fied roofline of the vehicle. Hyundai already promised the new Tucson will be “very interesting visually” and now we can finally connect the dots and see what they’ve meant. Other design elements probably worth mentioning are the fixed rear spoiler and the twin exhaust pipes at the back.
See More Spy Material With The New Tucson:
Under closer inspection, you’ll notice this is not a regular test vehicle. The standard front seats are gone and in place are Recaro bucket seats, while the second row is completely missing. The area behind the front seats is now home to a roll cage and Hyundai is probably testing the body torsion resistance of the machine. Lastly, the test driver is wearing a helmet but that’s part of the obligatory safety equipment on the Nurburgring.
As far as we know, we will see the next-gen Tucson towards the second quarter of next year, just in time for the 2021 model year. Nothing is confirmed at this point, but with heavy camo already dropping away in the front and at the back, it’s a reliable estimate to work with.
Photos: CarPix and Automedia