Hyundai Just Blew Up the Tucson’s Design Playbook for 2027
Hyundai has revealed a completely redesigned Tucson, and it looks entirely different from the model it replaces.
The Korean automaker officially unveiled the fifth-generation Tucson on August 19 in South Korea, its home market. It marks the first full redesign of Hyundai’s best-selling SUV in six years, and the changes are extensive. The rounded, curved styling of the 2026 model is gone. In its place is a boxier, more angular shape built on Hyundai’s new “Art of Steel” design language, the same styling direction recently introduced on the redesigned Elantra.
The 2027 Tucson draws inspiration from Hyundai’s Crater Concept and shares some design elements with the Santa Fe. At the front, a full-width LED light bar spans the nose, paired with vertical daytime running lights, a boxy bumper, and slim upper and lower grilles. The rear repeats the same theme, with a matching light bar and narrow, vertical LED taillights that use a three-dimensional prism lens design.
Viewed from the side, the headlight and taillight shapes form the letter H, referencing the Hyundai logo.
Other exterior details include square-shaped front and rear quarter panels, sharp character lines running along the doors, and more pronounced rocker panels. The rugged XRT trim will have a rectangular grille design, black wheel arch cladding, and touch-sensitive LED taillights.
The redesigned Tucson also grows in nearly every measurement compared to the current model:
- Length: 185 inches, up 2.3 inches
- Width: 75 inches, up 1.57 inches
- Height: 66.3 inches, up 0.8 inches
- Wheelbase: 109.6 inches, up 1.1 inches
- Rear-seat headroom: up 1.1 inches
- Rear door opening angle: 83 degrees, up from 73 degrees
Hyundai says the longer wheelbase lets it offer more interior space and wider-opening rear doors, making it easier for passengers to get in and out.
Inside, Hyundai replaced the current Tucson’s twin curved-display setup with a single, tablet-style touchscreen called Pleos. The system runs on Android Automotive and is expected to support OTA software updates after purchase. Despite the shift to a larger screen, Hyundai kept a row of physical buttons below the display for functions like climate control.
The dash also gets a new double D-cut steering wheel, shaped to keep the gauge cluster visible to the driver at all times.
View this post on Instagram
So far, Hyundai has only released design details. Powertrain options, fuel economy figures, and full interior specifications have not been disclosed. The current Tucson offers a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, a turbocharged hybrid, and a plug-in hybrid variant. The next generation is expected to continue with a similar lineup, though confirmation is still pending.
The redesigned Tucson is scheduled to go on sale in South Korea in October. Hyundai has not announced a launch date for North America, though the model is expected to arrive there as a 2027 model year vehicle. Equipment and powertrain choices will likely vary by market, even though the exterior and interior design are expected to carry over largely unchanged.
With this redesign, Hyundai is aiming directly to compete with the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, and Subaru Forester. This segment has generally rewarded conservative styling over bold design changes.
