Little SUV, Big Value
The Santa Fe has done a great deal for Hyundai since it's inception a few years ago. It not only reaches an entirely new, slightly more affluent demographic than the cars purveyed when the Korean automaker hit the Canadian scene in 1983, but enhances the brands image as well.
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| Hyundai Motor America President and CEO Robert Cosmai unveiled the newest addition to the brand's lineup in North America. The 2005 Hyundai Tucson sport utility vehicle is scheduled to go on sale late this coming summer. (Photo: Hyundai Auto Canada) |
But the Santa Fe is big compared to some of its lightweight competitors, making an opportunity for something a little more compact to come to market. Enter the Tucson, the much anticipated compact SUV unveiled at the Chicago auto show on February 4.
There's no question of this 5-door SUV's heritage, it's clearly a Hyundai. Pulling sculpted styling cues from the larger Santa Fe, especially in the grille and hood, albeit modernized variations of its big brother's organic theme, the new model looks tough in a pesky, impudent kind of way.
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| Hyundai Motor America President and CEO Robert Cosmai (left) and Vice President National Sales, Edward Bradley launching the 2005 Hyundai Tucson at the Chicago Auto Show. (Photo: Hyundai Auto Canada) |
On the inside it's less organic than the Santa Fe, showing a clean, modern design language that should be welcomed by consumers. A leather-wrapped steering wheel joined leather trim in the pre-production show car, a hint that Hyundai will offer an upscale environment in fully-loaded versions. Rather than the common brushed aluminum accents, Tucson trim surfaces get an attractive platinum finish that brightens up the cabin while offering a unique motif. Materials and workmanship look to be top-grade for this class, boding well for the little SUVs acceptance when it finally arrives.