2010 Hyundai Tucson (ix35) SUV Official Photos

Hyundai’s stand at the Frankfurt auto show in September will feature a funky redesign of the Tucson SUV.

To be called the ix35 in Europe, the updated Tucson is the product of Hyundai’s new design center in Germany. The company says the curvy body lines reflect the “fluidic sculpture” design language that we first saw in the Ix-onic concept at the Geneva auto show—in fact, the new Tucson is almost an exact copy of the Ix-onic. The result is a futuristic shape with fresh lines that’s far more exciting than the staid Tucson currently prowling the world’s roads.

It’s probably about time for an updated Tucson, as the current model remains essentially unchanged since its 2004 debut. The last time we drove a Tucson, in February 2008, it finished eighth in a nine-SUV comparison test. The car felt dated and seemed to be geared toward more, ahem, dated drivers. Current U.S.-market drivetrains on our shores are a 2.0-liter inline-four and an available 2.7-liter V-6; all-wheel drive is optional. The new model will offer all-wheel drive and diesel engine choices, the latter likely only for Europe.

European and Korean versions of the SUV will launch within the next six months. The U.S. will also get its new Tucson in the next year, but we’ll have to wait a while for specifics.

Source : CarandDriver