You will ride on 20-inch wheels with a lowered suspension.
The Hyundai Tucson, a mild-mannered model, is the latest to be tested for the SEMA show. Hyundai partnered with tuning company Vaccar to create the Tucson Sport concept. Although details are scarce, it is believed that the crossover will go beyond its OEM roots.
The exterior changes are evident with huge 20-by-9-inch wheels that fit into wheel wells that normally house 17- to 19-inch rolling stock. Two-tone paint is used to cover various upgrades, including a new front lip, side skirts and rear diffuser by Vaccar. The Tucson’s cabin features new Ice Grey leather upholstery and blue stitching. There are also new gauges to monitor the engine’s performance. A new 9-inch infotainment screen feeds headrest-mounted displays and a 12-inch subwoofer.
We are most curious about what happened under the hood. Hyundai and Vaccar claim that they have installed a turbocharger uprated, new AEM piping, a Mishimoto Intercooler, and other supporting tweaks. Perhaps the most important detail is: How much power does all this change produce? The factory sells the Tucson with two engines: a 1.6-liter turbo-four and a 2.0 liter turbo-four. They produce 164 horsepower and 175 horsepower, respectively. It is not known which engine serves as the donor for the Tucson Sport, or how much performance modifications are required to increase the horsepower.
The Tucson’s handling was also improved to keep up with the extra power that has been added. Those big new wheels wear Continental ExtremeContact Sport rubber, there are new Power Stop brakes all round, and the car sits on adjustable coilovers – helping produce that slammed-to-the-ground stance.
Hyundai’s booth will feature an modified Elantra Sport sedan, a Santa Fe Sport that is rugged and off-road ready, as well as an HyperEconiq IIoniq concept.