autoevolution
 

Hyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) Powertrain

After making its North American debut, the Tucson facelift is ready for Europe with the same cosmetic changes but also a new type of engine.
Hyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) Powertrain 18 photos
Photo: Hyundai
Hyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) PowertrainHyundai Tucson Facelift Gets 48V Mild-Hybrid (Diesel) Powertrain
While Toyota and Nissan are bidding farewell to diesel crossovers, Hyundai is merging one of its oil-burners with a mild-hybrid 48V electric system.

To be more precise, the tech consists of a 2-liter diesel engine that's matched to a 0.44kWh 48-volt lithium-ion battery, LDC converter, inverter and starter generator. Thanks to this and brake energy recovery, the first-ever Hyundai hybrid model is said to be 7% more efficient and cleaner than it would have been otherwise.

The 48V system assists the combustion engine by discharging the battery juice to reduce engine load under light acceleration or to provide additional torque when you press the throttle all the way.

Interestingly, at 186 horsepower, this is now the most powerful Tucson model offered in Europe, and it comes with an 8-speed automatic option, unlike the US model which gets a 6-speed.

“With our new mild hybrid powertrain system for our best-selling model, we are further expanding the company’s electrification strategy to make clean technologies accessible for even more customers”, said Hyundai Europe’s VP for Marketing and Product, Andreas-Christoph Hofmann. “It will be available in combination with more engines in the future, as part of our highly diverse mix of electrified solutions.”

Hyundai will add the same mild hybrid technology to its 1.6-liter diesel and start offering it in early 2019. The rest of the powertrains probably carried over as they were before because there's no mention of them in the press release.

Cosmetically, the Tucson has been updated with a new grille inspired by the new Santa Fe, as well as angular lines in both the head- and fog-lights. We're not particularly fond of the design. The AWD system is supposed to offer better torque distribution, while the cabin features trim updates and the latest infotainment perched on top of the dashboard.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories