Hyundai Tucson Spied Winter Testing

Hyundai Tucson spied here undergoing cold weather testing in northern Europe.

The new Tucson will again share a platform with the Kia Sportage SUV. But its new design appears more crossover than SUV with a less bulky look and smoother horizontal lines.

The current generation Tucson comes with a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder and a 2.7 liter V6. In Europe, a 2.0 liter diesel is also offered. But Hyundai is expected to stick to a strictly 4 cylinder engine range on the new Tucson.

Hyundai is set to introduce a more efficient 2.0 liter turbocharged 4-banger with somewhere in the vicinity of 200 hp. The Korean automaker is also developing a hybrid variation on this powerplant but a hybrid Tucson isn't expected to be made available at launch, which will be later this year (as a 2010 model).

Hyundai's new 2.4 liter Theta II 4-cylinder with 175hp is expected to be the base engine. The Tucson will likely come with a new 6-speed automatic transmission from Hyundai.

A four-wheel drive version, featuring a Borg-Warner torque control system, is an option on the present Tucson and should be the same for the next generation as well.