Hyundai has been on a bit of a roll debuting new and refreshed products as of late, with its latest unveiling happening earlier today – the refreshed 2025 Santa Cruz, which competes directly with the Ford Maverick. Thus, perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s also pulling the covers off the refreshed 2025 Hyundai Tucson at the same time, which we say because the Santa Cruz is essentially a pickup version of the long-running crossover – a model that competes with the Ford Escape, itself coming off a refresh for the 2023 model year.
The current-generation Tucson debuted for the 2022 model year, but now, it’s receiving a few tweaks to help keep it relevant in the hyper-competitive small crossover space, which start on the outside with an updated front grille, revised daytime running lamps, restyled front and rear bumpers, new anodized aluminum exterior badges, and a handful of fresh wheel designs.
Inside the cabin, the 2025 Hyundai Tucson benefits from some of the same updates as the Santa Cruz, which include available, larger 12.3-inch digital cluster and infotainment screens housed together, the addition of physical controls in place of touch-sensitive ones, a shifter that’s been relocated from the center console to the steering column, a new wireless charging pad, and standard wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
In terms of powertrains, nothing has changed, as the standard choice remains the 2.5L four-cylinder engine making 187 horsepower mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, with either front- or all-wheel drive. Additionally, customers can opt for available turbocharged 1.6L hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains with outputs of 231 and 268 horsepower, respectively, though both come standard with the six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Pricing for the 2025 Hyundai Tucson has yet to be announced, but the pure ICE variant is slated to launch first – this June – with the electrified variants following later in the summer.
We’ll have more on everything Ford’s competition is up to soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for ongoing Ford news coverage.
Comment
As it has an option of plug in hybrid and Ford is dropping the Escape, I wouldn’t call it a competitor.