Hyundai says yes to Tucson and Kona N, no to i20 N

Its product portfolio for 2022 having kicked-off with the Staria Multicab last week, Hyundai, at the same event, provided select details of the products South Africa will receive this year.

Due to arrive next, March will see the eagerly awaited reveal of the all-new Tucson that debuted back in 2020.

While no other details were revealed, the completely new fourth generation model will likely be offered with a range of conventional turbo-petrol and turbodiesel engines mated to either the six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Depending on the model, front-wheel-drive will be standard and all-wheel-drive option, though a likely no-no are the mild-hybrid powertrains as well as the clutchless six-speed Intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT).

Around the same time, the Tucson will be joined by the step-down Alcazar, which will be renamed Grand Creta to align better with its five-seat sibling.

Again, Hyundai didn’t reveal details, but based on the model that went on sale in India last year, the Alcazar, which measures 150 mm longer in wheelbase than the Creta, will provide seating for seven as standard with the six-seat open unlikely to be offered.

Set to be positioned between the Creta and Tucson, the Grand Creta will most likely mirror the powertrain options of the former, namely the 85kW/144Nm 1.5-litre normally aspirated petrol, the 85kW/250Nm 1.5-litre turbodiesel and the 103kW/242Nm 1.4 T-GDI.

Although the Alcazar offers a normally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol engine with 117kW/192Nm is India, this unit is unlikely to be allocated for South Africa as it could potentially clash with entry-level versions of the Tucson.

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Like the Alcazar and Creta, the Grand Creta is not expected to have all-wheel-drive with transmissions set to consist of a six-speed manual, six-speed torque converter automatic, the seven-speed dual-clutch and the Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT).

The first quarter of the year will be rounded off by the unveilings of the Kona N and facelift i30 N.

Unveiled in April last year, the Kona N will become the first N model fitted with the new eight-speed dual-clutch, which is entrusted with sending 206W/392Nm to the front wheels from the same 2.0-litre turbocharged engine used in the i30 N.

Able to get from 0-100 km/h in 5.5 seconds and hit 240 km/h, the Kona N will come as standard with the three mode driver selector, the settings being N Grin Shift, N Power Shift and N Track Sense, launch control and the ability to turn the Electronic Stability Control completely off.

Backing the Kona N up, the i30 N will once again be available in hatchback guise only, but unlike the pre-facelift derivative, without the six-speed manual gearbox. Instead, it will receive the same eight-speed dual-clutch ‘box as the Kona N in order to broaden its appeal.

As before, it will be offered as standard in N Performance guise, meaning the same outputs as the Kona N and model specific exterior and interior tweaks. Top speed for the i30 N Performance is 250 km/h with the 0-100 km/h dash completed in 5.9 seconds.

On the other side of the spectrum, the i30 N’s junior sibling, the i20 N, has officially been ruled-out for South Africa as alternative to its WRC-honed rival, the Toyota GR Yaris, and the incoming, refreshed Volkswagen Polo GTI.

At the same time, Hyundai also indicated that the tiny Casper crossover remains a no-no for now due to production not having started in India, while the Bayon, as mentioned previously, will be limited to Europe for now.

Exact specification of the incoming models will be revealed closer to their respective launch dates.