Here's the Hyundai Tucson N Line Americans Probably Won't Get

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

This is certainly *not* the theoretical hot crossover we referred to in today’s QOTD. It’s not hot; rather, it’s merely ever so mildly warmer, in a sense, than a stock Tucson.

While Hyundai’s Tucson N Line is a vehicle currently targeted at European buyers, it’s possible the automaker could bring it to America in the near future, bolstering the fledgling N Line lineup (which currently consists of only the Elantra GT). The legitimately hotter N sub-brand also consists of a single vehicle: the revamped-for-2019 Veloster.

So, what does the Tucson N Line bring to the table?

Badging, for one. Lots of it, inside and out, with accent stitching that won’t help the vehicle move off the line with any additional vigor. Nor will the redesigned front fascia, rejigged front lighting, or blacked-out spoiler, mirror housings, and grille mesh. Alloy sport pedals might afford a slippery boot greater purchase when mashing the accelerator.

Feeling underwhelmed yet? Hyundai at least moved the vehicle beyond “appearance package” status by donning 19-inch wheels, swapping in stiffer spring (8 percent stiffer in front, 5 percent in the rear), and tuning the power steering for a more “direct, linear feel at the wheel.”

As this is a European model, the powerplants aren’t a mirror image of those offered in the United States. Buyers on the continent see a 2.0-liter turbodiesel mated to a 48-volt mild hybrid system, good for 182 horsepower. There’s also a turbocharged 1.6-liter gasoline four-cylinder offering slightly less swiftness, and a 1.6-liter diesel unit rounding out the bottom of the performance scale.

On these shores, the hottest Tucson available is, well, any Tucson that isn’t the base SE or uplevel Value model. SEL, Sport, Limited, and Ultimate models all make use of a 2.4-liter four-cylinder (181 hp, 175 lb-ft) and six-speed automatic. Until very recently, buyers could select a turbocharged 1.6-liter with 175 hp and 195 lb-ft that put its power down through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

After dropping a torquier motor and sportier tranny from the model line, it would be weird to see an N Line version appear here with the same 2.4/6A powertrain offered in top-spec Tucsons. But perhaps Hyundai has a different plan in mind.

Maybe the solution is “N.”

[Images: Hyundai]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • ShoogyBee ShoogyBee on Mar 21, 2019

    Hyundai USA dealers just started to receive the 2019 Tucson Night on their lots, which looks pretty similar (but not identical) to this N-Line variant. Blacked out 19" BBS wheels, etc. and it comes with the 2.4L motor. No idea if the suspension tuning changes made it to the US model though.

  • MKizzy MKizzy on Mar 21, 2019

    If the N-Line Tuscon is eventually offered in the U.S., I hope Hyundai at least gifts it with the powertrain from the Elantra Sport. 201hp should be enough to give it noticeably more oomph versus the other trim levels.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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