Hyundai's New Tucson Bolsters Crossover Lineup, Segment

Earlier this morning, Hyundai officially released pricing on its newly-redesigned 2016 Hyundai Tucson. And although it received a $1,050 price increase when compared to the current 2015 model, the big redesign makes the new model well worth the price. We'd even go so far as to say that even with the incentives on the 2015 model, we'd still opt for the 2016 model--ten times out of ten. The "old" 2015 Tucson looks juvenile compared to the new 2016 Tucson. See for yourself in the pictures below.

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Not The Same Hyundai

Hyundai's move to adapt and evolve will be the stuff of textbook case studies ten--maybe twenty years from now. For the sake of time, we'll shorten up what it all means: this is not the Hyundai of old.

The Korean automaker's ambitious push to improve in every automotive facet have propelled the brand to new heights. And they're only going to go higher. Earlier this month, they nabbed the J.D. Power top spot from Toyota and Honda, surprising almost everyone.

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New 2016 Tucson

And now with the 2016 Tucson, they're illustrating through action that they're going to not only improve the look and feel of their models--but they're going to make 'em bigger, too. The new Tucson looks meatier and more upscale than the model it replaces, and it's also grown in size. Moreover, the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe might even get a larger cabin to help it seat up to eight passengers like the 2015 Toyota Highlander and brand-new 2016 Honda Pilot.

More Crossovers

That's not to say that all of the brand's crossovers will get bigger. Hyundai still has room below to Tucson to make another crossover. As it stands today, Hyundai currently has a stout crossover lineup:

• 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe: Hyundai's largest crossover, 3-row 7-passenger capacity.
• 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport: Smaller version of the Santa Fe w/ 5-passenger seating capacity.
• 2015 Hyundai Tucson: Smallest crossover Hyundai sells.
• 2016 Hyundai Tucson: Larger version of the current Tucson.
• 2016 Hyundai ______ : Even smaller, more fuel-efficient crossover aimed at compact car owners.

As mentioned earlier, there's always room to grow especially for the smallest crossover segment which slots in right below the Tucson. It's currently occupied by a host of extremely popular models, including the 2016 Honda HR-V, 2015 Jeep Renegade, 2015 Chevy Trax and upcoming 2016 Mazda CX-3.

Sales Will Improve

Sales for the current 2015 Tucson have been relatively lukewarm over the last few years and pale in comparison to what the crossover juggernauts have sold. Will it change with the new 2016 model? We'll have to wait and see.

*All prices include mandatory destination fee.

**Sales data sourced from Auto News Data Center.