Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc., the exclusive distributor of Hyundai vehicles in the Philippines brings in the updated 2018 Tucson. It brings much-needed aesthetic and mechanical changes that helps it compete in the crowded compact crossover segment.

Outside, the Tucson successfully aligns itself with the rest of the Hyundai family and now gets the Santa Fe’s cascading grille. In the process, it also gets reworked headlights and front bumper as well. Over at the back, the 2018 Tucson gets new taillights along with repositioned rear reflectors. New alloy wheel designs complete the changes.

The 2018 Tucson remains available in both gasoline and diesel flavors. The 2.0-liter Nu MPI engine in the GL variants offer 155 horsepower and 192 Nm of torque, while the 2.0-liter CRDi engine in the GLS variants get 185 horsepower and 402 Nm of torque. The gasoline-powered variants continue with a choice between a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission, while the diesel-powered variants have been upgraded with an 8-speed automatic.

The 2018 Tucson also has more luxury and convenience features including a new folding key design, dual SRS airbags, reverse parking sensors, steering wheel controls, and a 3.8-inch floating screen infotainment system with Bluetooth for the GL variants. The GLS variants ups these by adding a rear parking camera with dynamic guidelines and a 7-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth.

Pricing for the updated Tucson is as follows:

• 2.0 GL 6MT 2WD – P 1,308,000
• 2.0 GL 6AT 2WD – P 1,378,000
• 2.0 CRDi GL 6AT 2WD – P 1,645,000
• 2.0 CRDi GLS 6AT 2WD – P 1,835,000