Thursday, May 19, 2022

Imaginative 2022 Hyundai Tucson

In this post's title I used the word "Imaginative" in reference to the redesigned 2022 Hyundai Tucson.  But that's not the same as saying the design was "beautiful" or "superb" or some other positive term.  I might have used the word "interesting," because that's another aspect I found.

Stepping back for a moment, let me say that nowadays stylists are largely unable to create new body shapes, unlike things were in, say, 1950s USA.  That's because of arbitrary government fuel economy numbers that resulted in body shapes being dictated by wind tunnel testing -- the most efficient shapes prevail.  So stylists have been reduced to becoming decorators of those aerodynamically-efficient bodies.

What interests me about the new Tucson design is that it incorporates some front-end touches that are far removed from the usual cliché details we see on streets and roads these days.  Perhaps they will become the next clichés.

Let's take a look.

Gallery

Recent Hyundai designs are featuring sharply angled sculpting.

That expanding chrome strip on the passenger compartment greenhouse, along with the black backlight window framing creates a more logical separator for roof two-toning as compared to that of Toyota's RAV4.  Though the details are fussy, not meshing well.

This image accentuates the side sculpting.  In theory, I like the idea of having faux- front and rear fenders à la 1940.  Right now, I'm withholding judgment on the Tucson's version.  That's because a variation might be better.

Those tail light shapes are unusual, though the rest of the design composition is fussy and disconnected.  As usual, nowadays.

Now for those front end details.  Note how low the headlight assemblies are placed -- must be legal.

And here's what the running lights look like: covering swaths of the grille zone.  Imaginative.  Interesting.

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