Mazda CX-50 beater? 2022 Hyundai Tucson goes Beast mode to head into Uncharted territory

Hyundai has built a bespoke off-road-focused Tucson called the Beast concept as the South Korean’s take on a rugged mid-size SUV like the Mazda CX-50.

But don’t expect to see this butch Tucson out in the wild, as Hyundai has produced the Beast concept to feature in the upcoming Uncharted film.

The Beast concept scores beefed-up bumpers, all-terrain tyres, steep side steps, a front snorkel, roof tray, a light bar, bonnet clamps and riveted black-plastic wheelarch cladding, which should make it hardier than the standard Hyundai mid-size SUV.

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Whether this is enough for the Tucson to match the likes of similarly-sized, factory-built rugged SUVs like the aforementioned Mazda CX-50, Ford Bronco Sport, Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk and upcoming Haval Big Dog/Dargo, is yet to be seen.

No doubt, the Tucson Beast concept will put through its paces in the action-adventure movie based on the popular Sony PlayStation video game, but how much will be movie magic remains unclear – at least until the movie comes out later this month.

Hyundai hasn’t divulged what is powering the Beast concept, but for reference, Australian Tucsons are fitted with one of three engines – a 115kW/192NM 2.0-litre petrol, a 132kW/265Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol or a 137kW/416Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.

Overseas markets also have access to a plug-in hybrid powertrain with 195kW, as well as a series-parallel hybrid with 169kW.

Hyundai global chief marketing officer Thomas Schemera said: “The all-new Tucson is a highly capable SUV that is up for the challenge of a treasure-hunting adventure.

“‘Uncharted’ is a property with millions of fans around the world and we are excited to showcase the capabilities and technologies of our vehicles in ways that are creative and fitting to the Sony Pictures film.

“Our recent collaboration with ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ was a tremendous success in promoting the Ioniq 5 and Tucson, and we look forward to building on that momentum with ‘Uncharted.’”