COMPETING in what has become the largest automotive market segment in the world – medium SUVs – is no longer about applying the ‘lift and separate’ philosophy to a medium sedan.

To truly succeed, you need an aspirational vehicle that suits every purpose and fits every price point, while also being future-proofed against changing buyer expectations.

Toyota’s current RAV4 has shown that if you build the zeitgeist – a hyper-efficient, hugely capable, cutting-edge medium SUV – then buyers will clamour for it like never before.

In that context, Hyundai’s all-new medium SUV – the fourth-generation NX4 Tucson – needs to bring buyers to the yard. If the new Tucson has any hope of reining in its chief Japanese rivals (RAV4 and Mazda’s CX-5), then it must have impact.

Once every variant and drivetrain option becomes available, the new Tucson will be tough to ignore. But does the volume-selling 2.0-litre front-wheel drive – expected to make up 60 per cent of total volume – deliver enough of a technology story to fulfill Hyundai’s upmarket aspirations, particularly in light of the fact there will be no hybrid version available in Australia for the foreseeable future?