The COVID-19 outbreak threw us all off our games, plans and pretty much everything else. But things are slowly and steadily getting back on track. That holds for carmakers as well. They had a lot of planned activities during those hibernation months. One of them was Hyundai, who put on a quite a show at this year’s Auto Expo. One of the highlights from the biennial event was the unveiling of Tucson facelift. After more than five months, we finally have the SUV amongst us. Here’s how the price list looks like:

The Tucson retains both its engine options from before. The obvious difference is that they now comply with the stricter BS6 (Bharat Stage 6) emission norms. Another notable change that Hyundai has made is that it has eliminated the option of a manual transmission. Choose the 2.0-litre petrol and a 6-speed automatic handles 150bhp/192Nm. The 2.0-litre diesel, which produces 183bhp/400Nm, comes coupled to a brand-new 8-speed automatic transmission. And only the latter powertrain gets the option of a four-wheel-drive system.

As is the case with most mid-life refreshes, the Tucson facelift ropes in a wider cascading grille, redesigned front and rear bumpers, updated headlamps and taillamps and new wheels. Indoors, the most noticeable change is a reprofiled dashboard, at the centre of which rides an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Hyundai’s Blue Link connected-car technology and support for Apple CarPlay & Android Auto. Other changes include a redone centre console and an all-black interior theme instead of a dual-tone one.

Features? Well, as you’d expect, it comes packed with a lot of them. In addition to the stuff mentioned in the previous paragraph, the SUV also offers power-adjustable front seats, tyre pressure monitoring system, cruise control, a massive panoramic sunroof, electric parking brake, hands-free tailgate opening and wireless mobile charger. Not enough? Gizmos such as drive hill descent control, drive mode select, six airbags, auto-dimming IRVM and auto headlamps & wipers are also available.

So, where does the Hyundai Tucson facelift fits? It rivals the likes of the Jeep Compass, Volkswagen T-Roc, Honda CR-V and the Skoda Karoq. If Hyundai could make the list of variants broader at the lower end, the Tucson would also give Tata Harrier and MG Hector a fight. If it were your money, which one would you pick?