2024 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid brings world-first baby mode

Hyundai’s answer to the top-selling Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, the 2024 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, has arrived in Australia and it introduces baby mode – a new system designed to help sooth newborns travelling onboard by making driving smoother.

It’s a feature limited to hybrid versions of the updated Tucson because it relates to the tuning of the petrol-electric powertrain’s e-motor.

“It depends on the electric motor to actually manage those motions through the traction control,” explained Hyundai Australia product development manager Tim Rodgers.

Baby mode also underlines the family-oriented sales focus of the updated five-seat mid-size SUV, which is Hyundai’s biggest selling model in Australia.

But i is expected to be made available with other electrified Hyundai models in future.

Baby mode is as yet not offered with the closely-related Kia Sportage Hybrid, which recently went on sale in Australia and uses essentially the same powertrain.

Selected via the individual mode setting (or MyDrive, as it is dubbed in the Tucson), baby mode automatically smooths out initial acceleration via pedal input.

It also reduces reverse acceleration to reduce impacts caused by parking bumps.

“It genuinely smooths a lot of inputs far more than you would expect in low-speed driving,” said Rodgers.

A new father himself, Rodgers has his own experience with baby mode that hasn’t been that positive.

“I put my baby in the car and he absolutely hates it. He actually prefers the rough and tumble, which is at odds with my whole mantra of ride comfort,” he said.

Rodgers explained the baby mode was made possible by what Hyundai calls E-Motion Drive, which is the name given to the Tucson Hybrid’s torque vectoring system.

“The motor control we have implemented from the electric motor can actually manage pitch motion and pitch build-up.

“We already have got this in our E-GMP cars [the battery-electric Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 6] and it’s been continuously evolved there and trickled down into our hybrids.

“So Kona has some version of this and this has now been expanded to include ride comfort.”

Baby mode is one of a number of features that have been introduced with the new Tucson Hybrid but remain absent from 2.0-litre petrol and 1.6-litre turbo-petrol variants.

The e-motor influences handling, traction, steering, ride and off-road behaviours. There’s also an air-conditioner drying system called After Blow to prevent the growth of bacteria and odours.

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