Hyundai’s New SUV Concept Looks Like a Serious Off-Roader

Off-road cosplay is big business in the automotive world right now. Chunkier fenders, pseudo underbody protection, mediocre all-terrain tires—and voila! You’ve got yourself a soft-roader. Any automaker can cook up a new trim name and tout its capability, but Hyundai appears to be taking this game more seriously. 

The automaker will unveil a new concept in Los Angeles later this week, dubbed the Crater. Hyundai will peel back the wraps on what should be the next step beyond XRT-branded products. In fact, Hyundai says the Crater “has been crafted to amplify the same spirit and robustness found in XRT production vehicles.”

That shouldn’t be terribly difficult. The XRT stuff attempts to look the part of a toughened-up off-road-ready machine. In reality, XRT products are best suited for graded fire roads on your way to an Airbnb in Joshua Tree or to a rented cabin at your local ski resort. 

That’s not to say the XRT products aren’t fun. In fact, the Ioniq 5 XRT is plenty fun. It’s an electric hot hatch with rally car aspirations, delivering truly entertaining driving dynamics in off-pavement environments. But as a whole, the XRT division’s advertising efforts serve up a more exciting vision than the reality of what they can actually do. Safely, at least.

The Crater Concept clearly wants to change that. It features aggressive lighting elements, front and rear fascias designed for approach and departure angles, and real, actual ground clearance. I’d go so far as to say that this concept could arrive packing portal axles. Fingers crossed.

I don’t actually think a production Hyundai vehicle will feature portal axles. But this dusty-road-loving off-road-adventure fan can dream, right? And if not portal axles for a gas-powered vehicle, how about an EV with a quad-motor setup instead?

A vehicle like this isn’t a surprise for Hyundai. Sibling-brand Genesis appears set to bring the X Gran Equator to market in some form. After all, Genesis wants a G-Class revival. Hyundai then would have a path to bring a less-luxe version to market, and the Crater Concept seems to be a preview of just that vehicle.