The current third generation Hyundai Tucson is arguably one of the best-looking SUVs on the market today, but it is also starting to show its age.

The current version of the car was officially revealed during the Geneva motor show in 2015, and now Hyundai is preparing it for a mid-cycle facelift. Seen in the attached gallery is a heavily camouflaged prototype of the refreshed vehicle, photographed during cold winter tests. Our spies tell us it is currently being benchmarked against some of its main rivals, including the Volkswagen Tiguan and Nissan Qashqai.

The full body covering isn’t letting us see much of the facelifted Tucson, but we can confirm there will be no changes to the overall size of the car. The shape of the SUV will remain untouched, too, but the front end will be significantly revised with new headlights, bumper and grille.

Don’t look for a big refresh inside the cabin though, as it will likely be limited to new trim options and a new version of the company’s infotainment system.

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Gallery: Hyundai Tuscon Facelift spy photos

Depending on the market, the Tucson can be ordered with a number of petrol and diesel engines. In the UK we get a 1.6-litre petrol in two states of tune and 1.7- and 2-litre diesel engines that also come with two power ratings each. Transmission-wise you can spec your car with a six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic unit depending on the engine. 

Certainly the range will carry on without significant changes, but it's not clear whether any tweaks will be made to the Tucson's engine line-up. Except to see the refreshed family SUV make its debut at a motor show later on in 2018.

Gallery: Hyundai Tucson facelift spy photos