Hyundai Tucson V6 2004 review

Yep, the Hyundai Tucson (pronounced toos-on) makes an impressive package, one that will concern its market rivals.

While the toughest obstacle it will probably face will be the shopping centre car park, it's reassuring to know the Tucson is quite capable off the road.

A stand-out feature is the versatile and flexible interior. Hyundai has moved away from the cheap plastics that often plague Korean cars and it is clear a lot more thought has gone into the fit and finish.

Explore the 2004 Hyundai Tucson range

• Hyundai Tucson 2004 review: road test
• Hyundai Tucson V6 2004 review
• Hyundai Tucson 2004 review
• Hyundai Tucson Elite 2004 review
• Hyundai Tucson V6 auto 2004 review

The centre console raises to double as an arm rest. There are small lip trays under each door pull for the mobile, retractable shopping hooks, two cup-holders each for the front and rear, three 12-volt outlets and a lined coin drawer and coin rack.

All doors have pockets with bottle holders, there are two wet compartments under the rear floor and an umbrella shelf under the steering wheel column. It even has a drawer under the front left seat.

The seats fold down to a virtually flat floor and there is no need to remove the head restraints. The rear floor even lifts out so it can be washed.

The front left seat folds flat to double as a work table, has an elastic net pocket to keep things safe and when flat extends the cabin length to fit a 2.7m Malibu surfboard along the cabin's left side.

With the rear head-rests removed, the back-rest reclines flat, making a bed with the rear seat cushion.

There are three child seat anchor points located immediately behind the rear back-rest, avoiding the tendency for straps to get in the way of the boot compartment.

When tested on the dirt, the Tucson was capable while in two-wheel drive. But press the button inside and switch it to 4WD mode and it grips even better.

Its 186mm ground clearance, favourable approach and departure angles are good for off-road work.

The suspension is firmer than the often soft and wafting suspension that has come from South Korea and over the bumpy, corrugated dirt, it didn't float.

On gravel tracks, the suspension soaked up all but the worst of the irregularities.

The Tucson rides well around corners, only suffering body roll when turned in sharply.

The 2.7-litre V6 manages 129kW and may not be the best V6 powerplant around but it gets the Tucson off the mark with ease (0-100km/h in 10.5 seconds) and is torquey.

Overtaking sees the engine sound a little coarse, as you have to put the foot down to shift the vehicle's hefty 1655kg, but it responds quickly and holds the gear.

While it would be nice to have a manual alternative, the automatic does have a manual shifter. Gear changes are smooth in auto and just as clean in the manual. It will change automatically if revved hard.

Triple sealing of the door frames, along with insulation pads, contribute to a surprisingly quiet ride inside the Tucson, especially for an SUV with big tyres. Even with the sunroof open, noise intrusion was minimal.

The base model comes standard with cruise control, MP3-capable CD player, cargo area cover, windscreen wiper de-icer, roof rails, front and rear fog lights, pollen filter and overhead sunglass holder. The lift-up tailgate window doubles as a shield from the rain.

Looking around the interior, it is hard to miss the number of airbag tags. The Tucson is equipped with a number of safety features including: four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, dual front airbags, side airbags and curtain airbags, electronic brake distribution, traction control and front pre-tensioner/load limiters belts, all amounting to a four-star Euro NCAP crash rating.

The Elite, at $32,490, adds a limited slip differential, power sunroof, leather steering wheel rim and gear shift knob, trip computer, wider wheels and lower profile tyres, light-sensitive headlight controls, higher quality cloth trim and an alloy-look centre dash.

The Elite S, at $33,200, has body coloured bumpers and side cladding but is only available in aqua silver or new mid silver.