Hyundai Tucson 2004 Review

The Tucson may be brand new but it retains many Hyundai attributes – practicality, affordability, driving efficiency and the company's recessive gene, conservatism.

Tucson carries over-cautious styling lines to its driving dynamics, guaranteeing efficiency while delivering blandness.

On one hand, Hyundai has already overcome early quality issues and now has a very strong reliability record.

On the other, it makes pretty simple – you could say basic – cars.

Go inside Hyundai and you see a very cautious manufacturer. Everything is done with precise steps, every move measured and every reaction analysed.

But though conservatism may affect Hyundai's reputation (particularly in Europe and Australia), it hasn't hurt sales.

"We are one of the world's most profitable car makers," Hyundai director of public affairs Oles Gadacz says.

"We have low debt and are the world's seventh biggest carmaker with three million vehicles a year."

Obviously the Tucson – the second Hyundai to be named after a US city in deference to the huge American market – has been born into a company going places.

Typically, there are strong Santa Fe overtones, along with a C-pillar shape practically identical to the current AWD darling, the Porsche Cayenne.

Tucson has the same drive-train as the Santa Fe yet the body is less fussy, especially at the rear where its soft angles make it the vehicle's most attractive side.

In comparison to the Santa Fe, the dynamics of ride, handling and power are more acute thanks to the Tucson's compact dimensions, making it fit competitively into the compact soft-roader segment alongside the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Nissan X-Trail.

Australia will get a V6-engined Tucson and next year the chance of a 2.4-litre option from the World Engine series – something we have been told is worth waiting for and still a goer despite signs of a break-up of the DaimlerChrysler empire.

If we're lucky, Hyundai has an excellent 2.0-litre turbo-diesel that is awaiting acceptance in Australia before being considered as an alternative engine for the Tucson.

The 2.7-litre V6 petrol holds the greatest promise for potential buyers as the biggest and most powerful in the compact AWD class.

Along with a price that could start below $35,000 and the ongoing five-year/130,000km warranty, Hyundai already could be on a winner.

Hyundai Australia public affairs manager Richard Power says final specifications for the Tucson – due here in August – haven't been decided.

"We definitely will sell the Tucson with the 2.7-litre V6 engine," Power says. "The introduction of the 2-litre engine has yet to be decided, but we see it important as an entry-level vehicle."

On the road

What buyers may quickly realise is that the Tucson, though internally smaller, is a more sophisticated wagon than the Santa Fe.

It has excellent noise suppression to make it one of the quietest small all-wheel drives around.

This mechanical quietness is complemented by minimal wind noise to give the impression of a well-crafted offroader that has ben subject to extensive testing.

On a wet and windy spring day, the volcanic island playground of Jeju looks nothing like the postcards, but at least the roads are demanding.

The undulations, curves and steep apexes give a broad test route for the Tucson's capabilities.

In the 2.7-litre V6 version, the inclines needed the sequential mode of the four-speed automatic to return the best performance.

The Tucson, more nimble than the Santa Fe on which it is obviously based, rewards the driver with a keenness to rev.

So much so that surpassing 8000rpm on the tacho indicated superb engine characteristics. That exceptional engine speed was later dismissed as a wonky tachometer.

Unfortunately for a potential off-roader, the 129kW engine – the same as that fitted to the Santa Fe and Sonata – lacks strong low-speed punch.

Clearly, it is happiest on the open road and in suburban zones where the engine smoothness and uncanny quietness will quickly win friends.

The base model V6 tested had a 4WD lock – giving 50:50 split front to rear axle – and switchable stability control. It gives promise of good off-road manners, though it's still too early to see if Australia gets these specifications.

General ride comfort on the Asia/US-spec was excellent.

The suspension settings were compliant almost to the point of being blancmange, though the taut chassis appeared to keep the car stable and accurate through the bends.

It is likely that Australian vehicles will have stiffer dampers and stronger springs.

The Tucson can be pointed quite nicely through the bends, though in keeping with the Hyundai family, the steering feel is light and feedback is zero. Get used to that vagueness and you have a car that is undemanding and very easy to drive.

The turbo-diesel, which is still under consideration for Australia, is a different animal.

Despite less power (85kW compared with the V6's 129kW), its torque is slightly greater and the bottom-end power delivery makes for a sharper machine off the mark.

It relies less on manually changing gears, so is easier to drive quickly than the V6.

The best bonus is the unobtrusive manners of the diesel.

Most of the time, you wouldn't think it was a diesel such is the low noise level and smooth power.

Hyundai's 2-litre four-cylinder petrol version may come to Australia as a price leader, though the engine wasn't available at the launch.