Hyundai Tucson 2004 review: road test

Bursting with standard equipment at $29,990, the crossover wagon shows just how far the South Korean carmaker has come since it made its name with a flood of cheap and basic Excels in the 1990s.

The Honda CR-V competitor is the first South Korean car with six airbags and the first Hyundai to be fitted with suspension tuned for European (and Australian) tastes.

Hyundai Australia sales and marketing director Theo van Doore says the Tucson will pass the barbecue test.

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

"When you have a car you are proud of you arrive early at a barbecue and park on the driveway so everyone can see it, rather than parking down the street so it's out of sight," van Doore says.

"We are confident Tucson owners will want to arrive early and show it off."

The Tucson has a 2.7-litre V6 engine with a four-speed automatic gearbox featuring manual-shift mode.

It has an on-demand all-wheel-drive system, but can also be locked into AWD.

It is about 15cm shorter than the Hyundai Santa Fe but has a slightly longer wheelbase.

The Tucson comes standard with anti-skid brakes, traction control, dual airbags, 16-inch alloys wheels, cruise control, MP3 CD sound, cargo cover, roof rails and front and rear fog lights. It also has, unlike many new cars, a full-size alloy spare wheel instead of a space saver.

There are also lap-sash belts for all five seats and the back row can be folded flat to create enough room to carry a surfboard.

The $32,490 Tucson Elite adds front side airbags, side curtain airbags, sunroof, leather steering wheel cover, trip computer, alloy-look dashboard trim and six-spoke alloy wheels.

Color-coded bumpers ($175) can be ordered only on silver or gold Elite models.

The Tucson comes with Hyundai's five-year, 130,000km warranty.

It was designed at Hyundai's South Korean design studio and has a less polarising shape than the Santa Fe.

It has been built to appeal to drivers aged 25 to 30 and features twin exhaust pipes set in the rear bumper to give it a sporty look.

Hyundai Australia is confident it could sell 500 Tucsons a month, but will be able to secure only 200 a month until early next year.

On the road

THE Tucson is the first Hyundai I would be happy to own.

The Hyundai badge will still be a problem for people who like to show off their keyrings at dinner parties, but there is nothing wrong with the car itself. It is really good value when you compare it with its competitors, which come with less gear and miss out on a V6 engine.

Slide inside the cabin and you notice the Tucson doesn't have that cheap plastic smell that most South Korean cars have. The plastic surfaces are smooth and clean and give a quality impression.

It is slightly smaller than the Santa Fe and has a tighter rear storage area, but the Tucson has good leg and headroom for all the passengers.

The 129kW engine is not the best V6 powerplant around, though it has good pulling power in the bush and around town.

It is likely to use more fuel than most of its four-cylinder rivals, but is more torquey.

You have to plant your foot to overtake at highway speeds, but the Tucson is quick enough.

The suspension setting is good and much firmer than the often soft and wafting suspension that comes from South Korea.

That means the Tucson rides well around corners without too much body roll and doesn't float around over bumps.

It also performs well on the dirt on all but the roughest roads and is as good if not better here than the Japanese Nissan X-Trail, Toyota RAV-4 and Honda CR-V.

The Tucson also tackles a run along the beach, after we take air out of the tyres, without showing any signs it would become stuck or be swept out to sea.

It has 186mm ground clearance, which is good enough for mild off-road work, even though the biggest obstacle most Tucsons will encounter will probably be the speed-hump at the supermarket.

The spare wheel is under the floor at the back of the car, rather than on the tailgate.

This means the rear window can be opened separately from the tailgate and the shopping can be slipped in the back easily.