Hyundai Tucson Reviews

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."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.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.

It doesn't leave many boxes unticked.Now there is a newcomer to the range aimed squarely at the booming compact SUV market.The Tucson is about Rav4 size, is better equipped and costs thousands less. Oh, and did I mention it also runs a 2.7-litre, multi-valve, V6 engine with four speed automatic transmission as standard.Hyundai sure ain't mucking around.Tucson is an all wheel drive sport utility vehicle built on a new platform with predominantly front wheel drive and all wheel drive electronically engaged on demand. The system can be locked in AWD by pushing a button on the dash.Drive is also modulated by a traction control system and the ABS performs a similar function with braking forces.Hyundai is targeting young buyers with Tucson but should look at the bigger picture.It's compact dimensions belie the roomy interior that is due in part to a longer wheelbase than the larger Hyundai Santa Fe with which Tucson shares its power train.The engine is good for 129kw/221Nm output and better than 11.0L/100km fuel economy.Three models are available, Tucson, Elite and Elite S starting at $29,990.Standard equipment also includes 16in alloys and 75kg capacity roof rails.Inside is well laid out and good looking with a modern style and light upholstery tones. The tailgate glass opens independently and all seats, including fronts fold flat. It seats five with five three point belts provided.Crash safety rates four stars from NCAP.What is striking about this car apart from its price and equipment is how good it is to drive. The suspension is Euro-spec and holds Tucson tenaciously on the road in all conditions. The ride is comfortable and Tucson has powerful brakes and direct steering – an impressive dynamic package.With a sequential shift mode helping matters, engine performance will not disappoint. The twin exhaust outlets emit a pleasing snarl at high revs and the Tucson hunkers down and jumps under full throttle.Noise and vibration control is excellent.Styling is reminiscent of Santa Fe but is cleaner and more appealing. The spare is a full size alloy under the boot floor.Tucson sets a high benchmark at Hyundai that should flow through to a whole new generation of vehicles coming soon.

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.It is, in terms of being both an advantage and disadvantage, a vehicle that represents the unfurling of a car company that started operation only in 1967 as an assembler of Ford's Cortina and Granada cars.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 roadWhat 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.