HYUNDAI
TUCSON
Making waves: Hyundai’s new Tucson.
We recently had great the opportunity
to sample the all new Hyundai Tucson 1.6
T GDI Elite DCT. The previous Tucson
was a car liked by many South Africans,
judging by how many we’ve seen on the
roads. Now since I’m the married one in
the team with prospects of children in the
near future, I was tasked to spend some
time in the new car. If the boys thought
they were being funny by assigning me to
test this car, the joke was on them because the car is quiet lovely.
First impressions:
Upon inspecting our test car, the first
thing that struck me was DCT (Dual
Clutch Transmission) gearbox. It’s is
always a good thing to see in a car like
this, because it means that gear changes
should be fast and smooth. At the heart
of the car is the 1.6 litre turbocharged
engine, which seemed small to me, even
though it packs 130kW/265Nm.
After driving it, it became clear to me
that I had underestimated the Tucson, because it lifted its skirt and headed swiftly
for the horizon. It’s not very fast but it’s
fast enough get the kids to school on time
when you’ve hit the snooze button many
times.
The vehicle is very smooth in general
and quite graceful overall. It’s very evident
that Hyundai have put a lot of effort into
refining the new Tucson. From its seamless gear changes, the ride comfort and
good seating position, it’s a good place to
be in. What impressed me the most inside
the car was how ergonomically friendly it
is, as I often get frustrated when things
are too busy. That being said, the infotainment system could’ve been designed
with a slightly larger screen.
Does it work in the city?
Taking the vehicle around town where
most of these mid-sized SUVs live, one
notices how it blends in well. In some
cases it even stands out due to its stylish design and American looks. Due to
sensors and cameras, I found it very easy
to park in tight spots that one will inevitably encounter in the city. Boot space is
ample with 488 litres which can grow to
1478 litres with the seats folded down. At
night the LED lights around the headlight
give it a modern “Tron-like” look. Standard specification on the top of the range
model includes a host of features such
as electric seats, front and rear parking
sensors, rear view camera, panoramic
sunroof, blind sport recognition, roof rails
and the list goes on.
Bang for buck:
Now here’s the interesting thing, For
R519 900, the Tucson is square in line
with the BMW X1 2.0i sDrive in terms of
price. The difference is that the BMW will
be a “Plain Jane” compared with to the
fully kitted out Tucson. On the one hand
you have renowned German engineering,
but on the other hand gone are the days
when cars like Hyundai and KIA were
deemed unreliable. In fact, these cars
have won many customer satisfaction
awards of late.
The Hyundai is honestly the better b