Driven: new Tucson is one smooth SUV

Published Mar 11, 2016

Share

By: Jesse Adams

Johannesburg - After initially launching the Tucson in 2004, and then re-badging it as an ix35 for the second-generation in 2010, Hyundai has settled back on the Tucson name for the all-new third-generation version launched in South Africa last week.

Confused? Don’t be. Remember when musician Prince renamed himself as an unpronounceable symbol in 1993, and then started calling himself Prince again in 2000? It’s just like that. Sort of.

Kia details all-new 2016 Sportage

The new Tucson basically replaces the ix35 as the Korean brand’s small SUV offering, but now features much more grown-up styling and much improved road manners. Gone are the ix35’s wildly exaggerated body swoops and dinky wheel arches, and in is a handsome new look to keep it current in a sea of rivals – namely Ford’s Kuga, Toyota’s Rav4 and Kia’s Sportage.

SMOOTH RIDE

When we last tested an ix35 in March last year, we were quite impressed with its silky ride and ample gadgets list, but the Tucson raises the bar on both counts. Hyundai says ride comfort was high on the priority list when developing the new model, and a completely revised suspension system was certainly worth the effort. The two derivatives I drove in Cape Town last week proved excellent on a variety of surfaces – it sailed along fast highways with minimal road noise and smoothed out gravel roads with remarkable composure even on harsh washboards and sandy ruts.

FAMILIAR CABIN VIBES

The Tucson’s interior isn’t a huge departure from other Hyundai models, including the now discontinued ix35, with familiar materials, instrumentation and dashboard styling. It is all new, however, and seems screwed together very well indeed. It’s still a stretch to compare Hyundai with German opposition in terms of cabin quality, but the Tucson certainly closes the gap in this department.

Technophobes and technophiles alike have been catered to, and as standard there’s a simple entertainment system with a basic monochromatic display screen and very easy to use ‘two knob’ functionality. This can be upgraded to a full-colour touchscreen system with navigation for R15 000. It’s a dealer-installed unit, and it’s not quite as slick in operation as other factory-fitted devices, but I managed to input a GPS destination and navigate its series of menu screens without too much trouble.

NOW WITH TURBO POWER

For now the Tucson comes with two petrol engine options starting with a naturally-aspirated 2-litre with 115kW and 196Nm, carried over directly from the ix35 (with slight power adjustments). Gearbox choices with this motor include a six-speed manual or old-school six-speed automatic with a torque converter.

A smaller but more powerful 1.6 turbo with 130kW and 265Nm was available to test at the media launch, and was quite impressive in smoothness and power delivery. It’s a similar engine to that in the Veloster Turbo, but with a different turbocharger unit and intake system designed to be more torquey at lower revs. Gearbox choices here include a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, also used in the Veloster.

Hyundai South Africa says a 1.7 turbodiesel engine should be introduced at a later stage.

All derivatives are front-wheel-drive only, except for the 1.6T auto which comes with a softroad spec all-wheel-drive system. As with previous AWD ix35s, this system sends all power to the front wheels in normal conditions, but can apportion 50% of drive to the back axle when things get slippery. A lock mode can permanently split power to the front and back at speeds up to 40km/h.

THREE TRIM LEVELS

Three trim levels include base Premium (2-litre only), middle Executive (1.6T only) and top-of-the-range Elite available with both engines. Premium comes with manual airconditioning, remote central locking, a rear-view camera (in the mirror), a trip computer, 17” alloys and electric windows among others.

Executive adds auto headlights, electric seats, cruise control, dual-zone climate control, LED running lights and imitation leather seats; and Elite adds a panoramic sunroof, blind-spot detection, lane-change assist and cross-traffic alert. Wheel size in Elite versions are 18” for the 2.0 and 19” for the 1.6T.

ABS brakes with EBD, as well as six airbags come standard in all models, but lower-spec Premiums don’t come with stability control or hill-start assist.

PRICES:

2.0 Premium manual – R359 900

2.0 Premium automatic – 379 900

2.0 Elite automatic – R439 900

1.6 TGDi Executive manual – R419 900

1.6 TGDi Elite DCT AWD – R499 900

All Hyundai Tucsons come with a 5-year/150 000km manufacturer warranty, a 7-year/200 000km drivetrain warranty, and 5-year/90 000km service plan with 15 000km intervals.

Related Topics: