Road Test: 2014 Hyundai Tucson 2.0 Executive Plus - A face-lift that works

The Hyundai Tucson was and is Korean giant Hyundai’s entry into the compact SUV category. This second generation version was first introduced to Malaysia in 2010. The Tucson is now about four years old and has now been now face-lifted and improved underneath too – a new engine and some suspension tweaks too. It has quite a lot of work cut out for it as since then, there is more competition from Mazda, Mitsubishi and even Korean counterpart Kia.

The Hyundai Tucson face-lift gets new styling bits, European specification and the new NU series 2.0 engine and slight enhancements to the ride and handling of the compact SUV. All Tucson variants get a new pair of projection type headlamps with LED positioning lights while the 2.4L Executive Plus variant gets an additional new pair of LED rear lamp combination lights. So let's see if this is enough for it to compete out there.

The Design

The styling retains the familiar 'fluidic' design of all Hyundai passenger cars. In fact the Tucson was the first to incorporate this design cue. The Tucson's 5 door compact SUV design is bulbous in nature with character lines over the front and rear fenders and one more across both front and rear door handles. In terms of styling, I'd have to say that it isn't a very cohesive design as from some angles, the Tucson looks a little awkward and too rearward heavy especially when viewed from the side. The ratio between the wheel arch and the top of the front fender also seems too high making the Tucson look under-tyred. Go figure. Anyway, upon some observation between the pre face-lift Tucson and this face-lifted version you can tell that it looks somewhat better. Especially in the Atomic Orange colour you see being tested here.

The 158ps / 192Nm torque NU 2.0liter normally aspirated engine brings about improvement in its fuel efficiency as some have noticed that the previous Theta based engine was a little thirsty. The Nu engine has an aluminum block and cylinder head. This has resulted in a 33.6kg weight loss off the entire engine weight. The Nu four-cylinder engine also utilises an offset crankshaft design (which used to only available on race cars) which enables the engine to have a gain in efficiency as well as a one percent improvement in fuel economy.

The interior

This 2.0liter Executive Plus variant as tested comes with 6 airbags and is equipped with front and rear MS Design skid plates as well as an Audio Visual Navigation (AVN) System ( which includes a GPS, entertainment system, Bluetooth connectivity and a reverse camera) as standard. Whilst being front wheel drive, it also has the full ABS, EBD as well as traction control which via a switch, beneath the driver's side air vent, is something called Downhill Brake Control to ensure safe descend down a slope and hill hold assist too. You wouldn't really need this 99.99% of the time actually. This is just Hyundai making use of the features in the traction control system to come up with another feature. The reason is that I do not think anyone would go hill climbing with a front wheel drive urban SUV in the first place.

The 2.0L and 2.4L Tucson Executive Plus variants have also been awarded the maximum five-star safety rating by independent vehicle assessment organisation, Euro NCAP. It also has a panoramic sunroof. Basically Hyundai has thrown everything including the proverbial kitchen sink in terms of specification. The Hyundai Tuscon, as tested, was filled to the brim with technology that most would not use during their daily commutes.

The quality of the interior is however not very consistent. There is liberal use of soft touch plastic on the doors as well as the dashboard. But there is also the use of hard plastics too (exposing its built to a budget entry level SUV origins), especially on the center console and the power window controls on the doors. And one quite glaring feature that betrays its budget origins is the word 'airbag' printed in white on the passenger side instead of being embossed on the dashboard plastic. It looks glaringly out of place.

The steering wheel is leather wrapped as it the gearknob. However no nappa leather used here and you can tell that the leather is of average quality. But this is still better than having a plastic steering wheel. The seats are leather and cloth. This means they're actually grippy enough for spirited driving and I found them comfortable during long drives too. The rear seats also recline slightly, meaning more comfort for the rear passengers. It is quite easy to find a driving position here and even with a compact SUV, you will have a commanding view perched higher than most cars and still have good headroom.

The audio and navigation system looks may be a little complicated at first, but after meddling with it for about five or so minutes, it is easy to get around. And it has all the usual Bluetooth and USB support too, but sound quality isn't really up to par as it is a little 'tinny' or hollow sounding. Unfortunately some cars costing less than a hundred thousand Ringgit has better quality sound pouring out of their speakers. And the screen resolution isn't as sharp as some newer cars these days. The blue lighting used on the touchscreen audio navigation system as well as the meter clusters also seems to make the interior a little too much like a Nokia handphone screen circa 2000 instead of something from this decade. It must be the resolution as if you compared it to the more expensive Hyundai i40 the blue lighting seems fine in that cabin (of course that is a much more expensive Hyundai).

Another drawback to the interior is the fact that there are buttons placed quite far from the driver and closer to the passenger. The audio system 'on-off' / volume knob and the rear demister buttons are located to the left of middle portion of the dashboard, underneath the passenger side center air vents. It can be quite a stretch away in this right hand drive form. This is a minor gripe as you can control the volume via the steering wheel equipped controls and you don't really use the rear demister most of the time.

The slightly more troublesome ergonomic flaw in my opinion are the air vents, especially those on the driver's side. This is because the vents (more those in the center) point directly to the driver's hands. The one in the center is actually party blocked by the left hand. The left hand could actually feel super cold and this could be uncomfortable in the long run. Very uncomfortable as your hands could feel like they're in Siberia whilst the body is just feeling fine in Cameron Highlands. Something for Hyundai to change when the next model comes out.

The Tucson has a full sized spare tyre. This means a fat 225/60/17 tyre in the wheel well of the Tucson. This also means a flat floor from the height of the tailgate. Easy loading in and out of it but you do lose out on some boot space. The rear seats fold flat (the Tucson is a 5 seater) and is easy to fold them down.

Aside from the above faults, the Tucson's interior is a livable place to be seated in, especially for the passengers. Very slightly less for this driver though due to the placement of the air vents.

Driving the darn thing.

Once seated in the Hyundai Tucson and with the key in pocket, all that needs to be done is your foot on the brake pedal and a finger to push the Start-Stop button to start it up. Being compact SUV you sit high up and it helps make this compact SUV feel slightly smaller than it is. In fact, the Tucson is pretty easy to drive around town. It isn't super wide or big and according to the people at Hyundai, it is a C segment SUV.

As stated above, the Nu 2.0liter makes 158ps and 192Nm torque. It also makes the front wheel driven Tucson hit a 0-100kmh time of 11.5 seconds. The 6 speed automatic shifts smoothly and has Tiptronic mode too. No paddle shifters here however, but the Tiptronic type manual shifts work pretty well. The engine, whilst a little gruff over 4,500rpm to the redline is quite subdued at when cruising anywhere between 110-150kmh due to the long legs provided by the 6 speed gearbox. Road noise is quite subdued even though it ride on 225 section tyres and as wind noise is low too making this a comfortable place to be in for hours at a time. This makes the Tucson quite comfortable to travel over long distances (coupled to the comfortable driving position as mentioned earlier).

Also stated earlier, the 2.0liter engine may be a tad vocal and felt a little underpowered when you are on a slightly steep gradient and if you need to make decent progress from low speeds you have to give it some boot to make it really hustle. I suppose 158ps moving over 1,400kg (unladen) makes the Tucson average when it comes to performance. But it's supposed to be a lifestyle vehicle, not a sports coupe.

The ride comfort of the Tucson is only very slightly firm and most passengers found it comfortable. There is no jarring effects over ripples and the Tucson rides and absorbs most bumps pretty well (as you can see in the featured in-car video down below). The Tucson dealt with most of the horrid roads in and around the Klang Valley in relative ease. It is only on certain very close together undulations or ripples that the ride of the Tucson gets a little choppy. Since it is a compact SUV, the extra ride height allows long suspension travel and the ability to overcome those pesky flash floods that occasionally happen in the Klang Valley make it a useful vehicle. One could also use the extra ground clearance to park on curbs, which is what an urban SUV should be able to do if parking is scarce. Just don't blame me if the traffic police gives you a ticket for parking on curbs.

The electrically assisted steering wheel is accurate and has none of that artificial electric powered steering wheel feel. It feels natural and linear but slightly anodyne. The ample power and decent steering allows easy maneuvering in traffic, in town as well as highway driving. On the highway the car works well. Sweeping corners on the highways can be taken at 110kmh as body roll is kept in check. This is partly due to the wide 225/60/17 sized tyres which offer ample amounts of grip to this tall vehicle.

It is possible to maintain a high cruising speed whilst driving this car. Higher than the national speed limit. I was a little surprised that the Tucson could actually handle most roads quite well, even the windy bits and when you do overcook it, the front washes out with predictable understeer. The traction control kicking in early on when the car thinks that the driver is overcooking it – this happened whilst travelling at higher than usual speeds through a left-right chicane-like corner. The Tucson hit a bump mid-corner and the traction control tried to straighten things out. Not a bad thing as whilst it does feel car-like most of the time, it is taller than a regular car, one still needs to be aware of its height when driving the Tucson.

Overall, when it comes to handling the Hyundai Tucson was a tad bit surprising as it handled well, especially for such a feminine, curvy and shapely looking SUV. Brakes could do with a little more initial bite but it does stop when you want it to.

Conclusion.

Anyway, what are the real problems with the Tucson? It is the competition is one and a lack of soul is the other.

In this category, you get the nicely proportioned Mazda CX-5 (which seems be have a long waiting list and is therefore the popular compact SUV these days), the Mitsubishi ASX (which is now locally assembled and comes in a being much cheaper), the slightly Range Rover Evoque aping Kia Sportage (which I believe has more stylish looks and just as much equipment as the Tuscon) and even the hot selling, good looking, recently launched Honda CRV. This is a highly contested category and I have not included the C and some D segment cars that also sell at the same price. Compare this to the Tucson's launch in 2010, things were simpler back then as none of the cars above had been launched then.

The face-lifted Hyundai Tucson actually drives decently well and basically does all routine transport stuff with ease. The mods done have kept the Tucson looking fresh on the outside, and improved on the car's engine as well as the handling. This face-lifted Tucson, whilst being a few years older than its competition still looks and feels quite fresh. I have to say that the updates work.

There may be some ergonomic faults and some other minor issues, but I did find it to be a capable vehicle in most of the situations that I placed it in. And did I mention the fact that the Tucson can take a corner decently well?

However I found it to be a tad soulless whilst driving it over time. Soul and character is hard to quantify. It is a subjective thing and the Tucson does not do it for me even though I mentioned that it does everything thrown at it decently well even in the handling department (which is a very important factor around here in motoring-malaysia.blogspot.com).

One could ignore what I mentioned about 'soul' and 'character' as only die hard petrol heads would start and finish an argument on whether the car has soul or not. I discussed this fact with a few friends and we basically noted that outside in the real world (is there such a thing to a Petrolhead?), Petrolheads are few and scattered here and there. Most of the time the potential buyer of a compact SUV like this Tucson will not care whether it has real character or not. They buy it for its styling and the perceived lifestyle image a compact SUV gives. This is what's important when it comes to compact SUV buyers these days. It is never seriously about whether the car has real character or soul or not. More on style and lifestyle. Unless one is a serious Petrolhead, that is.

Hyundai Tucson Nu 2.0 AT Executive Plus Specifications

Base Price: RM145,903.30 (with insurance). It also comes with a 5 year / 300,000km extended warranty.

Body: 5-door Compact SUV
Mechanical Orientation: Front Wheel Drive

Engine: 4 cylinder 16 valve fuel injected 2.0-litre normally aspirated
Power: 158PS
Torque: 192 NM
Transmission: 6 speed automatic with Tiptronic

Weight: approximately 1,400kg

0-100 km/h: 11.5 seconds (tested)
Top Speed: N/A

Fuel Consumption: I got an average of around 11.5ltr/100km with a heavy right foot.

For: Massively long equipment list, interior space, comfy seats, quiet (for a compact SUV), good handling, styling (some like it), good value for money due to the equipment given, a successful face-lift and mid-life update overall

Against: some cheap plastics here and there, ergonomic faults – air vents, some controls, audio nav system screen needs higher resolution to feel good, sound system a little flat, slightly choppy ride over some surfaces, styling (some don't), a little pricey (according to some), a little soulless to drive at times

For those that want to see some moving pictures instead of just reading about it, here's a short in-car vid so that you can have a semblance of what was experienced.