Hyundai have come a long way. Back in
the 1990s when Hyundai first set foot in Malaysia you would have
never thought that their cars would actually be good to even sit
inside. They went through many phases in terms of car design and
styling. Back in the 1980s and early 1990s they made nondescript
looking cars that were bland to look at. In the late 1990s they
started aping certain European brands. But it was when they decided
to bring in talents from across the globe that this Korean brand
started making waves.
You actually see this in this latest
iteration of the Hyundai Tucson which I managed to get a hold on.
This compact, C segment SUV was only recently launched here in
Malaysia at the end of last year.
This car in terms of design and
styling looks quite good for a compact SUV. You see that it looks
nothing like the very feminine looking previous generation and it
gets a lot of it good looks from the larger Hyundai Santa Fe. This is
the new Hyundai design philosophy. Instead of just fluid, rounded
lines, we now get a more edgy design.
There is a large grille up front,
pumped up wheelarches, nice squinty lights front and back and a
proportioned look to it. It looks like a properly tough looking SUV.
Even though it is actually designed for the city dweller and that
this version tested is front wheel driven.
It does surprisingly come with hill
descent assist though (called Down-Hill Brake Control). This means that you can press a button and if
you're suddenly off-road with a Tucson and you find a steep slope,
you can leave the car to its own devices to find its way down safely.
This is one of many functions in its
well equipped cabin. The layout of all the switchgear and instruments
is pretty straightforward. The seating position is good and I have a
nice view of the surrounding from the driver's seat. The quality of
the interior is good for a C segment or Compact SUV. There are no
real complaints. I even like the optional white leather with some
quilted pattern. This I think is a very brave decision on the part of
the local distributors, Hyundai Sime Darby to offer such an option
(They offer this white and a bright red also). It actually makes the
interior look like some super luxury car in this white. It goes well
with the light blue exterior of the test car. Heck, even my daughter
says the car looks like something really super duper chic and
expensive. I call it a decadent option that is actually worth to opt
for even though cleaning it in the long run may be a chore.
So how does it drive?
At first I did not really like the
power delivery of the 155ps, 192Nm 2.0liter engine Hyundai calls the
Nu series engine. It is coupled to a 6 speed automatic which felt a
little sluggish at first. This was the first few hours of driving it
but I believe that the Tucson has one of those smart powertrains. The
car learnt how my driving style was and things felt better
afterwards. Hyundai has better 2.0liter engines with direct injection
(like the one in the Veloster).
But for Malaysia, we have the normal
non-direct injection, a.k.a normal twin-cam, variable valve timing 4
cylinder. I think this was specced to keep costs and the price down
to something relatively affordable here. But it is actually enough in
terms of overall driveability. It is a 2.0liter engine and not a
1.5liter engine. It has decent low down torque accelerate briskly at
the traffic lights (0-100kmh was dispatched in around 10.6seconds)
and it is easy to drive around in most conditions. The 6 speed
automatic transmission was also smooth and shifts were not
noticeable. I tried all three drive mode functions, I did not like
the Eco mode but used the Normal and Sports mode interchangeably
between the two. Fuel consumption was pretty decent too –
10.8liters/100km in mixed driving conditions.
I mean, this is a lifestyle vehicle.
You buy one, carry your bicycles, raft on the roof, camping
equipment, flower pots, bags of flour (not cement) and something easy
to maneuver in front of schools. Since it's an SUV, you're going to
have to use it to climb curbs and also wade through knee deep waters
if it flash floods.
I used the Tucson Executive, as what
its called in full to run my errands on the days I had it. I was in
Kuala Lumpur in the morning, down to Petaling Jaya for lunch, back to
Kuala Lumpur for another event and then back to Petaling Jaya in the
evenings. I took it shopping. I drove it to pick up the kid from
school and I went out galavanting in it also. Not once did I feel
that I was driving something I did not like.
It drove decently well on the highway
with good refinement up to around 150kmh. The ride was comfortable on
most road surfaces with not much tyre noise, tyre clobber as well as other road noise. Pretty good for a C segment SUV actually.
And whilst the overall grip levels were not that
high, it was predictable through the corners. No. I did not drive it
how I drive a car through the twisties. It is a comfortable little
SUV. But there are some sportier SUVs where I would do so and throw
it into a corner with abandon. This isn't one of them.
But as an
everyday drive it is competent. The only real complaint that I could
make of it is that it is a tad bit too clinical. There is that
intangible thing called a soul which is lacking when you are driving
the Tucson. It is utterly reliable and refined though. Which could be a more important fact to most rather than something subjective like passion and soul. Furthermore, if you compare this to the previous model, which I also had the opportunity to try out a few years ago, this is a vast improvement. It is so much better in every way over the earlier one. This, is a well rounded vehicle.
But I have to add again the fact that I do
like the styling of the Tucson. It is quite nicely designed. It has
won many design awards too. It is one of the nicer looking C segment
SUVs out there on sale at the moment. Those white seats are nice too
but it is a RM1,988 option and this is the biggest problem of this
car. When you add that amount to the on the road price of the Tucson
here, which is RM146,888.59 things get a little expensive.
Pros: Very nice exterior styling, very
competent, nice optional white leather seats (or red in the red car),
interior feels good, a lot of equipment, should be utterly reliable, high levels of refinement (for a C segment SUV), smooth drivetrain even though...
Cons: ...it isn't the latest Hyundai
GDI engine, a little pricey, a little too conservative in the drive,
needs a bit more soul, expensive optional white seats
Conclusion: This is a grown up Tucson. A mature design. A stylish design. So the problem with the
Hyundai Tucson is that it has super nice white seats which are
optional and are a little expensive. I really like them. Really.
Hyundai Tucson 2.0 Executive
Specification:
Price as tested: RM RM146,888.59 +
RM1,988 for the optional white leather seats
Engine : 1999cc 4 cylinder 2.0 Nu
series engine
Power: 155ps
Torque: 192Nm/4,000rpm
Transmission: 6 speed automatic
Front suspension: McPherson Strut
Rear suspension: Multi-Link
Tyre size: 225/60R17
Equipment:
Three drive mode function – Eco,
Normal, Sports
Audio: Infotainment system with
Navigation
Rear View Camera : Standard
Electronic park brake
6 airbags
ABS
Vehicle Stability Management (VSM)
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
Hillstart Assist Control
Electric Power Steering
Halogen Projector headlights
Daytime Running Lights
Leather Seats with 6:4 folding at rear
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