All-new Hyundai Tucson SUV in CarToq’s first drive review [Video]
Tucson is not an unfamiliar brand in India. In fact, Tucson is so well-known around the world that it is the world’s most popular Hyundai. The brand has introduced the all-new fourth-generation Tucson in the Indian market and it is nothing like the previous versions. After looking at Tucson closely, we finally got the chance to be in the driver’s seat. What do we think about the all-new Tucson? Well, keep reading or simply watch the video below.
The all-new Tucson follows the latest iteration of the Sensuous Sportiness. This means you get a lot of flowing lines on the body. But the latest version of the Tucson is all about muscular, deep creases all around. The front of the Tucson is distinctive and is nothing like any other car on the roads. That’s because of the parametric grille design. The LED DRLs are smartly embedded into the grille and the nickel chrome coating ensures that these DRLs disappear when they turn off just like magic.
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The side of the Tuscon gets some deep creases. It looks busy but it is a very muscular design. At different of light, these lines have different shades. The wheel arches are squared off and hold the diamond-cut alloy wheels of 18-inches. They reveal the disc brakes when in motion.
The rear of the Tucson again shows some great effort in shaping the LEDs. The brake lamps with the double T design glow up to show an interesting design. The tail lamps are connected by a light bar. The tailgate is electric and opens up to a massive space of 540 litres. You can further fold down the rear seats flat to create space to move homes.
Overall, the Tucson looks futuristic on the roads and I must say that there is no other vehicle in this price segment that looks as premium and luxurious.
Hyundai has only got the LWB version of the Tucson to the Indian market. This translates into a lot of space inside. We started checking out the cabin from the second row. The seats are perforated and there is a massive foldable armrest too. You may find the seats to be a bit low but you can recline the seats even further to get the perfect posture for your long journeys.
There is also a chauffeur mode that can be used by the buttons on the co-driver’s seat. Since the seats are electrically powered, the adjustment buttons are easily accessible by the driver and the passenger behind the co-driver seat. The rear passengers also enjoy large windows, and since there is a massive panoramic sunroof, the new Tucson feels very airy. There are even 64 colour-changing ambient lighting that definitely makes the Tucson feels premium.
All three passengers get individually adjustable headrests and there are AC vents and two USB chargers to keep your devices charged on the way. All the doors get big bottle holders too. There are soft-touch points on all four doors that act as armrests too.
The front seats of the Tucson are where is luxury lies. The bucket seats perfectly wrap around the body and both the seats are cooled and can be heated too. Hyundai has used some super premium materials on the layered dashboard. You will find textile and soft touch material all through. We also loved the AC vents and the diffuse air mode. Switch on the diffused air mode to feel a light breeze on your face and play the ambient noises in the infotainment to complete the feeling of a nature walk!
The steering wheel of the Tucson is not flat-bottom but it feels very plush with the leather. The buttons are designed in a 3D manner that reminds you of the sharp exterior design. Right in front of the steering wheel lies a 10.25-inch fully digital instrument cluster. The display is crisp and very bright. It is visible even in direct sunlight. I really liked the placement of the instrument cluster. It remains out of the way. Also, it changes colours with funky graphics when you change the mode. Watch the video to know more. It also shows an outside view when you use the turn indicators. Something that I loved, personally.
In the middle, lies another 10.25-inch instrument cluster that is tilted towards the driver. Even this screen is very bright and gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. There are more than 60 BlueLink features in the car. The cabin of the Tucson gets all-LED lamps except for the face lights behind the sun blinds.
The Tucson also offers a lot of space to keep your knick-knacks and gets a dedicated place to keep your phone and charge it wirelessly. There is a good amount of space under the armrest and ample space inside the glove box. Since there is no manual hand brake, the space in the centre console opens up for cup holders.
Hyundai has done a great job with the fit and finish of the Tucson. We love the materials used in the cabin and there is no dearth of plushness in the car.
Hyundai offers both petrol and diesel engine options with the all-new Tucson. There is a 2.0-litre Nu naturally-aspirated petrol engine and a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine. We only drove the diesel automatic so we will talk about that. The four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine produces a maximum power of 186 PS and peak torque of 416 Nm. It is the most powerful diesel engine in the segment and gets an 8-speed automatic transmission.
Tucson gets a monocoque frame and with the balanced suspension set-up, you do not feel the bumps of the roads. What you feel is the rush to push the accelerator even more while taking a turn. This is what I mean when I say it does not drive like an SUV. The steering feels precise it goes where you want it to go.
Let’s talk about the engine. With the 8-speed transmission, it sure can accelerate quickly. The transmission is quick to shift but you do not get the paddle shifters here. Well, you do not miss the paddle shifters. Put the car in the Sport mode to see the instrument cluster changing its colour to red and the transmission holding the revs till higher RPMs. We did some fantastic speeds on the open highways around Bangalore. There is no problem in overtaking and there is always reserve power that thursts the Tucson ahead of other vehicles in a single tap.
We did such speeds because of the confidence induced by the ADAS. While we tested the ADAS in the controlled environment a few weeks ago, we did feel extra confident on the roads because of the assistive features. The video shows all the aspects of the ADAS in the real world and we particularly liked the adaptive cruise control system and blind spot monitoring system. They work well and are very handy in Indian conditions.
The Tucson we were driving also had HTRAC. It is what Hyundai calls the AWD system. There are multiple modes in the AWD mode including Mud, Sand and Snow. While we could not test the AWD features in a challenging environment, we did take the Tucson to the bank of a lake, which was tricky enough to check the workings of the system. It worked quite well.
At the time of the review, Hyundai did not reveal the prices of the Tucson. With the quality of the product, fit and finish, we expected Hyundai to put a starting price of at least Rs 30 lakh on the car. It gets a price tag of Rs 27.7 lakh, which is substantially lower than the expectation. Tucson gets the best fit and finish in the segment, especially because it is a CKD model. We don’t think there is another car in the segment that offers similar quality.
If you’re looking for a car for five that looks luxurious on the roads, feels exemplary inside and has a massive amount of space inside, look no further than the Tucson.
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