New Tucson offers quality and fun at a reasonable price

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Published on Friday, April 22, 2016

Photo courtesy of www.wilsonhyundai.com. With it’s contemporary, chunky styling, the Tucson is arguably one of the best-looking vehicles in its class 

By Ben Castle

The Neepawa Banner

Twelve years is a long time in the automotive industry. If this had been the first generation Hyundai Tucson of 12 years ago, I probably wouldn't have much positive to say other than it is a cheap, well-equipped alternative to the likes of the evergreen Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4 with an industry-leading five year, 100,000 kilometre bumper-to-bumper warranty. In terms of engineering, desirability and quality of build though, it fell a little short of best in class. However, with the third generation 2016 Tucson launched mid-way through 2015, Hyundai has gone bigger, better and more upmarket. 

Although Tucson has been amongst the top 10 best-selling compact crossovers in Canada for a good few years now, the new Tucson has seen a 38 per cent spike in sales and with over 16,000 units sold in 2015, Tucson is now snapping on the heels of its slightly bigger and more expensive compact crossover sibling, the Santa Fe Sport.

Tucson is available with two engines: a two litre direct injection (GDI) four cylinder with 164 horsepower and 151 pound feet of torque, which is carried over from the previous generation, or a new 1.6 litre GDI turbocharged four cylinder with 175 horsepower and 195 pound feet of torque, which replaces the old 2.4 litre engine and comes with all-wheel drive as standard. The two litre engine is mated to Hyundai's six-speed SHIFTRONIC automatic transmission and the 1.6 T utilises a new seven-speed dual clutch (DCT) automatic transmission. Hyundai claims nine litres per 100 kilometres highway for the two litre and 8.4 litres per 100 kilometres for the 1.6 T.  Maximum towing capacity for both engines is 1,500 pounds.

Tucson is available in five trim levels: Base, Premium, Luxury, Limited and Ultimate.  Base, Premium and Luxury come with the two litre engine as standard, whereas Limited and Ultimate come with the 1.6 T engine as standard, although it is a $2,300 option on Premium trim. Luxury, Limited and Ultimate also come with all-wheel drive as standard. Base trim starts at $24,399 excluding taxes and is front-wheel drive only. You get Bluetooth and cruise with steering wheel mounted controls, automatic projection headlights, fog lights, air conditioning, rear-view camera, XM radio, remote keyless entry and alarm, 60/40 split rear seat with two-stage recline, front heated seats, windshield wiper de-icer and power windows and mirrors as standard.  

For an additional $2,300, Premium trim adds 17 inch aluminum wheels, roof rails, heated rear seats, blind spot detection with lane change assist and rear-cross traffic alert, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, front solar glass and rear privacy glass, heated steering wheel and dual-zone climate control. AWD is an additional $2,300 on two litre Premium models. If you specify the 1.6 T engine, you get AWD, 19 inch aluminum wheels and power driver's seat with lumbar adjustment. For an additional $4,100, Luxury trim gives you leather seating, proximity keyless entry with push-button start, panoramic sunroof, smart power liftgate, navigation and Premium audio with eight speakers. $3,550 more for Limited trim adds the 1.6 T engine, power passenger seat, rear parking assist sensors, HID headlights with dynamic bending light system and LED tail lights. Finally, if you simply have to have a fully-loaded Tucson, an additional $2,950 for Ultimate trim adds autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, ventilated front seats, LED headlights and chrome grille and exterior door handles.  

The test model supplied by Fowler Hyundai in Brandon was the Tucson 1.6 T Limited AWD with a sticker price of $36,649. The new engine is actually eight horsepower down on the old naturally aspirated 2.4 litre engine in the 2015 Tucson, but the benefit of turbocharging is that it has 10 per cent more torque and maximum torque is available lower down the rev range from 1,500 right through to 4,500 rpm. This, combined with the very slick-shifting seven-speed DCT, means very smooth and brisk performance right through the rev range and thanks to the smaller engine using less fuel when cruising, I achieved a very respectable 9.6 litres per 100 kilometres average (Hyundai claim 9.2), even with some spirited driving and this is also a 10 per cent improvement on the 2015 car.  Hyundai's service intervals are every 6,000 kilometres for both engines.

A typical trait of DCT transmissions is that they can be a bit tricky to drive smoothly at low speed. Although this one is no exception and there is a bit of initial turbo lag, I acclimatised to it very quickly and this soon ceased to become an issue. The "manual" mode also offers slicker shifts than any auto that I have reviewed to date and was genuinely satisfying to use. The standard Drive Select system on all models offers three modes: Normal, Eco and Sport. Eco optimises fuel economy, whereas Sport mode sharpens the throttle response and adds more weight to the steering, making it very satisfying to hustle down a twisty road. The ride is smooth and there is very little engine and wind noise transferred to the cabin, but thanks in part to the 45 section tires on 19 inch rims standard on models with the 1.6 T engine, road noise is relatively high.  If comfort and refinement are more important to you than performance and handling, then you may prefer the 60 section tires on 17 inch rims standard on two litre models.

The AWD system runs 100 per cent of drive to the front axle most of the time for fuel efficiency, but can transfer up to 100 per cent of drive to the rear axle in slippery conditions. There is a button that will lock it into a 50/50 split front/rear for really tricky conditions, which will automatically disengage when you reach 70 kilometres per hour.

The cabin is comfortable, attractive, well-laid out, of good quality and feels like it will wear better than Hyundai interiors of old. The white and blue interior lighting is also very soothing when driving at night and the LED interior lights are a nice, classy touch. Rear passengers have an extra three inches of rear legroom compared to the 2015 car thanks to a longer wheelbase. 

The rear cabin is comfortable for two adults, but less so for three, as the transmission tunnel intrudes and hip and shoulder room are tight.  Unlike the Jeep Cherokee, the rear seat does not slide forward, but you get a wide load area as standard with 877 litres, 20 per cent more than the 2015 Tucson and 25 per cent more than the Cherokee.

My top pick would be the Premium trim with AWD in terms of value versus features. The two litre is a bit lacking in firepower when compared to its compact crossover rivals and whilst $2,300 extra for the 1.6 T engine is not an insignificant amount, when you consider that also gives you the DCT transmission and is about seven per cent more fuel efficient and quicker, it is probably worth it.  

The Tucson's biggest rival is probably in-house, as the slightly bigger five-seat Santa Fe Sport has more power, more passenger space, a considerably larger load area and can tow up to 3,500 pounds.  The base, Premium and Luxury models carry roughly a $3,000 premium over the equivalent Tucson, but for the top-spec SE and Limited models with the two litre turbocharged engine (265 horsepower versus 175 horsepower in the Tucson), the premium is less than $1,000. Food for thought for the value-conscious family buyer. However, the Santa Fe Sport is now in its fourth year, so some might prefer the more contemporary, chunky styling of the Tucson, which is arguably one of the best-looking vehicles in its class. Also, the Tucson is more efficient and is available with the more modern DCT transmission. However, both models are excellent choices and taking into account standard equipment, Tucson is on average around $1,600 less expensive than its direct rivals spec-for-spec and together with typically excellent finance and lease deals, Hyundai is usually one of the more affordable options. All things considered, this Tucson is probably one of the best vehicles that I have driven so far this year.