India's first compact SUV. Review on Hyundai Tucson

The newest SUV on the block, the Tucson. The Hyundai Tucson is India’s first compact SUV. It is positioned to compete against the likes of the Honda CRV and the Subaru Forester. But considering Hyundai’s ‘budget company’ image here, why did they launch a vehicle at such a level? They do have a valid reason. It is just that the Tucson is the only diesel-engined SUV in its class. It has a very potent CRDi engine, for which Hyundai is quite popular. So Hyundai is laying all its hopes in this engine for the success of this vehicle. So does this car have more than just its advantage of a diesel engine? Moreover, does the diesel engine itself pose a big advantage in reality? To find out more about the new Tucson, read on.

Design- The Hyundai Tucson’s design is largely inspired by its larger brother, the Santa Fe. But it looks much more purposeful than the bulbous Santa Fe. The front looks typically Hyundai, thanks to those headlamps. The inner recesses aren’t very attractive though. The bumper at the front gives the Tucson a rugged look. The Tucson is based on the Elantra, hinting at its ‘soft roader’ status. The Tucson is constructed on a monocoque so off road ability will be sacrificed to an extent. When viewed from the side it looks very stylish. The sloping D- pillar makes it look compact. The somewhat angular wheel arches are just excellent. The alloys are large and very good looking. The rear is good looking, and you can open the glass on the tailgate separately, which a very practical feature. On the whole the Tucson’s design is a mixed bag with certain good aspects and with a few negative features. When viewed from certain angles, it looks very quirky. The Tucson may look good enough for most, but there is certainly some scope for improvement.

Interior- Though the Tucson looks very compact from the outside, it isn’t cramped inside. But neither is it very spacious. The front space is sufficient. The seats have fabric upholstery and can be adjusted manually. The steering wheel is ergonomically placed, but there is no leather on it, which is a small setback. Anyway, lets move on. The dashboard reminds one of the Prado. The aluminium finished strips on either side of it are of reasonably good quality, but the switches and plastics in some other areas are not quite up to scratch. The rear passengers do not get much space, and since it is an SUV it is one striking disadvantage. The seats are comfortable though, and are nicely supported. Luggage space isn’t great, but will be good enough for a few shopping bags plus perhaps a matchbox. So the Tucson’s interior is a fairly well organized one, with good quality, but it doesn’t score high on practicality.

Engine and performance- The engine of the Tucson is basically the same unit as the one on the Elantra. It is a 2 liter common rail diesel engine that produces a decent 115 bhp of power. The engine’s refinement as quite good though you can easily make out that it runs on diesel. This engine is supposed to be the USP of the Tucson in India, since there is no other diesel soft roader option available. Moreover, this should allow it to get an edge over the very popular CRV.

Torque is available from low down, thus giving it good driveability. The gear shifting is smooth and precise. The power of the Tucson is much lesser than that on the CRV. But because of it being lighter, the performance is quite good. Initial pickup is good, propelling the Tucson to 60 km/h in a reasonably good 5 seconds. Overtaking won’t require much effort, and you won’t find yourself wanting for more power. The sprint to 100 km/h takes 13 seconds, which is just about okay. The top speed that it manages is around 175 km/h. In city driving conditions, the Tucson doesn’t require much gear change. On the whole, though you can’t call the Tucson mighty in the power and performance stakes, it is decent, and very good driveability helps in being practical for city driving.

Dynamics- This vehicle was directed at being more of an on road performer than off the road. And this makes it as easy to drive as a car. The suspension is a little stiffly sprung, so low speed ride quality isn’t really all that good, but at higher speeds it soaks irregularities rather well. One of the plus points is the handling. The steering feels sharp as well as precise, and body roll is quite less for an SUV. You can throw it at corners at high speeds with confidence, and it does tackle them well. It really excels in this aspect of handling, and it is perhaps a little better than the CRV too. Regarding the off road performance, the Tucson won’t disappoint, and it is considerably better than the CRV. It can go on somewhat rugged terrain, but don’t expect too much. It is just a city SUV.

Fuel economy- As I already mentioned, the diesel engine is its USP. But for that statement to be justified, its fuel economy should be good. And it doesn’t disappoint. In city driving conditions, it can manage 10 km/l and close to 13 km per liter on the highway won’t be difficult. The average economy in mixed conditions is approximately 11 km/l and this combined with low diesel prices compared to petrol makes it very economical. Even more importantly, it not only gives you more km per liter, compared to the CRV, but also reduces the amount of money spent on fuel considerably due to the fact of it running on diesel.

VERDICT- The Tucson is certainly a very good car. I had first asked two questions; the first was whether the diesel engine really gives it a considerable advantage over the CRV. It does, and this shows in the fuel economy figures. But the other question; if it had any real good pros other than its diesel engine was really the decider. I have to say that it isn’t as good as the CRV in many a place, and is really a mixed bag. The looks are okay, but the interiors aren’t as practical as one would expect. The places where it gains an advantage is in the dynamics and of course the fuel efficiency. The handling characteristics are very good, and it manages to be a little better than the CRV here. So though on the whole the Tucson isn’t as good as the CRV, I am tempted to say that it is a very good and more economical alternative to Honda’s city SUV. Priced at 13 lakhs approximately, it is also a little cheaper than the CRV.

STYLING- 9/10

BUILD QUALITY- 8.5/10

FIT AND FINISH- 9/10

INTERIOR- 8/10

ENGINE- 9.5/10

PERFORMANCE- 9/10

RIDE- 8/10

HANDLING- 9.5/10

FUEL ECONOMY- 9.5/10

VALUE FOR MONEY- 9/10

THE GRAND TOTAL- 89/100