The low sticker price may be hard to fathom especially considering the lengths Hyundai went through to design the Tucson’s exterior and giving it that torque-y diesel. However, the savings have to come from somewhere, and in this case, it’s in the cabin. Overall, it’s not really offensive, but the effort could be better. The Tucson is finished in brown with silver trimmings. From the photos, this scheme looks inviting (and it is), but the execution lacks quality. It’s plain and feels as if it was lifted off a home appliance. Unfortunately, this treatment extends to the steering wheel, where the odd 9-3 angle makes it hard to hold.
It’s not all bad news from the inside though, as the Tucson is filled with commendable things. For instance, the seats are comfortable. Finished in high-grade fabric, it’s bum-friendly. There’s good adjustment too, making way for a good driving potion for just about any body type. Despite the cookie cutter materials, the Tucson feels as solid and sturdy as any Japanese compact SUV (sometimes even better). Feature-wise, it’s a heavy-weight too with a wonderful JVC audio system with auxiliary audio jack (iPod owners rejoice) as well as 60/40 split-fold seating. Too bad though, there’s absolutely no safety equipment on board be it airbags or anti-lock brakes. Aside from the disc/drum brake set, there’s little else that will halt the Tucson confidently (the brake pedal feel is consistent and fade-free though).
On the road, the Tucson feels like any typical car-based SUV: comfort-oriented rather than corner-biased. There’s some impressive levels of grip, but because of the high torque figure, expect some wheel spin hijinks when the throttle is unloaded. There’s some generous understeer, but overall the Tucson feels poised and controlled.
The Hyundai Tucson’s take on the compact SUV is unique neither because of its shape nor its driving characteristics, but because of what’s under the hood. Clearly, the Tucson is made to traverse the urban jungle, but it can still do the out-of-town trekking once in a while, granted you don’t need the security of 4WD. There are some shortcomings with the Tucson, but with the price, it’s a steal. If there’s a reason to consider buying a Hyundai aside from the Starex, it’s this one.
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| It's solidly built, but feels its price. Accommodations are generous though and even the transmission has a manual override feature. |
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| Seats are generally alright, but feels flat on longer journeys. |
