Hyundai
Tucson 2 L Turbo Diesel, N Line – HTRAC AWD – A/T
Thank you, Hyundai SA, for the test unit and thank you IX
Online Motoring and Autoworld for the opportunity to write this review.
Desert
Rose
Introduction: This beautiful Hyundai gets its
name from the city located in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. The area is renowned
for its vast beauty, magnificent cacti, jagged mountains and has only 30 days
of rainfall per annum, thus creating the perfect habitat for many of the outdoor
enthusiasts that call Tucson home. The Marketing department of Hyundai, wanted
to position this modern SUV with all things outdoor in mind, so they fittingly named
it, the Tucson, for good reason.
After driving this strikingly impressive SUV around the gorgeous
suburbs of Durban for a little over a week, in both wet and dry conditions, I
can see why the Tucson is Hyundai’s number one selling SUV, with Sales of over
seven million units sold worldwide, since 2004.
Engine/ Drive/ Economy/ Comfort/ Space/ AWD: I
made full use of the Tucson’s 2 Liter turbo diesel engine’s 137 Kws and 416 Nms
of torque, especially when I heard about the biltong special at my local
butchery! I found the car to accelerate seamlessly through its eight-speed
automatic transmission and loved the little husky purr when dropping gears
whilst overtaking the slow-moving snails of our roads. The Tucson is Economical
with a claimed average of around 7.5 Liters per 100 kms but I reached 9.5 due
to my excited and heavy foot, this last Saturday and Sunday on route to the
rugby world cup quarter finals! The car has plenty of legroom, in fact so much
so, that I thought we were missing a row of seats and the boot space, with five
of my portly mates as passengers is a good 539 Liters. My test unit was the 4th
generation variant, with the sporty N line package, boasting an AWD system
known as the HTRAC AWD - Hyundai TRACtion All Wheel Drive, their most advanced
AWD system to date. HTRAC monitors 50 vehicle inputs over 100 times per second
to calculate the torque needed for each wheel. There are terrain settings for Sand,
Mud and Snow, with four driving mode settings, namely, Normal, Sport, Eco, and
Smart. Recent driving patterns are analyzed through high tech computers which
then automatically adjust gearshift intervals – super impressive. The vehicle
cornered brilliantly with its 19-inch alloy wheels holding the road like the Springboks
have held the Rugby World Cup for the past four years and are about to hold onto
it tightly again!
Interior/ Exterior: The cockpit looks superb
and is very well designed with ergonomics in mind. I loved the conveniently
located wireless car charging station and found the Android Auto (Apple car
play too of course) to be ultra quick, when linking to my Samsung. The large
infotainment screen is 20 cms and the digital display dashboard is 26 cms,
which can change colour and theme depending on which driving mode is selected. The
leather/ suede combo looks superb in this large cabin and is complimented with
some N badge branding in strategic places such as the gearstick and front
seats. The exterior looks modern, slick and I love the rear lights, evoking an
almost Mustang look, which adds to the sporty image that the N line is all
about. The electronic sunroof opens together with a sunscreen and I found that the
inside to be actually pleasantly quiet when open during town driving!
More than enough Safety Features/ Features: 5-star
rating from the Euro- and Australasian NCAP, Six airbags, Lane assist, Rear
cross traffic alert, Front and rear parking sensors with audio on and off, the
very nice to have adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring which I have
personally found to be one of the best inventions in the autoworld,
driver alert monitoring and forward collision warning, automatic (Sync
function) dual-zone climate control, rain sensing wipers, a heated multi-function
steering wheel, front seat warming and cooling, electronically adjusted front
seats and keyless entry and start, electric tailgate, auto lights and more.
Price/ Warranty: The Hyundai Tucson is sold at a
price point of around the R815000 mark, with a 5-year/150 000 km vehicle
warranty, 7-year / 200 000km drivetrain warranty and a 6-year/90 000 km service
plan.
In summary: According to Sting, the lyrics of his
song, Desert Rose, have to do with "lost love and longing". I do
believe that if you are looking for love in a vehicle and long to own a
fantastic set of wheels, then look no further than the Hyundai Tucson N Drive
HTRAC. It’s a head turning, good looking,
tried and tested SUV that has the bonus AWD safety feature, with a 180 mm
ground clearance, to get you to that dream destination. Live your life of
adventure in style and comfort and enjoy the ride!
*This article is written in my opinion only. For detailed
accuracy of all specs contact Hyundai SA*
