Top-class, soft-touch family SUV

The best Hyundai we have driven yet, Weekend Wheels’ describes the Tucson

OUTH Africans love their SUVs as the plethora of them on our roads testifies and almost every vehicle maker has one in their stable, although some are better than others.

The Tucson stands its ground in the top echelons. Once you’ve spent some time with it, it’s easy to understand why.

It has an eye-catching design with the signature hexagonal grille and LED headlamps with flowing lines towards the back, a rear skid plate and twin exhaust outlet that gives it a bit of a macho presence.

The 18-inch alloy wheels fitted to the model we tested, fills the arches nicely. The exterior look and feel are duplicated once you sit behind the wheel and take a look around.

One of the things that strike you is the level of refinement and the overall quality of the interior which would not be out of place in any German-manufactured vehicle.

There are soft-touch materials across all the surfaces and the new horizontal layout of the centre console is an improvement over the previous models.

The front seats have long seat cushions and have electric power adjustment as well as two-way electric lumber support for the driver’s seat.

There’s dual zone automatic climate control with vents for the rear passengers, glove box cooling, cruise control and bluetooth connectivity for phones, and music all controlled from the steering wheel.

As with all Hyundais, the rearview camera is displayed in the rear-view mirror, which takes a while to get used to.

The two-litre CRDi turbo-diesel engine fitted to our test model is one of the better diesel derivatives in the market.

It delivers 131kW and 400Nm

Sof torque, fitted to an automatic six-speed gearbox powering the front wheels and even at highveld altitudes I found it very responsive with almost zero turbo lag.

You won’t get breathtaking, tyre-screeching performance, but it’s one of the better proper family SUVs on our roads with enough space to pack for a quick weekend getaway or a three-week family holiday.

The engineers have made the