Changing faces
HYUNDAI TUCSON HYBRID
£32,255
FOR Bold looks, drives neatly, well integrated tech AGAINST Not as cheap as Hyundais used to be
Hyundai describes the new Tucson as “a design revolution” for the brand. It’s not kidding. In an incredibly saturated corner of the market – the middlesized SUV-thingy – it’ll stand out. Which is exactly the point. Whether you like the look its Parametric Hidden Lights lend it or not, it’s surely got your attention among the Qashqais, Karoqs and Tiguans of this world.
Backing up the bold styling is a tech-packed interior and a mixture of powertrain options, all 1.6 petrol turbos but hooked up to varying degrees of electrification. There are two mild hybrids, with 148bhp or 178bhp and optional four-wheel drive. Then there’s the big-h Hybrid we’ve tested here, which adds a 44.2kW electric motor for a 227bhp total and 4WD – and a Terrain Mode system – as standard. And on the horizon there’s a plug-in hybrid version, which’ll boast 261bhp and around 30 miles of electric-only range.
Even the simple art of operating this car proves Hyundai isn’t afraid of alienating previous Tucson buyers. If you are in an automatic version, like the car you see here, then gone is anything resembling a traditional stick in the middle to physically clunk through park, reverse, neutral and drive. Instead you’ve got a vertical line of buttons, very similar to those you’ll find in the middle of a McLaren.
All told, though, this car isn’t extraordinary to drive... yet. Perhaps a bombastic N version will follow. But it’s more than good enough for the task at hand. It’s sharp (enough), nimble (enough), and it welcomes a bit of enthusiasm if you want to get home quickly, while feeling more in its comfort zone when you don’t.
A shout out for its vast swathe of driver assistance systems, too. Our favourite lives within the TFT dials, either the speedometer or rev counter displaying a hi-res camera feed from the left or right of the car, depending on which indicator you’ve flicked. It’s blind spot monitoring plus, basically, and it’s fantastic for keeping one eye on the road while the other watches for rogue Deliveroos zipping past.
The first-generation Tucson was odd looking – and not in an especially confident way – while the two cars which followed it were anonymous beyond belief. This MkIV is a real statement and proves how broad-shouldered Hyundai is getting, arguably an essential approach to attract any attention in what is perhaps the most crowded (and aesthetically homogenous) genre of the car market. If former Tucson buyers don’t like it, then maybe that’s the point.