INSIDER TRADING
SUV WITH AN INTERIOR THAT’S ON THE MONEY
HYUNDAI TUCSON ELITE Price as tested $39,169 This month 1221km @ 10.4L/100km Overall 2506km @ 10.4L/100km
I’VE GONE A month now without cleaning the interior of my long-term Tucson Elite and, with two young kids, it looks more like a year – but this is somehow still a lovely place to sit.
I’ve travelled a couple of thousand kilometres in this 2.0-litre petrol, non-turbo, front-wheel-drive, sixspeed automatic family hauler, and it’s been hard to find fault with the quality and comfort of its cabin.
Starting from the driver’s seat, the Elite grade’s leather-trimmed pews proved themselves over a 300-kilometre round trip, with excellent support in the seatback, base and thighs. Bolstering is likewise good, although obviously not cosseting to sports-car levels. The heated seats are also welcome in this winter long-term test.
Moving into the rear invites cliched thoughts of Doctor Who’s Tardis, thanks to Australia’s version of the Tucson being the 2755mm long-wheelbase design.
At five-feet-nine-inches tall, I can sit comfortably behind my own driving position with plenty of knee room and a spacious area beneath the driver’s seat to wiggle my toes.
Headroom is likewise good (there’s no space-eating sunroof in my tester), and the rear seats recline for extra road-trip comfort.
Space across the second row is good for a mid-size SUV, with room for three average-sized adults to sit comfortably – if a little cosily.
The Tucson’s low-rise transmission tunnel also means the middle passenger can keep their feet close to centre, rather than stealing too much footroom from the outboard passengers.
There’s heating/cooling vents in the rear of the centre console, but with ‘only’ dual-zone airconditioning on offer, you’ll be at the front row’s mercy for temperature and fan control.
For young families, there’s two pairs of ISOFIX points in the outboard positions, and three toptether points. This means you could
potentially fit three child seats across the second row, although it could be a squeeze – and the middle seat would miss out on the extra security of ISOFIX, leaving you only with the tether and seatbelt pass-through.
Access is good, too, with wideopening rear doors perfect for getting the kids in and out – but those doors are long, so watch for damage to neighbouring cars.
In terms of storage, the Tucson offers a cavernous 539 litres in the rear (1860 with the second row folded), but otherwise it doesn’t really move the game forward. There’s a useable cubby under the centre stack (with wireless charging), a deep centre console and a reasonable glovebox, but the door pockets are nothing special – you wouldn’t fit a classic Melways on its side in the front pockets.
The front cupholders are large, but the rear centre cupholders won’t take the kids’ 400ml Camelbak Eddy Kids drink bottle (my experience at school drop-off suggests this bottle is a bit of a universal standard).
Back to the boot, there’s a wide and tall opening with a flat loading surface, allowing you to slide heavy items straight out. There’s nothing on offer in terms of under-floor storage, thanks to the full-size spare wheel, but you could store a few small items in the wheel’s cavity. And while you get a net that can be hooked at all four corners, looping your shopping bags around the tiny built-in bag hooks is fiddly. Some larger flip-out hooks would be welcome.
There’s nothing here that can’t be easily overcome, though, and the new Tucson’s cabin is an easy place to recommend you spend some time.
Next month, before we wrap things up, I’ll explore the new Tucson’s infotainment system – and talk a little about Hyundai’s overbearing lane-keep assist system…