Taking the stress out of weekend cruising
Hyundai Tucson a versatile medium SUV
For those who want to reduce fuel consumption without having to experience range anxiety, or give up on the fun of driving, new hybrids offer more power and more safety in the vehicles we love.
And if you want to go a step further, a plug in hybrid offers fuel free commuter motoring for many people, with the advantage of stress free weekend cruising and trips.
The Hyundai Tucson is one of those vehicles we love — a roomy, medium sized SUV that is versatile and great to drive and full of features.
As the year ends, and therefore the clean car rebate scheme, Hyundai have an extra carrot for the Tucson buyer — a free upgrade to Elite model.
I drove the Tucson Elite PHEV from Rosetown Motor Group — a thoroughly modern family SUV with power that used to belong to a V8 Commodore Rosetown Motors were selling in the 90s, or a rival Falcon V8 from up the road.
No longer are hybrids a bit wheezy — the Tucson Hybrid offers a combined output of 169kW, the PHEV 195kW.
That said I tootled around town in stealth mode quite happily. Not actually stealth mode, but on electricity only which is perfectly fine for 40km/h commuting and shopping trips.
On the open the Tucson engages all manner of tech to deliver the power needed to the wheel that needs it, and no more.
That is unless you need to pass, or climb a hill, or simply want to experience acceleration. Then the electric more and all its torque gives a fantastic boost.
The 1.6 litre Hyundai turbo petrol engine is impressive enough alone, with 132kW and 265Nm, but an instant kick from electricity certainly helps.
I delivers the power via a six speed automatic transmission — with paddle shifters if you want to take control.
Hyundai claim the Tucson PHEV has an all electric range of up to 57km and a combined fuel use economy of 1.6l/100km. That compares favourably with other brands.
The upgrade to Elite model applies to Tucson and Santa Fe models, and in the case of the car I drove makes the $89,990 valued car available for $77,990 - plus the rebate if purchased before 2024, which isn’t far away.