Hyundai Tucson dressed for success
There’s more than a change of name for Hyundai’s new small SUV, the Tucson. There’s a change in attitude too, argues
Hyundai’s most influential car designer, Thomas Burkle, pulls out his phone to show me some pics of his New Zealand visit so far as we wait for our fish and chips at an Auckland restaurant.
The photo folder is full of zoomed-in close-ups of mosscovered rocks and pieces of driftwood – not quite the images I expected.
As the ex-BMW designer points out, such images of natural details provide the inspiration for his work. Herr Burkle has worked for the Korean carmaker for a decade as the head of the brand’s European design studio in Frankfurt, and developed the ‘‘fluidic sculpture’’ design culture that has shaped every Hyundai released since.
A Hyundai should be like a river stone, says Burkle, and look like it has been shaped by the passage of water. He then adds that the new Tucson sports utility vehicle (SUV) takes this design philosophy a step further.
‘‘It still has signature features like our octagonal grille, but the stance and proportions are different to anything we’ve done before.
They match the dynamics of the vehicle – it’s more responsive and emotional to drive.’’
There’s a further difference. It’s that I find myself personally attracted to the new Tucson and can see myself in it. I definitely couldn’t say the same about the slightly smaller ix35 that the new mid-sized SUV replaces.
That was a vehicle for real estate agents, personal gym trainers, and parents of primary school kids – all of the opposite gender.
By contrast, the Tucson appears shaped to appeal to everyman as much as everywoman.
There’s a visual toughness to its looks, and the lines seem sharper and more distinct. And much as I hate to swallow the corporate Kool-aid dispensed by the Hyundai’s leading designer, this thing does go as handsomely as it looks.
Good enough, in fact, to potentially knock the muchacclaimed Mazda CX-5 out of runner-up position in a mediumSUV sales war dominated by the rental fleet-fave, the Toyota RAV4. And ‘first loser’ in this segment is still a highly-desirable position to be in given that this is the fastest growing part of the New Zealand new car market.
Hyundai NZ might have just entered the epicentre of the sales action with something that could be applauded as the hottest product.
The new Tucson range certainly offers plenty of choice in terms of powertrains. There’s the pick of three engines, three gearboxes, and two routes for the powertrain energy to reach the road. You can opt for a 121kW/ 203Nm 2.0 litre direct-injection petrol four, a 136kW/400Nm 2.0 litre turbo diesel, or my recommendation – the 130kW/ 265Nm 1.6 direct-injection turbopetrol that punches well above its cubic capacity.
The two turbos come with adaptive all-wheel-drive systems that add extra grip to their road manners, the little 1.6 in possession of a seven-speed dualclutch robo-gearbox that amps up its effectiveness and efficiency.
The diesel comes with a sixspeed auto that’s shared with the 2.0 atmo-petrol; the latter engine drives the front wheels only and has the option of a six-speed manual gearbox.
All up, there are more powertrain bases covered here than by other medium SUV ranges, resulting in a huge price spread that stretches from $39,990 (entry-level 2.0 petrol manual) to $63,990 (2.0 CRDi diesel Elite Limited) once the three equipment tiers are factored in.
All the powertrains come wrapped in a body that is 65mm longer and 30mm wider than that of the ix35, with the front and rear wheels stretched a further 30mm apart.
The dimensional increases may be small ones but they take what was once the largest ‘small’ SUV on the market (ix35) and turn it into the one of the most capacious medium SUVs.
The Tucson is also much tougher than the more nebulously- named ix35, with high-tensile hotstamped steel chosen for most of the body construction, and the extra rigidity reinforced by an application of adhesives on all the welding joins. From such sturdy foundations, great improvements in handling dynamics and refinement result, judging by the performance of the newest Hyundais on the launch drive.
Countering this lift in appeal is that Hyundai hasn’t quite got some of the details right.
There’s no 1.6 front-drive turbopetrol model that could have offered the best performance-perpenny, no heads-up display, and the autonomous emergency braking system of Elite-spec Tucsons and upwards goes AWOL once the vehicle is slowed to 8kmh.
That said, move over CX-5, Nissan X-Trail, and RAV4. This Tucson has toughness wrapped up in a well-tailored tuxedo.