LOOKS AREN’T EVERYTHING

HYUNDAI TUCSON 2.0D ELITE SPORT

Hyundai South Africa has enjoyed prosperous growth in the South African landscape, one of few manufacturers reporting positive figures year on year even in this newsworthy economic decline. In 2017, Hyundai SA developed the first Tucson Sport to flatter a customer base they thought they had. The plan was good, and more than 500 were snapped up.

It must be said that from the onset, the development of a sportier Tucson was entirely an in-house decision. Hyundai SA has transformed this car using aftermarket technology and products fitted locally and there’s something quite telling about this context. Driven was fortunate enough to spend considerable time in the range-topping Tucson Sport turbodiesel during the festive period and it certainly got heads turning.

IT LOOKS THE PART

The Tucson is a decidedly good-looking SUV and in the Sport guise, it goes from good looking to downright menacing. The car sits on 19” blackened alloys and thanks to a spoiler kit that surrounds the entire vehicle, it also sits much lower. It’s at the rear where a quad of large tailpipes separates the original bumper from the new spoiler for a truly mean looking machine. They’ve also added rear privacy glass as a final touch.

Its head-turning facade is in surprising contrast to the interior – the very same interior you’ll find in any Elite product. There’s no obvious detail that sets the car apart. That’s not faulting the cabin in itself, which spoils the driver and passengers with a wellappointed and ergonomically sound design.

The introduction of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to the range is an expected addition at this price level, but the lack of additional USB ports was sorely lacking, particularly for a family of five travelling long distances. There are two such ports in the Tucson, one in the front and one in the rear.

DOES IT PLAY THE PART?

The diesel variant of the Sporty pair is powered by a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine that delivers a healthy 150 kW and an even beefier 460 Nm of torque. The torque delivery is feisty, coming on strongly between