Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
REPORT 3
£37,400 OTR/£39,565 as tested/£425pcm
WHY IT’S HERE
Is Hyundai’s crossover as ambitious underneath as its looks suggest?
DRIVER
Andy Franklin
A BUSY FEW WEEKS FOR THE TUCSON. IT’S MANAGED TO DO NOT ONE but two summer family holidays in a short space of time. Which I know is a bit rich, but I’m only getting them in before the winter lockdown. I do often wonder if manufacturers send their cars to families before production starts to see how they cope – if they don’t they should, as it can be a brutal test.
For the first holiday we went as a full family in one car and then for camping in two cars due to the insane amount of equipment needed. So it was an all-round test for the Tucson. Those rear seats feel so humungous that even an S-Class would be envious. It’s comfortable, too, and while there’s loadsa bootspace for a family of four, larger families will want a roof box, which we opted for, although it adds considerable wind noise and you can’t open the sunroof. After two holidays the interior took quite a beating from three kids, but it’s robust. Although the tiny holes in the seats are a nightmare for removing sand...
I’ve mentioned the car’s tech before – it almost feels like overkill. You even get a warning to check the back seats when you stop, in case you’ve forgotten the kids. Thanks for reminding me they exist. Unfortunately I relied on the satnav, hell-bent on taking the most bizarre routes down some very tight country lanes. Those Lambo-esque rear arches never felt so wide. Eco mode is perfect for calm, refined motorway and urban driving, but on Devon’s hilly B-roads I often found when I needed more throttle I got a load of revs but not much more power, almost like driving a CVT rather than a normal auto. Best stick to Sport for those moments. It has responsive steering but I still can’t work out the ride. At low speeds it can feel really hard and then at cruising speeds it’s nice and soft.
But all in all it survived and for a family car at this price it really is an option worth considering rather than the default Nissan Qashqai.