With the new Tucson, Hyundai is emphatically showing a frivolous and cheeky side. The car certainly looks special for SUV concepts and already seems more memorable than its somewhat well-behaved predecessor. However, ‘daring’ is by no means synonymous with ‘good’, so the South Korean can prove himself in a test.
From the ‘dark chrome’ grille with hidden daytime running lights to the special rear with 3D LED bar, everything is special about the South Korean newcomer. That is commendable, although we can imagine that the expressive folds and lines in the flank are just too much of a good thing for many Europeans. The inside is also new and just as distinctive, but in a somewhat tighter style. Driver and passenger each get their own visual environment, thanks to a dashboard that is explicitly split in two. Not only does it look coherent and modern, it is also beautifully finished. Buttons and switches feel sturdy, the use of materials is perfectly fine throughout the car and the chosen drawing style is consistently applied. The whole is therefore particularly high-quality and the Tucson interior grows to the top of this segment.
Pleasant to deal with
That is nice, but at the same time the sleek and highly digitized whole suggests that design here has gone for ease of use. Fortunately, that turns out to be better than expected. Especially in the middle part, buttons and switches have largely been replaced by digital, touch-sensitive keys. That is a bit more stain-sensitive than the traditional form, but due to a logical layout and hitch-free response, the whole remains pleasant to handle. This also applies to the central touchscreen, which in the more expensive versions has a diameter of 10.25 inches. Hyundai and with that also Kia did well in terms of multimedia when it comes to the reaction speed of the screen and a logical and clear layout of the whole, but lagged behind when it came to design. That now comes to an end, because thanks to a slightly tighter color scheme, among other things, the screen fits nicely with the rest of the interior. Behind the wheel is a second, the same size, cocky without a canopy. With two digital ‘clocks’, this set of instruments is basically quite traditional in design. More expensive versions, however, get Hyundais Blind Spot View Monitor. That is not completely new, but in Europe we did not actually know it in this form. When using the turn signal, depending on the direction, the left or right meter changes momentarily in the image of a camera placed under the door mirror. Peering over the shoulder is thus actually superfluous, which benefits comfort and safety. Unfortunately, the system can only be found on the expensive Premium version. From the middle Comfort Smart version, the car does get the Highway Driving Assistant, which extends the standard Active Lane Keeping Assist with a smart adaptive cruise control that takes into account bends and other conditions.
Not an economy miracle
The Tucson does not make a lifeless impression. In the Hybrid, the combination of a 1.6 T-GDi petrol engine and an electric motor produces 230 hp, which is delivered to the front wheels via a traditional six-speed automatic transmission. At 1,539 kg, the South Korean is a sturdy boy, but he still gets off the spot very well. The hybrid powertrain also works very smoothly, without the shocks or unexpected reactions that sometimes surface with such a complex whole. The petrol engine sometimes switches itself off on the highway, but that is really only visible on the rev counter. An economy miracle is the Tucson, incidentally, with a consumption of 1 to 13.2.
On the way, the Hyundai makes little effort to hide its extra kilos. The car actually feels a bit obese and also appears somewhat distant. On the other hand, it scores well on the ‘comfort’ component. It is remarkably quiet on board and the chassis absorbs irregularities with playful ease. Still, the car is far from soft and leaning is limited. The Tucson not only feels heavy, but thanks to the high it is also quite large. As a driver you instinctively tower high above the other traffic. The car has a sofa that folds out of the luggage compartment, with an adjustable angle of the backrest. In the Premium Sky version tested here, rear passengers in the Hyundai also have rear seat heating, sunshades and a private climate zone.