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Test Drive – 2016 Hyundai Tucson SUV
By Mark Jessen - Sponsored Published: , Last Updated:
The all-new Hyundai Tucson is available now. Bringing premium design and all the technology you can handle at a competitive price. To test out all the features and capabilities of this medium SUV, we escaped the city and took the top tier ‘Highlander’ Tucson off the beaten track and headed on a glamping adventure down to ‘The Escape’.
Driving
From city streets, to highways, to dirt roads, the Tucson was definitely up to the challenge. The Highlander’s 4 cylinder turbo diesel engine is a sound performer. During the car’s development extensive tests were carried out with different damper, spring, stabiliser bar and tyre combinations to optimise the vehicle’s suspension and handling, and this certainly paid off, allowing us a smooth ride even across uneven surfaces.
The car’s active safety features were most noticeable along the freeway with the handy Lane Keeping Assist System which gave you a friendly ‘Lane Departure Warning’ if you strayed across the white-lines slightly. Intelligent features like Blind Spot Detection notifying you to objects in close proximity with alerts in the side mirrors made driving a breeze. Above 80km/h we were further comforted by the Autonomous Emergency Braking system that provides partial braking to reduce the severity of accidents and the Forward Collision Warning that warns of potential danger ahead via an audible alert to the driver.
Technology
Some of the most impressive aspects of the vehicle are its technology features, which are equal to anything you would expect from a more expensive luxury car. The proximity smart key, push-to-start ignition, large touch-screen display, rear view camera and heated (or cooled) electronically adjustable seats are just the some of the available options.
Around the back of the car the “Smart Tailgate”, was more intelligent than expected. When standing with the proximity key for more than three seconds within a metre of the car’s rear, the Smart Tailgate senses your presence and automatically opens. Something we found quite handy when preparing to load the car with arms full of luggage.
Design
The Hyundai Tucson looks just as comfortable in the city landscape as much as it does roaming around the bush. The chrome-faced hexagonal grill on the front of the car gives the car a sense of power while the dual exhaust and sleek rugged body gives the car a sporty feel.
The exterior also comes with side repeater lights built into the side mirrors and high intensity discharge LED headlamps at the front. These will automatically turn on when it reaches dusk or in dim light.
Interior
Sporting a spacious cabin in both the front and back seats, this medium SUV certainly wasn’t lacking leg room. High quality soft-touch materials allow for added comfort along with the 10-way electrically adjustable driver’s and 8-way adjustable front passenger’s seat.
One of our favourite features was the panorama glass roof. This thing is huge. The large twin-panels open up to give the car a sense of spaciousness as we drove along winding tree-lined country roads. When driving through the rain, looking up at through the massive glass roof was quite soothing.
Pricing
Please go the Hyundai website for all the latest pricing for the Tucson range.
Hyundai Tucson
