New Hyundai Tucson ticks all the boxes

Hyundai and its sister company Kia operated on a simple premise: make a good car and sell it cheaply. That was in the past when they brought out competent versions of models that had been the mainstay of more established brands. After the global shake-up in the automotive industry, the Korean brands are on the riseand that has seen a shift in the model line-up too.

Take for instance the new Hyundai Tucson. The first-generation Tucson debuted in 2005 to compete in the mid-size SUV segment. While it wasa reasonable car, it is best forgotten, and that's what the engineers at Hyundai have done too. They just scrapped the previous car and came up with an all-new design.

Taking it to the next level

You are no longer surprised when a new Hyundai or Kia ups the ante in their respective segments. Hyundai's done it with its latest iterations of cars such as the Sonata, among others; cars that are fully competitive with other vehicles in its class. It is no longera compromise to settle for one.

The new Tucson provides some stiff competition for its rivals. Take its looks: the hexagonal grille dominates the front end, with the lines flowing from the light clusters. A tribute to the ‘Fluidic Sculpture' design philosophy that Hyundai has adopted for its new generation cars.

A steeply raked A-pillar anda roofline that gently slopes to therear adds to its sleekness.

Cutting edge on the inside

The interior too has undergonea sea change. Hyundai has opted for what it calls the ‘X-design' around the dashboard - a sort of reverse parenthesis theme, which can be seen on the steering wheel spokes and in the way the main dashboard moulding meets in the middle. The air-con vents and an engine Start/Stop button are designed like blades on either sides. The twin pod instruments and the dial design looks cool in its blue theme, and is easy to read.

Finding the ideal driving position is easy in the driver's seat. All very ergonomic, with the switches and buttons in easy reach. The seat allows for the typical high perch of SUVs, which is useful in the cut-and-thrust of UAE traffic, but rear visibility is not the best in its class. The blind shoulders can be a bit worrying as the glass areas are relatively small.

There is a lot of plastic in the cabin, but the pieces are very well put together and appear solidly built. No soft padding here, what they do have is put together with a lot of style. There is a lot of aluminium trim on the dash. The AUX/iPod/USB jacks are conveniently placed and clearly marked - something that's overlooked in many swankier brands.

Packed with features

I did not spend a lot of time sittingin the rear of the car, so I can't vouchfor long-distance comfort, but unless you're well over six foot, legroomand headroom should not be an issue. What my sons discovered, however, was that whenever they felt too claustrophobic - the high waistline and narrow windows behind cando that sometimes - they simply opened up the blinds on the panoramic sunroof. It's a great feature for a car of this price and in this segment. The 591-litre boot volumeis also very good.

That's another big plus point for the Tucson - the features. For instance, all Tucsons (at least allthose in the UAE) get a full-length sunroof (with blinds), keyless entry with a start/stop button, a driver's powered seat, semi-leather seats and ESP with Downhill Brake Control and Hill Start Assist. The version we drove even had climate control with ioniser and a luggage net.

The new Tucson comes with two thrifty and clean-burning petrol engines: the Theta-II 2.4-litre rated at 176hp, and a lighter and cleaner 2-litre version. We drove the 2.4-litre one. It is mated to Hyundai's all new six-speed automatic transmission.

When the going gets rough...

We drove the Tucson over a lot of rocky terrain, taking it across Kalba and into the Wadi Wurayah - fairly rough stuff for a car of the Tucson's calibre. But the Tucson took it in its stride, and you must concede it was hardly a drive in the park: the gravel on the narrow trails was loose in many instances and there were some pretty steep inclines.

The approach and departure angles are pretty good for a ‘soft roader'. We got by without any scrapes. Tucson's Downhill Brake Control function was very useful too. Like Hill Descent Control, it lets you crawl down steep declines at around 8km/h without braking. Activated by a button on the dash, it automatically applies the ABS brakes when going down a steep hill to maintain a constant, but slow downhill speed, preventing the wheels from locking up on slippery surfaces and allowing the driver to concentrate on the steering. I tried this on a steep downhill road, and it worked very well.

The engine is quite zippy and delivers its power seamlessly. The automatic shifts smoothly, thougha bit lazily. The engine can sounda little harsh if you press it hard, butit does rise to the occasion. And while it can get a little raucous doing its job, the job does get done.

The performance, if you are so inclined, should see it in the regionof 100km/h in around 8.5 seconds. But there's no reason why you should want to do that.

The Tucson's 4WD system is the on-demand type, sending torque to the rear wheels when it detects slip, but can be locked to split torque 50:50 between the axles. This is available only in the 2.4-litre model.

Another great feature is the rear-view camera that activates in reverse gear. Shifting into reverse gear automatically turns on the rear-view camera which provides a wide-angle view of the rear on a 3.5-inch colour LCD built into the rear-view mirror. A neat placement. The rear-view mirror is also autochromic, which means it automatically dims during night-time driving to reduce the glare of the headlights from vehicles behind.

Attractive indeed

The new Hyundai Tucson is certainly a strong package, offering striking design, a stylish, well-made cabin and technical competence, not to mention a lengthy equipment list.

With the buy-back schemes, anda starting price of Dh61,900 (going up to Dh85,000), it should help you cross the brand barrier.