I’m frequently told that all cars look alike nowadays, the only differentiator being the badge on the bonnet. Well there’s no mistaking Hyundai’s Tucson SUV. It has an imposing front, that reminds me a little of the 1960s Dodge Charger RT, and the company’s stand-out styling has made it many friends in the showroom.
The front lights of the Tucson are shielded at the outer edge of the dominant front grille and provide an excellent level of light in terms of both spread and distance. It’s a neat styling touch that certainly makes drivers do a double take in their rear view mirror. This current generation was launched back in 2020 and it’s still turning heads.
My test model was the Premium full hybrid version priced at £38,140 and powered by a petrol 1.6-litre engine bolstered by a 44kw electric motor to produce 230 PS. Standard equipment across the board includes heated front seats and steering wheel, climate, automatic lights and wipers, LED lights, cruise control, heated and powered folding door mirrors, automatic dimming rear view mirror, parking sensors with rear camera, keyless entry and start, navigation, Bluetooth and wireless charging. It’s an impressive list.
Thankfully in an age of digital mania Hyundai have sensibly maintained some buttons rather than burying everything in the digital menu of the large touchscreen. The safety features such as lane-keep are relatively unobtrusive although a bit of a faff to switch off should you wish. Seating is very comfortable with multiple adjustment and no one will complain about a lack of space as there is plenty of room for all along with their luggage.
On the road the Tucson has plenty of power from its 1.6-litre engine and is both smooth and refined, although it’s never going to set your driving pulses alight there’s a very respectable 8 seconds to reach the benchmark 100 kph/62 mph. It isn’t meant to be a drivers’ car, this is a family and work machine capable of everything from the school run to chauffeuring for a black tie dinner. There’s an upmarket and special feel to the interior, not always a given these days and once you’ve mastered the push buttons for the automatic transmission it’s a genuine delight to drive. Having recently sampled the all-electric Ioniq 6 the Tucson may be more conventional in some aspects but it’s a very big tick in the box
for the Hyundai!
Words by Mark Slack
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