Most manufacturers revamp their most popular models every couple of years. But Hyundai, has always put in that extra effort.
As they did with their premium hatchback, the i20. It was now the turn of the Hyundai Tucson. It is not just a minor revamp, but a complete makeover.
The Hyundai Tucson takes the best design elements from everything there is in the market and puts it together convincingly in one package.
This new Tucson, sports a fresh new design, which will surely shake up the premium-SUV segment in India.
You can expect to see these design cues handed down to other cars in the company’s portfolio.
The 4th generation Tucson has been redesigned from tip to tip. You can see the company’s new design language unfolding.
The new Tucson has grown in size. It is now 150 mm longer than the previous generation, at 4630 mm. The wheelbase is also up by 85 mm and is now 2755 mm. Which is marginally less than the 7-seater Skoda Kodiaq, which has a wheelbase of 2791 mm.
This increase has translated into 80 mm increased legroom for the rear passenger and an additional 56 litres in the boot, taking it up to 540 litres.
Exterior Design
The 2022 edition has a unique cascading headlight design, which flows smoothly into squared wheel arches and complements the bold creases on the bodywork.
At the front, the grille captures the onlookers imagination. It covers the entire nose of the SUV and has the headlights incorporated into its structure, making the Tucson look much like a concept car!
The headlights sit quite low on the body and function as both headlamps and fog lamps. When switched off, it looks like facets of the grille.
View the Tucson from the side and you notice the squared wheel arches. The black roof pillars have silver accent arcs from the base of the windscreen to the tailgate.
From the rear, you see the concealed rear wiper, behind the roof mounted spoiler. Hyundai’s logo is integrated within the rear windscreen itself.
The rear lights are a combination of a thin full-width bar and straked elements. The rear bumper uses the mesh theme from the front of the Tucson. It sits above a silver skid plate which retains the sharp-edged design of the bodywork.
Interior Design
Hyundai never disappoints with the interiors of their vehicles. And the Tucson is no exception.
The design language is contemporary, materials used are robust and the infotainment system is user friendly.
The buttons and switches are designed ergonomically and give necessary feedback while using. The overall experience inside is nicer than the competition, who tend to use a lot more hard plastic.
In terms of space, there is enough for all the passengers and their luggage as well. As mentioned, legroom and boot capacity has increased.
With a lot of options for adjustment, the driver can dial in a comfortable position with relative ease.
As with the silver accent on the exterior, the silver on the dash, which flows to the doors, accentuates the width and space of the SUV.
The front seats have a lot of room and have plush, supportive cushions covered in material, which feels good to the touch.
The driver has plenty of adjustment with the steering column and seat, to get into a commanding position. Aided by the large windscreen and thin pillars, the driver enjoys improved visibility.
The cabin has a lot of cubbyholes of varying sizes for you to place small items. And the cupholders easily hold large water bottles.
The lack of any instrument cowling opens up the view ahead for an airy feeling, with the driver’s display sitting like a tablet suspended behind the steering wheel.
All variants of the new Hyundai Tucson get a digital driver’s display. All dials and gauges are replaced with a sharp screen. It not just looks good, but you have a lot of opportunity to customise it as per your requirements.
You also enjoy a premium looking 10.25-inch touchscreen in the centre, which comes equipped with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and connects with Hyundai’s Bluelink App. That allows owners to keep track of their vehicles from the comfort of their mobile phones.
Safety Features
For the very first time, we also get Level 2 ADAS on the new Tucson.
There are a total of 19 ADAS features on this. With the most important being the one that judges the distance to the car in front accurately. At that point, it isn’t overly eager to brake or accelerate. And this whole setup feels intuitive and seamless.
Adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist, work well together to keep the Tucson tracking straight.
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems helps the driver a lot, especially when driving long continuous hours. It gives you that momentary relief for taking a sip of water and other small distractions, while driving.
Engine & Power
The new Tucson comes with a 2 litre naturally aspirated petrol engine mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The 2 litre turbo-diesel comes with an 8-speed automatic transmission.
The petrol variant accelerates in a smooth and linear manner. It feels great driving in the city, though the downshifts at times feel lazy. It’s engine has enough for high speed cruising, but seems to be missing that extra punch needed for quick overtakes.
On the other hand, the 186 PS diesel motor is punchy and offers sufficient acceleration for quick overtakes.
It also comes with a smart drive mode, which picks throttle/ steering setting of the Eco/ Normal/ Sport mode, automatically.
There is no manual transmission available as an option, but the diesel gets an AWD system with terrain modes comprising snow, mud and sand.
It uses a centre clutch to send torque (up to 50%) to the rear wheels when needed in varying terrain. It seemed to work well, but we need more time off-road before coming to a conclusion.
It also has a 4WD lock feature which provides power to all four wheels up to certain speeds.
With both the petrol and diesel, you do miss paddle shifters. Especially when you want to enjoy some spirited driving sessions!
Chassis & Handling
Testament to the engineering prowess of Hyundai is the capable chassis on the Tucson. For an SUV, it has nimble handling and good body control.
You are left pleasantly surprised with its controlled body movements. The body roll is present, but not glaringly obvious, when driving at gentler speeds.
The SUV tuned suspension flattens out most undulations and doesn’t get flustered with even bigger bumps. On some of the moon sized crater potholes, the Tucson suspension did bottom out. We guess there is a limit, even to SUV suspension!
Features
Hyundai is arguably the market leader when it comes to filling up their cars with ‘features’. You are almost always going to be surprised at the long list of features.
The Tucson is no exception, it gets a massive panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, connected car tech and more features you have come to expect in this segment.
You also get power seats with heating and cooling, 64 colours ambient lighting, multi-air mode where the airflow is from multiple vents, an 8-speaker BOSE audio system, sounds of nature where it plays soothing music, Alexa/ Google Voice assistance, OTA updates, multiple languages for the infotainment system and more.
Conclusion
The previous generation Tucson was a handsome machine. And the new Hyundai Tucson takes it up a notch with its futuristic SUV styling.
The new machine ticks all the correct boxes both from the outside and inside.
The engine variants available offer a refined driving experience. And there is enough space for the entire family and their luggage.
The new Tucson is no longer a budget option, it is a CKD and the price has crept up along with its desirability.
The petrol Platinum variant costs INR 27.69 lakhs and Signature variant costs INR 30.17 lakh. The diesel Platinum costs INR 30.19 lakhs and the Signature is priced at INR 32.87 lakhs. The diesel Signature AWD is priced at INR 34.39 lakhs (all prices are ex-showroom).