Hyundai Tucson 1.6T Elite: Can a Korean really compete with the Germans?

By Martin Pretorius

The mid-sized SUV/crossover market segment has seen incredible growth over the past two decades, with just about every mainstream manufacturer fielding a viable contender in this lucrative bun fight. It may have taken Hyundai a good few years to enter the fray, but when the first Tucson arrived, it made an immediate and lasting impact to become a hot seller, even in the face of the evergreen Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.

Its success was due to a number of factors, but two of the main reasons for the Tucson’s early popularity were its eye-catching styling and great value proposition. But how competitive is the third-generation Tucson these days, now that its pricing and quality has moved upmarket, while its opponents have greatly improved as well? Does the Tucson still have what it takes to take on the big guns from Volkswagen (Tiguan) and Kia (Sportage), let alone the fray of premium-branded compact SUVs such as the BMW X1, Mercedes GLA and Audi Q3?

Styling

There’s no denying that the current Tucson is a very handsome vehicle, and it’s not just because Hyundai’s “Fluidic Sculpture” design language translates well into an SUV, either. Every element of the Tucson’s styling was well-considered and skilfully blended by designer Peter Schreyer, to create a really attractive appearance. From the grille, with just enough brightwork, through the crease lines down its flanks, to its planted stance and spot-on proportions, the Tucson makes an very positive impression and sets itself apart from its peers.

Even when finished in a non-colour like our silver test car, its crisp lines and delicate surface detailing was eye-catching in any setting. The grille, bumpers and light clusters have been restyled slightly during its recent facelift and model range re-alignment, while new alloy wheels keep it looking fresh. There wasn’t anything wrong with the pre-facelift Tucson, mind you, so it’s more a case of refreshing the design to keep up with newer rivals than any effort to fix glaring faults. Looking for all the world like a smaller Santa Fe, the Tucson still strikes a sharp-suited pose in a field of mostly amorphous copycats.

The Drive

Seeing as the Tucson is a recent product of Hyundai’s design centre in Germany, its driving experience has a distinctly European flavour. Forget about marshmallow-soft suspension and sloppy dynamics, because this Tucson drives with all the control and unflappability of its best German opponents. The suspension is firm but well-damped, the (electrically-assisted) steering is quick-witted if rather uncommunicative, and the handling balance maintains its neutrality up to very high limits.

In fact, you could quite easily forget that this is a high-riding SUV, because it handles the twisties just about as well as a mid-sized sedan would. And don’t think that this competent handling comes at the expense of ride comfort, either, for the test car offered up a ride that completely belies its firm suspension, 19-inch alloy wheels, and low-profile tyres.

This is a far cry from the first Tucson and the ix35 that came after it, both of which had considerable wallow and pitch under duress. That the current Tucson manages such composure without the traction advantage of all-wheel drive (which disappeared from the range during the facelift) is just as remarkable as its well-gauged ride-handling compromise.

Performance

The Tucson doesn’t let the side down under the bonnet, either, where a 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine is paired to a 7-speed twin-clutch transmission (DCT). Outputs are competitive for this class at 130 kW and 265 Nm, and the slick-shifting gearbox keeps the engine doing its best work. The Tucson is a surprisingly heavy vehicle for its size, however, and its listed kerb weight of 1605 kg does have an effect on the performance on offer.

According to Hyundai, the 0 – 100 km/h sprint should take 8.9 seconds, although our test car definitely felt a fair bit quicker than those claims. Perhaps it’s because of the engine’s revvy nature, or maybe it’s because the DCT efficiently shuffles through a selection of fairly closely-spaced ratios, but there was a distinct impression of a few extra ponies installed under the bonnet. Pulling away from a standstill, it was easy to draw a brief squeal from the front tyres before the traction control would intervene, and a light tug through the steering wheel made it clear that a substantial amount of torque was being sent to the front wheels – nothing dangerous or scary, mind you, but noticeable nonetheless.

Space and Comfort

The cabin design follows current European trends, with a strong horizontal aspect to the dashboard, well-conceived ergonomics, and a colour touch-screen perched in the middle. This is where the recent update really makes its presence felt, because the infotainment system now features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as satellite navigation as standard. Other amenities include keyless entry and pushbutton start, dual-zone automatic climate control, automatic headlight- and wiper control, cruise control, a panoramic sunroof, and electric adjustment for the driver’s seat.

Perceived quality levels are very high, with soft-touch mouldings in all the right places and very good assembly quality. The seats themselves are Euro-firm but comfortable and supportive, although they (along with the steering wheel) are trimmed in simulated leather rather than the real thing. No matter, because it still feels suitably upmarket. There’s enough cabin space to accommodate 4 large adults or 5 normal-sized ones, with plenty of leg- and head room both front and rear. The luggage compartment is also sensibly-shaped and decently-sized, with a minimum of 488 litres available under a neat cover.

Safety

With a 5-star Euro-NCAP safety rating, 6 airbags, stability control, and ISOFIX mountings on the rear seat, the Tucson has all the safety aspects in the bag. Additional equipment in Elite specification to keep you safe on the road includes automatic, bending LED headlights, a rear-view camera and rear parking sensors, cross-traffic alert, and blind-spot monitoring.

It must be said that the blind-spot monitor was hyper-alert, and would often warn the driver about surrounding vehicles even after they’d passed out of the blind spot and into the rear-view mirror. This could become somewhat annoying in heavy traffic, and may cause the driver to turn the system off instead of allowing it to help keep a lookout for potential hazards. Nonetheless, Tucson buyers can rest assured that their cars will always keep their safety in mind.

Fuel Consumption

Hyundai claims an average fuel consumption of 8.5 litres/100 km, and in real life, the Tucson achieves that figure without really trying. Our average over a week of Gauteng driving resulted in an average of 8.8 litres/100 km, but it comfortably drops below the 7 litres/100 km mark in an open-road cruise. Conservative drivers will undoubtedly be able to better those numbers by a fair margin, so overall consumption is more than competitive in real life.

Price

This is where the Tucson’s only real downside appears, and for a very simple reason: European-level quality and abilities, and comprehensive comfort- and safety specifications, conspire to push the Tucson a fair bit more upmarket than its predecessors managed to go. The Tucson 1.6T Elite carries a pricetag of R574 900, which places it among some pretty classy machines such as the VW Tiguan 2.0 TSI (which has AWD as standard), BMW X1 sDrive20i (which is more powerful and has a nicer badge), and far beyond the likes of the Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4.

That said, the Tucson offers a blend of standard features and performance which largely justifies its rather steep price. The only question is whether buyers will understand this, given its ordinary badge.

The Verdict

The Tucson 1.6T Elite offers very few things you can’t find in its opponents, and the value proposition is a tad shaky at its price point. Yes, it’s very nice to look at, sprightly on the road, comfortable, well-made and good to drive, but these attributes can be found elsewhere as well, and at lower prices to boot. However, you can find all the nice features at a far more reasonable price lower down the model range – the only downside would be losing that excellent little turbo mill. This isn’t the optimal Tucson, and for that reason, it’s a little harder to recommend. Rather look at a 2.0D Executive or a 2.0 Elite (petrol) and save a bundle of cash.

Expert rating:

3/5