Hyundai Tucson

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We purchased the Tucson for reasons most people purchase an SUV: increased ride height, ease of loading and flexibility when heading off road.

Ubiquitous on the roads, I'd only ever driven a Tucson on one other occasion - when hiring a car for a drive across New Zealand's South Island a few years back. Owner: Josh V

I purchased a new Tucson in November 2016 as a novated leasing package through work. This worked out well for me due to my line of work and repayments. The Hyundai replaced my 2011 Ford Fiesta Zetec which had a myriad of issues. From the get-go, it was issue after issue. The interior door handle came off. The Bluetooth would drop out constantly. The automatic transmission would shudder on take off. My car was one of the earliest cases of this shuddering issue. Sometimes it would happen mid drive. I returned it to the dealership who explained to me that it was the way I drove it, but I knew it wasn't the case. Eventually Ford repaired the car and tried to explain to me that the transmission was like this due to being a manual transmission, but "turned into an auto". Yep, that's how car dealers speak to women unfortunately. This is the reason I didn't go near a Kuga as a replacement. My Hyundai on the other hand is a turbo diesel. I really couldn't care less what model rolled into the driveway, provided it was automatic, had leather and a panoramic sunroof. My dad suggested a Hyundai Tucson as he himself works on cars in a panel shop. I was more inclined to check out a Veloster, but of course the practicality meant that I needed to be in a bigger car. I know that Korean cars have come a long way, so I wasn't completely rejecting the idea of driving one. Dad tells me i30's are made out of materials similar to that of a coke can, which was a bit offputting, but I still was going for the Tucson. Unfortunately the dealership experience was pretty poor in terms of getting pricing and a salesman to take a genuine interest in what I wanted in a car. Honestly, the moment I mentioned a novated lease, they all completely lost interest. I couldn't calls back from my local dealer after my visit where I barely got a GLIMPSE of the car, let alone a test drive. That's why I left it up to the lease company who sourced the car some 300km away. Rural dealers will always be keen to do do business it appears: take note. This isn't the first diesel I've driven as I very often drive Hiace bus's for work. My only gripe is the tractor like noise (like every diesel) and the servo not having enough diesel bowsers. That appears to be changing of late. Hyundai also kindly provided latex "diesel gloves" in the glove box which are pretty much food grade kitchen gloves. I've never seen anyone pull out their Hyundai gloves at the service station. Should I be the first? In terms of styling, I don't like the matte black trims around the wheel arches on most mid-size SUV's and sadly the Tucson was no different. I went the Pepper Grey paint so it wasn't as noticeable. In hindsight, that was a silly idea because I still can see it. Clever me. The rest of the car is well proportionate and I do like it's overall look compared to other cars similar to this from other brands. Technology is OK, but there isn't any Apple CarPlay. I connect my Spotify with a USB so it's still peachy. Don't ask how I managed this, but I still backed into a small tree with both the reverse sensors and camera in the car. Wireless charging wouldn't so astray but now I'm just picking on things. Space is adequate. I've moved house with it and most of my stuff can be jammed into it. The dogs are used to being in the back with the seats folded almost flat. The leather chairs are comfortable on long commutes as I was doing up to 200km per day for a while. I have to give it something though. I was a bit slack to service and did so around the 35,000km mark. The oil looked a little worse for wear apparently but the car was holding up just fine. Call me a bad car owner, but sometimes life gets in the way. I'd love if dealers could do a lube mobile kind of service for people who are equally as slack as me. Would I buy one again? Probably. But I really regretted my decision after seeing a Toyota CH-R. The Kona looks like my style too, different size but I don't mind it Should the Tucson live a trouble free life, then another Hyundai may be on the cards. After 65,000km though So far, so good. Thanks to Melissa for encouraging me to do a review in the comments. I didn't think people would want to read about my very unmaintained and neglected car . One day I will give it a wash.

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge CarAdvice for creating a great initiative for car aficionados and car owners alike to share their experiences, positive and negative. The model in review is a 2015 Hyundai Tucson Active X. For eagle-eyed readers, they would note that this is one of the 4-star rated Tucsons. This has not been of any concern to me as a 4-star vehicle today is still safer than a 4-star vehicle from, for example, 2005. People may ask why a 22 year old single male still living at home would buy an SUV as his first car. Why wouldn't I purchase something like an i30, a CLA250 or (my dream car) an SS V Redline? Well, here's my story and review. I had just secured a full time job and had been there for a few months when my daily ride, an E36, started to expire. We have an Accent at home so I considered Hyundai but nothing stood out at the time. Luckily, I knew some friends in the auto industry so they invited me to drive the Tucson when it first came out. To say I was impressed (and still am) is an understatement. Much has been made of Hyundai's progress as a maker of cars but you really do have to experience it yourself to fully understand the scale of their achievements. Let's start with the overall package and features. You get automatic headlights with LED running lights, reverse camera & sensors, leatherette seats & steering wheel, automatically folding exterior mirrors plus Apple CarPlay/Android Auto capability. An impressive amount of kit for 2015 but not so impressive in 2017. Having driven a few company cars, the advent of smart keys has been really convenient and handy. Bags of shopping anyone? At least Hyundai compensates with a standard alarm on all Tucsons. There's also that classic scenario of parking at Westfields next to the concrete pillar, head first. Reverse Cross Traffic Alert would be really handy when getting out! However, for a first car, the standard features exceed most needs and probably adds even more nice little touches. Things like a digital speedometer, configuration for the auto locking & unlocking, reclining rear seats. But the coolest one is that the instruments dim automatically depending on the ambient light. How cool is that?! In terms of maintenance and aftersales, servicing is capped at a very affordable $279 per annual/15000km visit. And insurance for under 25's won't break the bank either, which a lot of first timers tend to overlook. Now to the nuts and bolts. Even 2 years later, the chassis remains the highlight of the Tucson. It handles with the fluency that reminds me of RWD cars such as the E36 and the Commodore. It inspires a lot of confidence when handling and can make even amateurs feel comfortable pushing the limits. In a FWD SUV! You can feel all four corners working together, and you can quickly and safely ramp up the pace on a set of twisty backroads without ever feeling like you're out of control. The seat-of-the-pants feel is almost intimate, without sacrificing the suppleness of the ride quality. There is an almost Germanic feel to the chassis yet there is also a distinct Aussie flavour as a result of the local tuning. Riding on 18's, you'd expect a firm edge to the ride and whilst the car feels very planted, it's like it just wafts over the road. It's a pleasantly engaging yet cosseting experience. Likewise the steering. Sharp, accurate and you can feel exactly how much you're turning the wheel without ever feeling artificial and gluggy. Some dislike the strong self-centering action but I reckon it makes it feel more natural. Wish the same could be said for its brake feel. Not very linear but still very feelsome nonetheless. Folks, this is a Hyundai! The drivetrain isn't as impressive however. It's very quick for its figures, and the economy we have been getting has been impressive. The combined ADR figure is 7.9L/100km. We have been recording mid 8s; our worst ever figure was 9.7L/100km. The gearshifts are almost DSG-quick, very smooth and intuitive. It's like it knows how I drive! (And I drive like a nanna) However, it lacks low end torque, meaning stop-start traffic creates monster gaps when taking off. At least the Drive Mode options do as they say. You can feel the difference in braking, accelerating and steering. Not often do these gimmicky modes actually do what they say on the tin! The exterior design still draws positive looks to this day and why shouldn't it? The ladies also seem to appreciate it so guess it's not a bad option after all! The interior on the other hand is understated but still classy. The blue lighting lifts the ambience and the artificial leather is hard wearing and easy to clean. Fit and finish is superb for a 35K vehicle, as is the tactility and user friendliness of the controls and interfaces. Some premium brands (Euro & Jap) surprisingly fail to match this standard. One car even had unstitched coverings for its sunroof! The lack of sat nav is not a real negative as Apple CarPlay has proven to be exceptional. Once Hey Siri is calibrated, you won't even need to use the touchscreen anymore. The speakers are lacking in bass a bit but turn up the volume and you won't notice. It is also a very quiet place to be. On a trip to Jindabyne, the only noticeable noise was wind noise which even then was barely perceptible at 110 clicks. The doors also close with a very solid yet soft thud. The refinement is unbelievable. This is a car you can keep for 5-10 years. The reclining rear seats also fold flat to reveal a flat cargo area (with luggage net) and a full sized spare wheel underneath. Things to change? Maybe some of the fancier tech as standard but that's just really being picky. LED tail lights and headlights as an option would have been nice. But critically speaking, the car needs rear air vents standard on all models, not just the upper spec variants. All in all, the Tucson Active X has proven to be a smart buy. Not only is it practical, cheap to run and well equipped, it also offers a level of driving engagement that even some normal passenger cars cannot match. In simple terms, it is reliable, cheap to run, fun to drive, practical, has some of the latest tech and looks good. So really, wouldn't that make it an ideal first car?