NEWS DRIVING IMPRESSION
BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE
Hyundai South Africa has
recently introduced the locally
developed Tucson sport.
Truth be told, we didn’t
really understand the previous
model but in a world currently
obsessed with performance
SUVs, it makes sense. Since
the previous edition of this
particular model sold more
than 500 units, Hyundai was
definitely on to something.
It’s hardly a blistering SUV
but it is a more entertaining
proposition than the
standard car. In fact, it might
even be the most usable
‘performance’ SUV out
here, as you can exploit its
potential more than in a car
with over 400kW.
In other word, you can push
the Sport to eight-tenths
regularly without proceeding
straight to jail. A quick jaunt
at Gerotek’s dynamic handling
track was enough to convince
us that the Tucson Sport
doesn’t bite when you push
it too far, even though it’s
available exclusively in front-wheel drive. It’s not the most
dynamic of machines but a
grand total of zero owners will
ever drive it the way we drove
it around that tricky collection
of twisties.
Then again, it’s not about
that, really. It’s about the feel-
good factor, which the Hyundai
has in spades.
Most of what makes a
performance car so special is
present and accounted for in
the Sport: aggressive styling,
a few special interior touches,
a turbocharged engine and a
louder exhaust note. All of
these should come together
to offer a driving experience
that might persuade its driver
to take the long way home
every day.
This time, Hyundai
is making the idea of
owning a Sport even more
attractive by offering a
diesel derivative. It’s not as
entertaining or aggressive
as the turbocharged petrol
but its healthy increase in
torque may just be enoughto convince the average
customer to rather go that
way. Having 460Nm on tap
certainly helps when you
want to overtake a truck,
which is a scenario the
average driver is more likely
to encounter than a series
of sweeping corners.
The petrol is a sweet
engine, 1 600cc, turbo-
charged and retuned to
produce 150kW and 300Nm
of torque compared to the
130kW and 265Nm of the
standard model. It’s mated
to a seven-speed dual-
clutch transmission.
The 2.0-litre diesel boasts
150kW and 460Nm, up from
131kW and 400Nm. This unit
uses the newer eight-speed
automatic transmission.QUIETEN DOWN, SONNY!
Nothing says sporty quite
like quad exhaust pipes.
They make a nice racket
in the petrol, while the
diesel remains muted.The rest of the package
is standard Tucson, in Elite
specification. This means you
get everything as standard,
with no boxes left to check on
the options list. The quality
is superb and the cabin is
well insulated from exterior
noises. Having said that, the
exhaust upgrade had led to
a constant drone at highway
speeds. We don’t mind it; it’s
easily drowned out by some
light music.
Hyundai has increased
the warranty on its vehicles
to seven years/200 000km.
Considering the average
customer tends to hang on
to his vehicle for longer, this
is a big selling point. A five-
year/90 000km service plan
is included as standard.
The only real controversy
here is the asking price. At
R654 900 for the petrol and
R664 900 for the diesel, the
pricing seems a tad steep.
A quick glance at our
Buyers Guide provides some
context. There’s a serious
lack of performance SUVs in
this price bracket, with the
only real contenders being
the Ford Kuga ST-Line, which
offers 177kW, 340Nm of
torque and all-wheel drive for
R100 000 less. A Volkswagen
Tiguan with a Golf GTI engine
and all-wheel drive retails for
around R70 000 less...
Hyundai keeps on churning
out great cars and the Tucson
Sport is another fine example.
It rightfully deserves to charge
a premium for its products
because they are exactly
that: premium.
However, it must take
care not to price its
products out of reach of
the market, especially with
such strong rivals.