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HYUNDAI TUCSON TAKES THE 4x4 BATTLE TO NEW HEIGHTSThursday 29 July 2004
It’s not too soon for the Tucson! Hyundai’s brand new sports utility four-wheel drive car goes on sale on 14 August; bringing a new dimension of style, value and space to the small SUV market.
The Tucson (pronounced Too-son) marks the new entry level to Hyundai’s 4x4 range and complements the existing larger Santa Fe and Terracan. The Tucson will compete against cars such as the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, Mitsubishi Outlander and Kia Sportage.
There are seven Tucson models to choose from with prices starting at £14,995 for the 2.0 16v GSI rising to £18,695 for the powerful 2.7 V6 CDX (full price list at end).
As well as conquest sales from other four-wheel drive cars, Hyundai expects to attract customers who have not previously considered a 4x4. The added attraction is that the Tucson is a five door only vehicle, competing against three door opposition.
The Tucson has a monocoque construction, and sits on a highly modified version of the current Coupe platform. There are three engine options (2.0 litre petrol, 2.0 litre common-rail turbo-diesel, and a powerful 2.7 V6), and two trim levels; GSI and CDX.
The 2.0 litre engine, which is a CVVT unit as seen in the Coupe, develops 140bhp@6000rpm, has 184Nm/136 lbs ft of torque on tap at 4500rpm, reaches a top speed of 108mph and performs the 0-62mph run in 11.3 seconds.
Hyundai expects the diesel version of Tucson to be especially popular in a segment where more drivers are switching to diesel. It produces 111bhp of power at 4000rpm, has a torque figure of 245Nm/181 lbs ft@1800-2500rpm, reaches a top speed of 104mph and does the 0 to 62mph dash in 13.8 seconds.
The top-of-the-range 2.7 V6 CDX has 173bhp on tap at 6000rpm, delivers 241Nm/178 lbs ft of torque at 4000rpm and has a top speed of 112mph. Its 0-62mph figure is a competitive 10.5 seconds.
The Tucson comes with either a five speed manual transmission or four speed semi-automatic ‘H-matic’ gearbox.
The Tucson returns excellent fuel economy; the diesel achieving 30.7mpg urban, 47.9mpg extra urban and 39.8mpg combined. The 2.0-litre petrol variant returns 26.6mpg urban, 41.5mpg extra urban and 34.4mpg combined.
The Tucson employs a ‘torque-on-demand’ four-wheel drive system, developed by industry experts Borg Warner. The car runs in front-wheel drive until it detects loss of traction, then the 4WD cuts in. It will then revert to two-wheel drive when adequate traction is detected. Additionally, at speeds up to 19mph, the driver can select permanent four-wheel drive for extra control when required at the touch of a button.
The Tucson is the ideal family car, with a highly versatile interior. The rear seats have a double folding operation, offering up a totally flat load area.
As is the tradition with Hyundai, the Tucson comes with a very high standard equipment list. All models feature six airbags, anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brake Force Distribution, power steering, traction control, air conditioning (climate control on CDX models), electric sunroof, double folding 60/40 split rear seats, CD player, alloy wheels and roof rails.
CDX models have in addition: cruise control, leather seat facings, electric heated door mirrors, heated front seats and metal grain centre console.
The Tucson comes with Hyundai’s five year unlimited mileage fully transferable warranty – and joins the only 4x4 range with a manufacturer-backed warranty for a full five years.
Hyundai expects to sell around 3,500 examples in the UK in 2005, while worldwide sales are expected to reach 200,000 units by 2006.
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