Hyundai Tucson 2.0 CRTD 4WD > Reviews (2)

I have no intention to drive off a proper metalled road (at least not deliberately), nor do I indulge in the daily school run with hordes of kids, bags, PE kit and the like. However when we changed the car last May we did decide to buy a 4x4 Hyundai Tucson (pronounced Toooson) 2.0 CRTD CDX.

Curiously the manufacturer describes this as a Sports Utility Vehicle or SUV. Now my image of a sports vehicle is low slung, cramped, goes like mad, makes heads turn; so certainly not like this chunky beast.

Best described as large 5 doorhatchback, it is a budget offering from Korea. Indeed the Kia Sportage shares the same Corporate ownership, running gear, many panels and fundamental designs as this one. However the Sportage retails approx £1000 cheaper than this model so the devil is in the detail of the specifications. Also Kia don't heavily discount for Internet buyers which makes them less attractive.

As you will by now have guessed, using the power of the Internet we were able to source our new Hyundai, albeit pre-registered with just 25 miles on the clock for some £4500 less than the recommended retail price of £19500. This was significantly cheaper than a comparable Kia offering from a warm glossy showroom. Yes, we lost 3 months warranty on the deal, but since Hyundai provide a full 5 years warranty in any case, this did not seem any risk.

The car was pristine on collection from a dealer who had clearly registered it, then failed to make a sale. The fact that Vehicle Excise Duty was suddenly whacked up to £240 per annum for the emission band for this vehicle, and the recent fuel price hikes must indeed have contributed!

Hyundai do not offer a particularly inspiring range of colours. But there is saying that a good horse cannot be a bad colour and that's exactly what our car is, a work-horse. It's a sort of nondescript fawn, which has the benefit of making it appear a little smaller, but best of all it's a super disguise for all the road dirt and grime which inevitably collects. A small snag for me is that not being over 6 foot tall, I actually cannot reach the roof to clean it without steps, so a good dirt colour is a must!

There are alloy wheels all round, including the spare, which means that the tyres can be rotated to extend their lives. Also, in the horrid event of a puncture (after the breakdown services have changed the wheel, since I would not attempt to lift it!), the journey could be continued at a sensible speed and not limited to the 50 mph imposed by the modern idiom of a space saving wheel. The tyre pressures are the same all round too, and helpfully for the non technically minded a prominent reminder of the correct pressure is clearly displayed inside the drivers door post.

The car is diesel powered , has a 6 speed gearbox, and is frankly more comfortable to ride in than many other cars that I have driven. Having said this, fuel economy is not a feature. Around the town you can expect to get 29 to 30mpg, but at motorway speeds, 42mpg is achievable.

The reality of ownership is therefore closer to 35mpg as a rule of thumb. Interestingly, loading the car does not seem to dramatically reduce fuel consumption, which again is different to other cars that I have experienced.

The cabin itself is light and airy with plenty of room for 5 decent size adults. An electric sunroof adds to the feeling of space, as does the light grey/fawn leather upholstery. I was worried this would be too light in colour to be practical but a quick wipe over soon sorts out any minor blemishes. The front seats are electrically heated too, so I am actually looking forward to a frosty day to give these a try. There are lots of cubby holes and storages places around the cabin, but one of the favourites has to be the sunglasses holder in the roof. Just right for Mr.Cool…….!

The radio/CD is effective, works and has lots of speakers about the place, quite enough for me. However if you are looking for a state of the art audio system with bells and whistles, this would not satisfy. There is no mp3 connection, but I can still route my phone via Bluetooth to the speakers, so it's not all bad. The car actually boasts 3 12 volt sockets, which is very handy for all the gadgets we seem to need these days.

The hatchback boot is simply cavernous, and with a lifting tailgate, much easier in restricted spaces than an opening door style. With the glass panel separately hinged too, often you can drop stuff in without actually having to lift the whole tailgate. The spare wheel is under the floor of the boot, with plenty of space to tuck the essential torch, warning triangle, bulbs and other bits which we all carry but hopefully don't actually need. Naturally, there is a retractable screen to cover any valuables left in the boot, and security is also helped by the tinted windows in the back of the car. You don't actually notice the tint whilst inside the car, but they do make it quite difficult to see anything that has been left inside. I would say this is useful these days when most of us studiously ignore the sound of car alarms, so prevention is better than cure.

The only indication when driving that this is anything other than a standard large hatchback is a discreet 4wd button the dashboard. Personally, I have not actually had the courage to push this, for fear of charging off the road, so cannot comment how it actually performs. Powered steering is standard, the brakes feel positive and the car is easy to drive. However parking is another matter. The height is no problem but the long wheelbase (which give the comfort on a run) requires accurate handling. Unfortunately parking sensors are not fitted as standard and the car could really do with these, since bits of it completely disappear from view in restricted spaces. I'm told this is one advantage of a wheel mounted on the back door, (unlike the Hyundai design), since you simply back up until the rubber wheel just bounces off!

Service intervals at 10,000 miles are reasonable, and the cost of main dealer servicing is not prohibitive (typically £200) so keeping the car for its 5 year guarantee should not be difficult, provided I don't bump into anything whilst parking.

Thanks for reading.

Published on both Ciao and Dooyoo under the same author.