Hyundai Tucson Turbo By Kenny Yeo.
Hyundai Tucson Turbo By Kenny Yeo.
At a Glance:
Engine 4-cylinder turbocharged
Engine displacement 1,591cc
Maximum power and torque 175hp/265nm
Fuel consumption, combined 7.5l/100km
Price $122,999
For the past couple of years, there’s been a dramatic shift towards turbocharged engines. In the past, turbocharging used to be reserved solely for high-performance automobiles, but with increasingly strict emissions regulations to meet, automakers are flocking toward turbocharging technology in an attempt to offer cleaner and greener cars.
While European marques have been the first to embrace turbocharging, their Asian counterparts are catching up too. And the latest turbocharged car to come from the Far East is the Hyundai Tucson Turbo.
The Tucson Turbo is the latest model in Hyundai’s Tucson line-up and sits somewhere in between the bog standard 2-liter Tucson and the more premium 2-liter Tucson with sunroof insofar as prices and features are concerned. Despite the somewhat strange positioning, it is arguably the sportiest of them all. The highlight of the car is obviously the engine, and the Tucson Turbo is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that puts out 175hp and 265nm of torque.
This is mated with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission system.
Performance is therefore sprightly. Hyundai claims a 0-100km/h timing of 9.1 seconds, but it definitely feels faster. There’s lot of mid-range shove and the engine makes a rorty noise when pressed hard. It also revs smoothly and eagerly, but loses steam approaches its 6,500rpm redline. The 7-speed dual clutch transmission also shifts smoothly, but isn’t quite as quick and snappy as those in its European rivals.
But more importantly, the new turbocharged power-plant imparts a more lively and boisterous character onto the Tucson, and provides it with ample performance for our roads and everyday driving situations. There’s no getting round the fact that the Tucson is a large and relatively heavy car, but unless you are ham-fisted, the Tucson will carve out corners confidently. In fact, thanks to the new sportier engine, when driven enthusiastically, this new Tucson Turbo feels almost like a hot hatch.
Conclusion
"The sportiest version of the Tucson may very well be one of the best compact SUV money can buy."
That said, the Tucson Turbo loses very little of the refinement that the 2-liter model has. At normal highway cruising speeds, there’s little road and wind noise; and the ride is almost without reproach, firm and confident without ever being harsh or unsettled. Hyundai has obviously studied its European rivals very hard.
The Tucson Turbo is well-equipped as well, and has almost of all the fancy features that the range-topping 2-liter Tucson with sunroof model has, with the exception of the sunroof. One of my favorite features is the smart tailgate, which lifts automatically when you stand at the rear of the car with the smart key in hand. This makes it very handy to put things into the cavernous boot.
Another nifty feature that will likely be welcomed by many drivers is blind spot detection. Once activated, an alarm beeps to notify you of objects in your blind spots or fast-approaching vehicles from the back. This can be a potential lifesaver.
The interior of the Tucson Turbo is well adorned and, though not exceptionally luxurious, is more than fitting for a car in its price category. The plastics seem to be of high quality and doesn’t feel nor look tacky at all. There are also steering wheel controls for media playback and for quickly toggling between the various dashboard modes.
If we have any complaints about the interior, it is with the infotainment system. It isn’t the most user-friendly and the graphics can be a little tacky. It supports a wide range of inputs such as USB, auxiliary, SD card, iPod/iPhone and even Bluetooth. However, the Bluetooth implementation is especially clumsy. Pairing is easy, but unlike most systems in other cars, when playing from a Bluetooth source, the Tucson Turbo doesn’t display any playback information on its screen. You cannot see the track title nor access your playlists and so on. On a positive note, the factory speakers are quite well judged and have a fun sonic signature that will likely bring a smile to many drivers. All in, the inside of the Tucson Turbo is very comfortable and nice place to be.
At this point, readers will probably be keen to know if this is the Tucson model to have. Like I mentioned at the start, the Tucson Turbo is the sportiest of the lot, and if you favor performance before everything else, then the new Turbo model is the one to have. What you lose in terms of features and refinement - the Turbo’s engine is a little less polished - you gain in performance.
That’s not to say the 2-liter Tucson is a slouch, but it is noticeably less eager off the line and not as quick to accelerate. But it makes up for that with less rowdy and smoother engine. And if you are willing to splurge a little, you can opt for the top of the line model with a panoramic sunroof that adds quite a bit of drama and scenery to everyday drives.
PICTURES HYUNDAI
