Simply Better

What we like:

Qi wireless charging

Apple CarPlay functionality

Smart Tailgate feature and the car’s powerful drive.

What we dislike:

Apply CarPlay connection is not wireless

and some slight wind noise at higher speeds.

With its 17” rims, the Tucson rides well. The ride is comfortable enough to soak up most bumps and firm enough not to cause too much body roll when cornering.

Steering is accurate, and the car tracks well. The Tucson also has a good turning radius despite its hefty size.

The car comes with a Drive Mode select button that lets you choose between three drive modes — Eco, Normal and Sport. On Normal mode, pickup on the car is good, and gearshifts from the 7-speed DCT is smooth.

If you’re feeling green and want to be more environmentally-friendly, you can select Eco mode and the car will go into fuel-sipping mode. To conserve fuel, the car will manage and regulate the power of the air-conditioner and the car may feel a little sluggish as revs will be limited.

However, to bring out the best of the Tucson, you’ll want to select Sports mode. Steering becomes tighter and feels a little heavier. And gears are held longer to keep the car within the optimal power and torque ranges. The car is nice to drive in Normal mode, but in Sports mode, the Tucson gains a huge dose of oomph!

In terms of fuel economy, the Hyundai is rated at 7.1L per 100km (or 14.1 kms per litre) and in our test drive (combination of both city and highway driving), we were able to average close to those figures. Of course, this is without going into Sports mode!

At S$117,999* (inclusive of GST, COE and six months road tax), the new Tucson isn’t exactly cheap, but it does offer good value in terms of the total package that it offers. The car looks good, drives well and comes filled with lots of useful tech upgrades. For anyone considering a compact SUV, you should definitely give the Tucson a test drive.

*All information accurate as at 28 November 2018

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