You've probably heard of the "press trip," where one of us departs for some fancy location to drive a car and stay in this or that trendy hotel. It can be fun, but frankly, I prefer the trips held right here in our backyard. I don't need to fly anywhere, I can sleep in my own bed and most importantly, I get to drive on the roads I'm familiar with through Malibu. It's so much easier to evaluate a car if half your brain isn't devoted to making sure you don't get lost in rural Oregon.
The launch for the completely redesigned 2010 Hyundai Tucson was one such event. Unveiled in its American guise last week at the 2009 LA Auto Show (click for video), the Tucson is the first introduction within Hyundai's latest 24/7 product push (seven intros/redesigns in 24 months). The Sonata and Equus (official name still to be finalized) will join Tucson for 2010, with a new Elantra, Accent and Santa Fe arriving for 2011 along with the production version of the Veloster sporty coupe concept.
Here are the basics of the 2010 Tucson and my initial impressions of this compact crossover SUV.
Styling: Hyundai calls its new design language "Fluidic Sculpture," but they could call it "Right Said Fred," at least they have an actual design plan. In the past, Hyundai styling was derivative, dull, really strange, butt ugly and/or thrown together at the last possible second just to keep things supposedly fresh. There was nothing cohesive throughout the lineup, but that's about to change and Hyundai North America's CEO John Krafcik also noted there would be no more copying of others.
The new Tucson is quite handsome, and although the rear is a bit reminiscent of the BMW X5 and refreshed Subaru Tribeca, it is an overall unique look amongst compact crossovers. I will say, however, that the GLS trim level pictured at the top doesn't look quite as nice as the Limited model pictured at right, with its tastefully applied chrome trim around the grille.
Powertrain: Unlike the last Tucson, there will be only one engine choice initially (a smaller 2.0-liter four-cylinder will be added later). The 2.4-liter four-cylinder produces more power than the old V6 upgrade (176 hp versus 173) and achieves much better fuel economy than the old 140-hp base four-cylinder (23/31 versus 20/25).
Hyundai provided a CR-V and RAV4 for comparative purposes, and the Tucson holds up well. It's louder and sounds less refined than its Japanese powerhouse competitors, but the Hyundai has more low-end grunt than the CR-V (admittedly not hard to do). I thought it performed quite adequately for this size of crossover and the automatic's manual mode was responsive enough on my mountain drive.
Handling and ride: Here's a flash, Hyundai is no longer going after the Toyota model of snooze fest transport. The Tucson was designed to be fun to drive and the Hyundai had so much confidence in its new crossover's handling abilities, it went completely overboard with the driving route through Malibu. Feel could be better, but the electric power steering offers consistent weighting and doesn't feel connected to bungy cords like the Nissan Rogue or connected to nothing like the Chevy Equinox. The Tucson felt well-planted through corners and is indeed one of the sportiest offerings in its class. It's impressive, but it's still an inexpensive crossover and isn't exactly Latigo Canyon impressive.
After a few too many overly tight and technical canyon roads, I got the point and my pregnant driving partner got queasy. We therefore gladly opted out of the remaining twisty road stuff and since this trip was in my neighborhood, we detoured for additional highway time where the Tucson displayed a firmer ride than its competitors. Nothing unpleasant, but cushy it certainly isn't and I wonder if the Limited trim's 18-inch wheels would add harshness. Hyundai says the Tucson's suspension tuning is similar to its European iteration rather than the "more rounded feel" of the Korean-market version. Road noise was on par with the rather noisy CR-V, but wind noise was better than both RAV and Crev.
Interior: Hyundai has done a very nice job here. Materials are OK, but the dash design and tasteful two-tone tan-brown color scheme of my test car exuded a sense of style that the CR-V and RAV4 can't match. In this regard, the Tucson and Chevy Equinox are what to get if you want a little pizazz from your compact SUV. The GLS with Popular Equipment Package adds Bluetooth (includes automatic phonebook download), telescoping wheel, tinted glass and nice leatherette/cloth seats (which seem just as nice as the leather found in the last Sonata we had). The optional navigation system is user friendly and its accompanying iPod interface is well sorted.
Price: Base price for a GLS with manual transmission is $18,995 and $19,995 with the automatic. As tested with the Popular Equipment Package and Navigation packages, my test car cost $25,990.
Conclusion: The 2010 Hyundai Tucson is yet another giant leap forward for Hyundai. This time, the brand has added style and powertrain efficiency to its resume. For those who don't quite need the maximum space of a RAV4 or CR-V (it's about 15 cubes smaller in max cargo space), the Tucson is a must drive if you're in the market. You just don't have to drive it on Latigo Canyon Road.
James Riswick, Automotive Editor
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By subaru123
on December 10, 2009
01:18 PM
James, the entire back looks like a Tribeca, it's just pushed in in the middle like the B9 Tribeca.
Nice review
By pat1usmc
on December 10, 2009
02:22 PM
Now that was a good review! Hit on everything I was wondering about. Are there any other real pictures of the back seat and cargo area?
By 1487
on December 11, 2009
05:26 AM
do not like the exterior at all. Interior is nice though. This and the Rogue are just too small though. They are only slightly more useful than a car in terms of cargo space and rear seat room. I guess they have the Sante Fe so this can be small.
By dougtheeng
on December 11, 2009
06:29 AM
I like it.
By robotnk
on March 8, 2010
11:52 PM
"I’m a 20 year plus Honda Guy and was looking for a new car. In recent years I have been very disappointed with Honda's quality, so I took a chance with Hyundai and I couldn’t be happier. I want to share with you a recent driving experience; I was driving my new loaded Diamond Silver 2010 Tucson Limited on the freeway and passed a brand new Mercedes GLK –Class SUV, he sped up to check out my ride, he just kept looking and looking, I turn around and smiled, thinking what a fool, my car looks better, I’m getting better MPG’s and I paid half the price. If you know anything about cars you have to like the looks and you can’t beat the warranty. Watch out Hyundai’s coming up big time…"