2020 Hyundai Tucson Road Test Review – Premium yet High Value!
If you thought the most premium SUV model from Hyundai is the Creta then you are wrong. The Tucson is the Korean car maker’s flagship SUV in its lineup. The Premium SUV has been around in the Indian market since long and in 2017 the All New model was introduced here. Now with the BS-6 norms in place the Tucson gets a much needed midlife facelift and we have driven it for you. Read all about the 2020 Hyundai Tucson in our road test review right here.
Food for Thought
Hyundai introduced the 1st generation of the Tucson in 2004 which was also sold in India. The 2nd generation of the Tucson was introduced in 2009 which was not introduced here. The 3rd generation Tucson came into the picture in 2015 globally while what we are driving here is the latest highly refreshed version of the SUV. Hyundai has also announced the next generation of the Tucson the NX4 which will also have an All Electric model along with the IC engine options.
Exteriors
The 2020 version of the Hyundai Tucson retails the same basic styling of the 2017 version with a few changes on the outside. The SUV stands at 4880mm in length, 1850mm in width with a total height of 1660 and a overall wheelbase that of 2670mm. The dimensions of the Tucson make it longer, wider, taller and bigger wheelbase than the Creta. The Tucson is built as a CKD and the quality on it is positively superior.
Upfront you get a brand new cascade design Hyundai grille with four horizontal chrome slats and a thick chrome surround defining it. The bumper gets sharp character lines that define and divined it. The bumper gets its highlight with the wide air dam, faux skid plate neatly integrated and the unpainted lower section of the bumper. The key highlight remains the wide fog lamps with integrated ‘L’ shaped DRL’s placed on the edges. The headlights get Penta-projector (5 projector beams) LED glow along with integrated positioning LED lamp and integrated turn lights. The bonnet gets smooth character lines defining it.
Coming to the sides, the Tucson gets a sharp waistline, fiber cladding around the fenders that continue along the running board giving that SUV look. Doors get chrome treatment while the windows get black sills with the beltline getting chrome strip again giving that premium look to the sides. Roof rails are in black and can bear load as they come with mounting points on them. The roof also gets a nice panoramic roof and also a shark fin antenna to add to its overall glamour. The Tucson drives on 18 inch new design diamond cut alloys.
Coming to the rear the 2020 Hyundai Tucson get design updates that include a all new LED tail lamps, new design bumper in dual-tone, faux skid plate, new style stop reflectors, rear windshield placed at an angle and a large rear spoiler with nearly integrated glossy black inserts. The Tucson Diesel that we drove also comes with twin exhausts finished in chrome and also a HTRAC badge confirming this is a All Wheel Drive variant.
The overall exterior styling of the Hyundai Tucson is very premium and pleasing. The car has loads of corporate style appeal giving it a up market feel.
Interiors
In terms of Interiors the 2020 Hyundai Tucson gets loads of updates. The SUV gets an all black sporty looking cabin theme. The dashboard comes in a three step design made of soft rubbery material just like premium cars. You also get a leather insert with hand stitching styling on the crash-pad area. The AC vents get neat metal inserts around them and so does the AVN touchscreen unit. This is an 8 inch all color floating unit with all the connectivity features which include FM radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth telephony, Hyundai Blue Link connected car etc. The sound system on the Tucson is a 8-speaker premium sounding Infinity system which includes a subwoofer and an amplifier.
The steering is a three spoke design with leather wrapping, silver inserts and MFD buttons neatly placed on it. Manual adjust for height and reach is available on this steering unit. The instrument cluster is a twin dial unit with a MFD display screen in the middle. The Tucson gets a dual zone climate control unit with AC vents also for the rear passengers. The Tucson also gets a wireless charger on the feature list and tons of cubby holes, storage places in the cabin area. You also get a deep storage area under the centre armrest.
The automatic shifter also gets leather wrap and metal inserts around it. Also placed on the centre console are the control buttons for the electro mechanical handbrake, auto hold, preset drive modes, hill descent and parktronics.
The 2020 Hyundai Tucson gets all leather upholstery for its seats. The driver’s seat gets 10-way electric adjust while the front passenger seats is 8-way electric adjustable. Seating in the front seats is extremely comfortable. The rear seats get 40:60 split configuration, also come with adjustable headrests and a foldable arm rest. Comfort level at the rear is excellent; these are one of the better rear seats that we have sat on in recent times. You can also recline the rear seats to extend the comfort feel. Tons of leg, knee, head and shoulder room is available here and seating here is good enough for three passengers.
The Hyundai Tucson has a large boot capacity of 513 liters and also comes with a smart electric boot opener.
The overall interior feel is very premium and also very well appointed using good quality of materials.
Engine – Drive – Transmission
Powering the 2020 Hyundai Tucson are two BS-6 engine options, Nu 2.0L Petrol engine with 152PS of power output and 196Nm of torque while the Diesel version comes powered with a R 2.0L Diesel engine with 185PS of power and 408Nm of torque. Transmission option on the Petrol version is a 6-speed automatic while the Diesel Tucson gets a 8-speed automatic transmission.
We drove the Diesel AWD variant of the Tucson so let me tell you on how it actually is on the move. First things first, this 2.0L R series Diesel engine from Hyundai comes powered with twin turbo and compacted graphite iron block and aluminum cylinder head unit, with chain driven dual overhead camshafts operating 4-valves per cylinder. It also gets a balancer shaft that reduces the vibrations. This engine is extra refined and silent. The power delivery is immense and the Tucson surges ahead in robust style with premium drive character being its hallmark. The ride quality is very good, especially at the rear seat where everything is calm and composed here.
The steering feedback is good while it is tuned on the lighter side. The suspension setup is pretty neat absorbing any bad roads or uneven surfaces that the Tucson was put to. The Korean SUV is fun to drive both on busy traffic roads and on highways where it munches the kms in uber style. The ride quality and drive feel can easily be matched to the Premium German SUV’s to a large extent. Oh and yes if you still want more then you have the drive modes to play with, you can toggle between the Eco, Comfort and Sport preset styles and feel the difference further.
Safety
In terms of safety the 2020 Hyundai Tucson comes loaded with a long list of safety equipment which include, six airbags, ABS with EBD, Electronic stability control, Vehicle stability management, Hill start assist, Downhill brake control, Brake assist, rain sensing vipers etc.
Things we missed
Well we would have loved to have some more features on the 2020 Hyundai Tucson, call us greedy or what! We would have liked the SUV to come with a 360degree camera, ventilated seats are also sorely missed and lastly the paddle shifter in here would have added a lot more appeal to the Tucson’s package.
Verdict
The 2020 Hyundai Tucson does very little wrong and infact it makes a great deal if you are looking out for an SUV in the class and also hits on the German Premium SUV’s in terms of value for money and pricing. The Twin Turbo 2.0L Diesel engine is joy to drive, the SUV hits nearly all the right boxes with ease becoming the front runner as your Premium SUV choice if you want something that’s different and richer than the Creta.
Words – Ritesh Madhok
Photography & Video – Govind Gadekar
