Hyundai Tucson

I love the design of the car. It has the high end look about it without the price tag!
I find it nice to drive & it’s good to be up a bit higher whilst driving so you can see the upcoming traffic ahead better . This is my 1st SUV. I got the manual version as I still like driving manual. A bit of fun!
Leather seats inside and comfortable drive. The only down side I would say is the heating and air conditioner. Both work alright but could be better - colder & hotter. Reverse camera is fantastic. Only had one issue the cruise control went haywire one night & revs went really high but it didn’t cause a hazard to myself driving. I told dealer about it and they said they couldn’t find any problem...... And it hasn’t happened again so we will see hopefully a one off!
I’ve had car over 2yrs. Good on fuel consumption. Does lack some Oomph for accelerating but maybe that’s because 2cylinder.....

We purchased our car 1 year ago, in August 2018. We upgraded from a Mazda 3 because we struggled to fit a pram and all the shopping in the boot of the Mazda. So the Tucson has turned out perfect for everything we need, plus more... the boot is a great size for the pram plus all the shopping. The seats are comfortable and I find that no parts give you a blind spot, such as those panels in between the windows - sometimes they get in the way when you're doing a shoulder check - but not in the Tucson. The safety features are incredible, reverse camera and sensors when you're parking, and even sensors when someone is walking behind your car and you want to reverse from a car park - this eases my mind greatly with a toddler at home, I just know that, if he ever tries to run behind the car or in front of the car, my car will beep and immediately stop without me using the brakes. The sunroof is a dream! The car drives smoothly, it isn't too loud and it actually has some oomph in it for a family car! We cannot fault the car, it is a perfect family car, it's comfortable, spacious, safe, full of technology and Hyundai really look after you as a customer with their road side assistance and free upgrades of the GPS system. It's truly a beautiful car inside and outside, in every aspect!

Traded in the ageing Commodore(VE) on the Tuscon and couldnt be happier. The list of standard inclusions on the Active X prooved great value.
Nicely finshed leather seats, dashboard layout functional and modern, very confortable and quite to drive.
Plenty of room and a decent size rear cargo area.
POwer on top when you need it and doesnt guzzle fuel the way the old six cylinder bommodore did.
Backed with a 5 year warranty you simply cant go wrong.
Is it any wonder local car manufacturers hit the wall with offerings like this available from Hyundai.
Would highly recommend the Hyundai Tuscon it wont dissapoint!

My 2017 Hyundai Highlander has the same problem - lag especially when accelerating from slow speed / from start. Can get you into trouble if not alert to it.

Mentioned it to Hyundai dealer at service today and he said nothing they can do about it. I regret not asking for a more detailed elaboration of the problem.

Had the car since Sep 2016. The car drives very well. I loved the car when I first got it. Great car to drive. However, problems start popping up after 2 years and I had the following issues in just the short 3 years of owning one:

- a component of the electronic park brake failed last year. Symptom was sometimes the EPB engaged but sometimes it didn’t. Had it replaced under warranty.
- Last December, the aircon was out on the days when the temperature was 40+C. Had the car with the dealer for 2 weeks before they could fixed it. Replaced a controller plus they said there were some wiring loosened due to bad job during assembly!
- most recently, the front tyres were having abnormal wear: worn out on the outside edges of the front tyres! Inside edges are normal. Rear tyres are normal. The car is used mostly driving in suburban streets and fwy, plus a couple of 5-6 hour hwy/fwy trips each year.

Never thought we would buy an SUV, and a diesel engine at that! Being used to fairly powerful petrol driven cars and not a lover of diesel "chuggers" I was skeptical. What attracted us to the Highlander (bought May 2017) was the fact that it wasn't too high off the road, so getting in and out for someone around 5' was still easy. The other big thing for us was that the Highlander has fully adjustable electric seats for both driver and passenger. Cheaper models did not include this feature for the passenger and it does make a difference. Of course, the Highlander is AWD and comes with a 5 Star ANCAP Safety rating and a host of other features - heated and cooled seats, sunroof with blind and most every else you would want on the top model. It also has a full-size spare wheel.

So how did it drive? We were both blown away with the power and our test drive included several very steep hills in the Yarra Ranges where we live. Even now, two years later, we can't believe how easy it goes up the steep hills in our area. One steep hill has a 90kmh speed limit and even at that speed there is still plenty of power under foot. The 6-speed auto transmission is well configured and changes smoothly. We also liked the fact that the Highlander has a conventional rather than a CVT transmission. We have not experienced any "lag" as some have mentioned and the 2.0 litre CDI diesel motor doesn't even sound like a diesel! Whether it is true or not I am unsure, but I was told by the dealer that the 2.0 litre CDI Highlander is built in Europe and not South Korea. Certainly we are impressed by the build quality. Doors close nicely and road noise is very acceptable even on "chipped" surfaces.

Missing from the 2017 Highlander is Apple Car Play which is a bit of a drag, but not a deal breaker as the vehicle has so many pluses. Cruise Control is only good on "flattish" roads. Rain sensing wipers could be better and high-beam is probably below average, but we don't drive much after dark. The Continental tyres give a nice soft ride, but the front are near replacement at 30,000km and I will be considering an alternative.

We recently purchased a Hyundai Tucson Go, a mid-size SUV. Despite it is bottom of the range in the Tucson line-up, it has pretty much everything we wanted at a fantastic price. Whether it is the car for you and your family depends on what you are after. So, let me start from my criteria:

1. Meek looking
2. Taller for better visibility
3. Safety
4. No CVT or DCT
5. Price / value for money

It is intended to be the car for my wife and to be driven and parked at train station on daily basis. For that reason, we didn't want to get a thief magnet. We just wanted a decent looking, not an over the top Transformers inspired car like the Toyota CHR. I wanted it white and I didn't even mind steel wheels so we don't have to worry about grinding the polished alloys on the curb. The trade-off is rust in the long run and heavier weight of steel compared with aluminium.

I wanted a taller car to improve visibility. Kona, another contender, whilst a SUV is a cross-over and thus small and not that tall. Plus it is really plasticky inside. I mean all hard plasticky inside. While smaller car is easier to drive, and to park, Kona was a bit too small hence we went for the mid-sized Tucson. Might as well go for i30 if we were to go with Kona. i30 has much bigger boot space.

Safety was the most important thing and Hyundai Tucson really delivered here if you get the Smart Sense package. Without it, the car comes with minimum safety features including traction control, 6 air bags, high tensile steel frame, reverse camera and isofix points. With Smart Sense added (for $2200), you pretty much get everything under the sun! But first, you must get the auto transmission to be eligible. With the Smart Sense package, you get auto emergency braking, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, blind-spot vehicle alert, rear cross traffic alert. You even get driver attention warning and a bunch of non-safety related stuff like glove box cooling, dual zone climate control, electronic park brake, electric folding mirrors and adaptive cruise control. The console around the gear stick and handbrake is completely different! So much more fancy and more spacious without the imposing manual handbrake handle. The only things it doesn't have include rain sensing auto wipers (it does have auto lights), passenger door auto lock on incoming traffic and occupant sensor for back row, all are included in Santa Fe. I would have loved to have the auto passenger door lock feature. May be I will use old style child-lock instead.

The next point is contentious, I did not want CVT or DCT. Let me explain in reverse order. I love manual gear box and have been driving manual for over 30 years. In fact, this Tucson will replace our manual car and I sorely miss that. That said, I don't want my wife to have to be conscious about how DCT works and not be allowed to creep at walking pace because that means slipping the clutch resulting in wear and expensive repair in time. Good old auto transmission uses torque converter and is essentially driving on fluid and doesn't have this problem / limitation. I hate the concept of CVT, it is not a new technology and was first applied to a car in 1896 and was used in farming equipment since 1950s. It works by having a belt at really high tension against two cones. High tension! Sorry not for me. Yes, many modern motorcycles use belt, but they have teeth so they are more like chains. With record players, there is an endless debate about whether a direct drive is as good as a belt driven mechanism. Belt drive mechanism yields less noise but belt is unreliable hence the emergence of direct drive, the quest for better drive mechanism. And you probably know that self propelled lawn mowers are all belt driven and the belt requires replacement after about 50 hours some say. So you understand why I don’t like CVT.

Admittedly, CVT makes the engine run most efficiently and both CVT & DCT yield better fuel economy than traditional auto transmission. But sorry, when I read DCT is expected to last at least 5 years and the hefty cost of DCT repair, they are not for me. If you have a convincing argument or article that might change my mind, please let me know. Thanks.

This bias towards standard auto transmission pretty much wiped out most other manufacturers - Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Subaru. Would have loved a Honda HRV because of its magic seat and large boot despite its compact size. However, CVT killed it for me, sorry.

We did add a few more things on top of auto transmission and Smart Sense, including tinting, front and rear parking sensors, dash mat, boot liner and floor mats. Fortunately, Hyundai was doing a factory special. After some haggling with the dealer, we were able to get the price of the Tucson inside our budget, close to the price of Go with auto trans and everything else thrown in for free, drive away. Very happy indeed.

A few side points, most SUVs' boot are level with the bumper. That makes the boot so much smaller than a hatch back. Therefore, quite often you want to roll-up the privacy blind and take advantage of the tall roof. The blind is such a great idea, so much easier to put away than the board most hatch backs provide. Given the boot window is tinted, we almost never have to draw the blind anyway. This is one reason I didn't mind the dark grey interior (cf two tones or light interiors) making inside really dark hence safe.

Here is a list of non-essentials that are worth mentioning. But first please note that we are iPhone users.

Interior design

Thank God our Tucson is a MY19 model with all new interior. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, we think the Tucson dash is absolutely beautiful! The lines flow, there is a mixture of soft textures, stitching, and hard plastics. The controls are simple and intuitive. Without reading the manual or studying the buttons, we immediately worked out how to use all the controls, while test driving it. That's nice!

My only rant is that I would preferred a more substantial door handle on the inside for closing the door like what is in the Kia Sportage and I would prefer rear air vent in the center console, like the Kia Sportage have, together with a power outlet. Buttons on the door feel a little unrefined. I can't quite put my finger on why I feel this way. Thank God we have the Smart Sense package which means it has the mirror folding buttons and it makes it better.

There is a deep pocket for the phone which is a wireless charge station for Elite / Highlander variants. I feel there is enough space for a divider in that space. Right to the steering wheel, there is a big opening for accessing fuse box. I so much wish there is a little coin / key drawer there. There is enough room for it.

Infotainment system

Some hates having a tablet sticking out of the dash making it look like an after-thought. I have a different opinion. It is purposeful and I love that you don't have to take your eyes off the road while driving to read the map. Well done Hyundai.

Go doesn't come with SatNav. I actually prefer this so I am not tied to Hyundai for updating the map. Consider how often your Google Maps app updates, once a year map update at service time is insufficient. SUNA Live Traffic Updates would have been a good thing because it works on top of Google Map telling you if there's narrow road, congestion ahead, etc.

The infotainment system is 7" not 8", but it is sufficient. Why can't Apply CarPlay just mirror the iPhone screen? Why limit to a handful of apps? Given the infotainment system has touch screen and iPhone only has one Home button, I believe the system would be loads more powerful if Apple CarPlay is a screen emulator. Specific to Google Map, I really miss zoom in and out.

The Apple CarPlay clock is too small. It is on the right pane of the LCD display, disproportional to the big app icons. Wish it were displayed on top consistent with where it would be if Apple CarPlay wasn’t running. I find myself hunting for it at times and that's not good while driving. Perhaps a dedicated clock display would be good. Otherwise, an option to display the clock on the trip computer like how it displays the digital speedo.

Engine & transmission

Tucson Go is 2WD with a 2L GDI petrol engine. Given the car's kerb weight is between 1520kg & 1620kg, it isn't very gutsy at all. Kia Sportage feels more gutsy despite very similar specs. We don’t plan to do off-road driving with the Tucson.

Boot space

I would have loved not to have a full size spare wheel. Instead, just a space saver and a set of alloy wheels so the car is lighter. Space saver spare will also allow boot floor to move down and increase boot size a fair bit too. After all, it is designed to do so! Some countries get space saver spare wheel while others only get an inflation kit.

Sound system

Go doesn't come with Infinity speaker system like its sibblings do, but we find the audio system sufficient. There is an equaliser. Hey, perhaps try to improve your music source instead of the sound system. I moved the centre a little towards the back and found that created a better sound stage. Well, I might feel differently if the car came with a Dynaudio / Bose / Naim audio system. Sorry for putting Bose together in the sentence with Dynaudio and Naim. In the case of car audio, given the heavy DSP Bose is famous for, combined with a very well controlled interior environment and fixed position of passengers, it may actually be comparable dare I say.

Seats

I actually prefer cloth seats which came with the Tucson Go. We and our passengers tend to slide on leather seats. Also, we have dogs, so we have water resistant seat covers and a rug on the rear seats and won’t even notice the leather. In fact, I fear sand build-up between the rug / seat cover and the leather seat destroying the leather finish.

Please note that Tucson actually comes with 3 different seats - leather, cloth with electronic lumber support and cloth without lumber support. The Go variant comes with cloth seats without lumber support. I would have hoped that it came with at least a manual lumber support.

Fuel

Hyundai Tucson uses normal unleaded fuel 91 RON. Of course you can put more expensive fuel inside but that is a choice you make, not something you are stuck to.

Add-on's

We were not so careful here. Go doesn't come with front or rear parking sensors and we bought them as optional extras. To my unpleasant surprise, what was installed looks like an after market system. It has a separate LED display and 8 sensors. Thank goodness the sensors are colour matched to the bumper (in 2 colours - black & white). Unlike the factory unit, when front sensors detect an object, the LED flashes like an equaliser display, the closer the object, the more lights are lit. And it beeps once when the object is very near. With the rear sensors, there is a buzzer which beeps and beeps more rapidly when you get closer to an object. Because the buzzer is installed on the left rear end, it feels like it is the left sensor that is picking up obstacles, when in fact it is the right or center sensor triggering the buzzer. There is no LCD display of the car showing which sensor is detecting objects. The system comes with an on/off button for disable/enablement. However, it is installed / drilled into the dash at bottom right of the steering wheel rather than using one of the stud buttons meant for this very purpose. Face-palm.

The LED flashing display is installed in the middle on top of the dashboard wedged at the base of the windscreen. It keeps the dash mat from being fitted properly, lining up with such as air vents and the installer just left it there. How horrible! Had to trim the mat myself and add seam around the exposed edges. It is now perfect.

Warranty and after service

There is 5 years unlimited km warranty, fixed price service plan and RACV roadside assist. That said, the service doesn't include a lot of things and I was told Hyundai will try to such as clean air filter rather than replace it because service book doesn't recommend air filter replacement (like Kia does). It is important to note the little that is included in the fixed price service and many other maintenance tasks that may be requested at cost.

Hyundai vs Kia

Hyundai and Kia are made in the same factory and engine compartment looks identical. That said, Kia doesn't give you an option to add any safety features. You have to buy GT-line to get them. Sportage does come with alloy wheels, 8” infotainment screen and SatNav. But as explained, safety features were not negotiable. If safety features were on par with the Tucson we might have bought the Sportage instead. I also didn't like the non-symmetrical dash design.

My mechanic was the one that recommended a Hyundai Tucson. I did the research and looked at independent reviews. I went and test drove one and fell in love!
The value for money is fantastic and I have not had a single issue.
My mechanic also says that they are easy to service. I can't believe I didn't buy one sooner!

Have had this car since brand new (Jan 2016) ActiveX badge.

Have travelled over 90K Kilometres. Never had ANY mechanical issue, or reliability issue. In fact zero issue. Have found replacing the original fitment tyres with Continental Cross-Contact UHP tyres, the car handles 100% better. Steering more direct, and also the car comes to a stop in traffic a LOT quicker. But Continental tyres are expensive, but I think they are worth it.

We have always had our car servicing for our Tuscon completed at Hyundai Dealership, where we bought the car here in Rockingham WA. They try and sell you stuff you don't need. But we understand they have sales targets they have to meet too, so I take it like a pinch of salt.

Why pay $90K cash for a base model Jaguar F Pace with no options, when this ActiveX Tuscon comes with all the necessary fruit for a little over $30K driveaway brand new?!

I only put 95 RON unleaded in our Tuscon, we want 300K kilometres out of our engine.

Great on fuel! Normally when a car dealer says 7.9L/100Km combined for fuel usage, it means you add 1.5L / 100km to get real life figures, but with 95RON fuel we are consistantly receiving 7L/100km combined fuel usage.

Paint work is holding up, still looks brand new.

We have no issues with the transmission.

Connectivity is great with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Would not have any issues buying another Tuscon down the track!

Moved from Sydney to Toowoomba Qld to retire. Bought the Tucson for comfort and practicality. Has been just great! Smooth comfy and roomy inside. Dual clutch transmission is perfect for rural and semi-rural driving. Have noticed big city dwellers dont like this tranny....so go for the 2.0 auto for big city crawl-driving and diesel for long haul and towing. Best car I have driven.

So far we have done 2000 kms on our 2.0L CDI Highlander. Yes there can be a little bit of turbo lag when taking off from a standing start but you just need to factor this in if entering a busy road or ducking across traffic and use a little gas before letting off the brake. Apart from that the gear changes are nice and smooth, the car is quiet to drive, the seats are comfortable and the air con works well, it handles extremely well for a car with a higher centre of gravity, not much body roll. It brakes well and the 2L diesel pulls it along very nicely. The leather seats are comfortable and the cooling system in them works well when I have a sweaty gooch. The moon roof is a nice feature as well. The only downers are sometimes after a hard bit of acceleration up to speed and then waiting on that speed, the gearbox sometimes takes a few extra moments to change to that higher gear which is a bit annoying. Also we have a 2017 model, I'm not sure about the later models but the infotainment system is not very intuitive using android phones. It doesn't automatically connect to mine or my wifes phone each time we get in, if an SMS comes in it doesn't show up on the screen to read, you have to use this android auto app which is absolute garbage (needs to be connected via UDB cable).

My Tucson Active X is now near it’s 3rd year and 41,000 km. So far so nice to drive, its a bit slow on acceleration but that’s what I expect from a 2wd. leather seats still looking newish and still no issues with the car overall.
We have no regret buying this family wagon

I purchased a 2017 awd diesel 2lt tuscon in april. It shuddered at different speeds which after several times taking it hack to the dealer finally did a software update. That fixed the shuddering but then we have a rumble at 70kmh in cruise which it did not do prior to the software update. Mechanic stated at the dealership it had a problem after driving the demo which it didnt rumble. Hyundai after having the vehicle for over 20 days tell us now there is no problem as thats normal. We will never buy another hyundai again. We have had several hyundais but this truly shows the companies colours. We have only driven 5000km since april.

Our Tucson gets used everyday of the week, and so far it has been great. All the comforts of a luxury car but without the price tag. We bought a large SUV to make way for our growing family, and thus far we have had no problems with it. We love the automatic lights, push start, push button back door and all the tech stuff inside. On the downside, it does fail (at times) to change gears properly while on the road and has a lag in changing gears at the right times. The transmission by hyundai is the major let down. But apart from that, a beautiful car!

I bought this car for city driving and have since taken it back after 1000km due to scary near misses due to lagging on take off. I was told the car was fine. Upon pressing the accelerator pedal vehicle fails to accelerate from standstill creating a 1-2 second "pause" that is highly dangerous especially when entering traffic, highways, etc. This is clearly a problem that is documented however no recall has been granted for this model. It doesn't matter what road: City street or a highway. The vehicle hesitates and does not move when you need to! when the car does finally take hold, the engine revs high and pulses forward causing yet another disturbing and potentially dangerous condition for driver and others on the road. This is clearly a mechanical and/or software glitch that will eventually result in accidents and bodily harm. Note this condition is sometimes intermittent therefore creating a false sense of driver control since you never know when you will face lack of proper acceleration. There is also an dramatic increase in revs when traveling down a steep decline. I do this daily and it is at 50km or less and the revs raise to over 3000 whether I'm braking or with no acceleration. This also is normal according to Hyundai. Very disappointing for us a family. Long drives are beautiful with great creature comforts inside.

we bought this car for everyday around town driving. Since we have purchased the car there is a dangerous acceleration lag which occurs when the car has been stopped (for instance at traffic lights or intersection) when you accelerate nothing happens. Now this does not happen every time but at least once per day. We have mentioned the problem which we consider to be a safety issue to both the dealership service manager and the customer service line but we have been told that is just the way it is and there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. Otherwise we are happy with the car but are considering a change to another make of vehicle.

Tempted by the offer of a brand new 2017 Tucson Active Automatic Turbo charged Diesel AWD model in January 2018, I traded in my 2014 Hyundai IX35 Automatic 2WD Trophy - very reluctantly!
My budget did not stretch to the top of the range model but I did move up to a Diesel engine this time. I have had this Tucson for 8 months now. Time to grow accustomed to its road manners and performance. It feels very stable on the road and I really appreciate the AWD. I live on an unsealed road where the road surface is gravel and can be slippery. Moving from the smooth surface of a major road onto my often dusty, dry, loose surface road the car does not loose traction.
The ride is very smooth and the diesel engine makes a pleasant growl ready to move off with plenty of power under the bonnet.
This Tucson is white with black trim - stunning to look at but difficult to keep clean in my dusty environment.
I do miss the CD player, the leather seats & the heated front seats enjoyed previously in the IX35 but the Tucson makes up for those features in its performance and handling. Being diesel - it has a very long range on one tank of fuel returning 6.9 litres per 100kms .
I enjoy the size of the Tucson - an advantage when you are a short person like me. The higher seating position with a much better view of surrounding traffic is a real bonus!
Only requiring one annual service per year at a fixed price is also an advantage.
I have only experienced one problem with the touch screen and this was quickly remedied by a visit to my local Hyundai Dealership Service Department. Being automatic it is so easy to drive and moves effortlessly through the gears. Descending steep hills, a touch on the brakes and its descent speed is easily controlled.
I drive my car fairly regularly but not far - so have barely covered 5,000 kms in the 8 months I have owned the Tucson. Perhaps I could be tempted by the higher optioned model - The Highlander next time??
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We bought this car, after writing off our BMW X5. We no longer wanted a car with the same price tag as the BMW but we still wanted some form of luxury Iike leather seats.

We first looked at Mazda CX-5 and when the salesman wanted to show us the Hyundai Tucson, we initially thought he’d be wasting his time. Anyways after having a test drive and a look through, we were sold.

The Hyundai’s warranty was also another selling point. 5 year, umlimited kilometres :-)

We find this is a great, little family car :-) bit squishy when Nannie comes too though but that’s okay

6 months and 15,000klm in as a daily driver and appreciating this car more each day. Been very happy with the road manners, visibility and driveability in both city and rural driving. Averaging 6.4l/100klm without trying, quite enjoying the linear power delivery. Have done a limited amount of towing 700kg cargo trailer - barely noticed the extra load and felt rock steady. The paint felt a little thin so treated it to a deep clean and a ceramic coating. This has deepened the lustre and added some resilience to the finish.

I initially looked at a mixed bag along side the Tucson - Ford Escape, Suzuki Grand Vitara, VW Tiguan, Kia Sportage and Mazda CX5 - the Tucson's road manners, acres of room and smooth CRDi engine won me over. I started at the Highlander but at a proportionate 6'4" tall I couldn't drive comfortably with head hitting roof - combination of a high electric seat base & headroom robbing sunroof ruled this one out. Stepped down the order to the Elite but electric seat again caused height issues and to be honest I'm not a particular fan of Korean leather. Settled on the Active CRDi Diesel Auto AWD - this base model has all the required fruit without the excess add-ons. As an experienced driver I do not feel I am missing the lane control, auto wipers, autonomous braking, side radars, blind spot alerts, etc. so I'm getting the best the platform has to offer without, in my mind, all the unnecessary frills.

Overall a very competent package that I'm quite certain will provide enjoyable, trouble free service for the next three or four years.

We love the feel, size and comfort our 2016 Tucson in platinum. It is very reasonable on fuel and drives very quiet and smoothly. We at first disliked the sound of the indicator but have gotten used to it, as it sounded like a toy.
Love the 'Christmas Lights' (as hubby likes to call them) the daylight strips curved at the front and the high beam is great. It came with leather seats. Must confess we were disappointed there was no cd player which seems to be common now. Have had no problems in nearly 2 years and are hooked on Hyundai.