+ Click to Enlarge ROPED IN: The Wattle Creek cowboy town was renamed Tucson for this week's launch of the Hyundai Tucson sport utility vehicle.

November 13, 2004
By Les Stephenson

Yee-haa! The launch this week of Hyundai's compact SUV, the Tucson, at the Wattle Creek Western theme village in Mpumalanga not only showcased the new vehicles perfectly but also released three mavericks into the South African vehicle price war.

Sales of SUV's, particularly those with two-wheel drive, are growing rapidly in South Africa.

Throw all-wheel drive into the mix and they're mostly on the high side of R250 000 – but the new Hyundai range starts at way below R200 000 for a two-litre 4x2 with all the convenience and luxury items of the much more expensive wheels.

Even the long-serving journos at the launch gasped – honest! – when Hyundai SA's marketing director Stanley Anderson announced during his presentation that the Tucson 2.0 GLS 2x4 would retail for only R194 900.

To put that into perspective (though some of the following do have all-wheel drive) you'll pay R240 000 for a Toyota RAV4, R385 000 for a BMW X3 2.5i, R272 000 for the cheapest Land Rover Freelander, from R224 900 for a Nissan X-Trail, R259 900 for a Mitsubishi Outlander and a whacking R286 800 for a Honda CR-V.

OK, your turn to gasp.

The Tucson will be available in three versions:

2.0 GLS 4x2 petrol (manual five-speed gearbox): This front-wheel drive, DOHC, 1975cc engine produces 104kW at 6000 rpm and maximum torque of 184Nm at 4500rpm. Price: R194 900.

2.7 GLS 4x4 petrol (automatic / manual sequential gearbox with permanent all-wheel drive): This 2656cc, DOHC engine produces 129kW at 6000rpm and maximum torque of 241Nm at 4000rpm. Price: 254 900.

2.0 4x4 CRDi diesel (automatic / manual sequential gearbox with permanent all-wheel drive): The 1991cc CRDi produces 82.5kW at 4000rpm and maximum torque of 245Nm from 1800-2500rpm. Price: R259 900.

Sure, the two more expensive models are climbing up the price graph – and neither 4x4 has low range – but their list of standard specifications is seriously impressive and most of them are included on the 4x2.

The two pricier models come with a sunroof but from there all versions have, included in their retail price:

Full leather upholstery.

Sound system with CD / MP3 player.

Air-conditioning.

Fold-flat rear seats.

Power assistance for the height-adjustable steering.

Power windows and mirrors – the latter with heaters.

Cruise control.

Anti-lock disc brakes all round with electronic pressure distribution.

Front crash bags.

An accessory plug up front and another in the boot.

Front fog lights and third high brake light.

Opening tail-door window.

Alloy 16" wheel rims with 235/60 radials.

Central / remote-controlled locking.

Cup and eyewear holders, map pockets and map-reading lights.

Illuminating vanity mirrors in the sun visors.

Trip data computer.

Boot luggage restraint net.

Roof carrier

The Tucson – which continues Hyundai's penchant for naming its vehicle after places in the south-western US such as the larger Santa FE SUV (which will remain in the Hyundai catalogue) - is the brands first entry into the "small" SUV segment.

"With the value-packed Tucson, we intend to compliment our customer's active and demanding lifestyles," said Hyundai SA's MD Alan Ross. "It has all the features that our customers have come to expect from a Hyundai."

The company sees the Santa Fe, at exactly the same price as the Tucson 2.0 4x4 CRDi diesel, as being more attractive to families with older kids, the Tucson as attracting younger people – particularly female buyers.

Certainly it's a good-looking, chunky kind of SUV with the same sort of rugged shaping that distinguishes the brand's Getz small hatchback. The 4x4 system is permanent and automatic with an 80:20 percent bias towards the front wheels rising to 50:50 according to traction conditions.

There's a lock button that will hold the 50:50 split provided the vehicle remains below 40km/h – that means full drive to each wheel, whether it's on the ground or not, the whole plot backed up by automatic traction control.

Escaping the conventional

"The Tucson offers an urban, modern and stylish image through emphasising straight lines and carefully incorporated curves," Hyundai says. "The harmony of straight lines and curves creates the style of polished sensibility without compromising the unique sturdiness of an SUV model.

"The Tucson escapes the conventional stiffness of an SUV with a fresh, youthful design that naturally combines the styles of SUV and normal car. This is particularly visible in the slanted roof tail and the side character lines.

"By contrast, the thick D-pillar maintains the strong image of an SUV."

Whatever, if you're looking for fuel economy, the V6 is to be avoided. It has a 65-litre fuel tank and – assuming the fuel gauge was accurate –used nearly half a tank by the time we had reached our first vehicle change at about 130km along the N4 between Pretoria and Belfast.

A sister two-litre diesel was still more than three-quarters full!

The V6 is blissfully quiet in cruise mode at around 140km/h though its four-speed auto (with a manual sequential mode) though it slips too easily out of overdrive on even modest freeway inclines – and the solid jerk when it does lets you know what's happening.

Plenty head and legroom

I didn't get to drive the two-litre petrol / manual but did return from Belfast to Johannesburg, again via the N4, in the two-litre diesel and that cruised just as well, but with smoother changes.

All four seats have plenty head and legroom even for my 1.8m and 110kg; there's a split-level console between those up front with two can / bottle holders over the transmission tunnel and the fascia has a "metal grain" finish. Smart.

And not a rattle or groan to be heard, even during a modestly arduous off-road excursion through the hills above Wattle Creek – renamed "Tucson" for the launch. The shell is of a "four ring" construction – a strong and rigid cage hidden within the bodywork that minimises twist and bending on rough terrain.

The Tucson rides on Macpherson struts up front with L-shaped lower arms, gas-assisted shock absorbers and a stabiliser bar while at the rear there are dual links, two more gas shocks and another stabiliser bar.

The Tucson will be delivered with a three-year or 100 000km manufacturer's warranty and three-year or 60 000km full-maintenance plan.

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