TOUGH TUCSON WAS BREATH OF FRESH AIR
Hyundai has just revealed its new ix35, successor to the Tucson pocket 4x4. Back in 2004, when Hyundai introduced the Tucson it was a breath of fresh air for buyers accustomed to a diet of quirky looking 4x4s from the South Korean maker. Suddenly they found a decent looker in their midst.
A Hyundai makes a great buy for private buyers, not least because this company puts its money where its mouth is and gives its cars an unlimited mileage five year warranty that’s transferrable to new owners. No-one can match that - even sister maker Kia’s seven year deal on its new Cee’d sounds impressive but is not quite as good.
I’ll nail my colours to the mast straight away and tell you I’m a fan of the Tucson. Before Hyundai launched its current Santa Fe in 2006, the Tucson was the best car in its stable by far, a good enough reason for buying it even if you are not keen on all wheel drive models.
Apart from its good styling, which is far better than that of the newish Kia Sportage, which shares the same platform, the Tucson impresses for other reasons, too.
Among these is the ride quality, which more than matches that of other small 4x4s that come with bigger price tags. Amazingly, it’s also better than the Sportage on this front even though the cars are basically the same.
The Tucson is also pretty roomy, too, and four adults would have no trouble riding comfortably in this car. Five could also manage to get settled provided the journey was not overly long.
I was surprised to find that the Tucson actually uses a platform based on that of Hyundai’s Coupe model, hardly what you might expect of a 4x4, especially one that has good interior space. It shows basically how senseless coupe bodies can be even if they look great.
Hyundai has offered a two wheel drive Tucson starter model since 2005 but it makes more sense to go for the real deal and have the true 4x4. This uses a system developed by European transmission maker Borg Warner that selects four wheel drive as and when necessary, leaving the car in front wheel drive unless you manually lock it into 4x4 mode. If it all sounds a bit weak, don't you believe it.
When the Tucson first launched I took one round a tough off-road course without locking it into 4x4 and it coped admirably. It’s much more capable than it looks.
While there are 2.0 and 2.7 litre petrol models, the only Tucson to go for is the diesel because it’s so much more capable, never mind economical to run.
The diesel Tucson will also pull 1.6 tonnes, not a fantastic amount compared to some 4x4s but appreciably more than the 1.4 tonnes of the 2.0 petrol and enough for a decent sized caravan or boat trailer. It also has a very useful load area, so if you are into weekends away then you should find it has enough capacity for all your clobber.
With the diesel offering in excess of 40 mpg, the car does not have to be expensive to run, although the 2.7 litre V6 will hurt your wallet a bit. Insurance starts at Group 11 and service intervals are 10,000 miles.
You can get an 04 plate 2.0 GSI petrol Tucson these days for around £4,600 while an 08 example would set you back £10,000. If you don’t do high miles it’s worth considering but the 2.0 CRTD is better, with an 04 plate car starting at £5,400. Take that up to a 58 and it will be the wrong side of £13,000. The V6 petrol is that rare Glass’s Guide doesn’t even list it. Don’t buy one unless it’s really cheap.
But the good news is that all but the earliest cars will still have some Hyundai warranty left, great for peace of mind, and for that reason I would aim for at least a 2005 car even though it will add a minimum £1,000 to your budget.
Maurice Hardy
