My local dealers finally got their first shipments of tucsons today so i thought i would write up a review of what i thought of them. I drove a Mesa Red FWD GLS with grey interior. I drove about 60 miles on various roads and interstates.
ENGINE/TRANSMISSION:
HOLY TRANSMISSION LAG BATMAN! this thing is bordering on dangerous from the lag. When merging on the interstate or across traffic you better plan first. Mash the gas pedal and nothing happens for 5 seconds then you slowly move forward. The transmission is also slow to change gears tho it is smooth in its process. Using the manumatic position did not help the lag either.
The engine is very smooth and the exhaust note is very nice but a lil quiet. Dont expect brisk acceleration, 3500+ pounds and only 173hp coupled to a piss poor transmission do not make a good combo. Its just a very pokey vehicle with just enough power to get you where your going in a leisurlely fashion. Torque steer is not an issue tho unlike the santa fe which is horrible with FWD.
All in all the engine is very refined and nice but the transmission needs some work before i would think about buying one.
EXTERIOR:
Tight body gaps, hardly any orange peel, and the paint is very glossy and deep. All the doors open sooooooo smooth like they werent even latched, You just grab the handle and pull...no noises just smooth operation, VERY NICE! The rear hatch could open a lil bit higher but its ok for what it is. The hood opens and closes smoothly as well with a nice solid thunk.
INTERIOR:
WHERE ARE THE SOFT TOUCH PLASTICS?
Everything is hard thin plastic.
The grain of the plastic on the upper dash and door panels does not match the grain on the lower part of the dash and center console/armrest area. What were they thinking? Also the color of the lower dash is not the same as the upper dash, very poor for 21 grand if you ask me.
Where did the umbrella storage area go thats supposed to be under the steering wheel? Instead they replaced it with a plastic panel that doesnt match the other plastics plus it bulges out in the middle like it was an after thought. Its also moves and flexes if you touch it. I was afraid it was going to fall off during my test drive but it didnt.
The seat cloth is very thick and the seats are very comfortable but lumbar support is not included on the drivers seat. The seats have very little track movement as does the steering wheel but i was able to get comfortable and had enough room.
With the drivers seat in a comfortable position for me i was unable to get into the back seat, their just isnt as much room as the santa fe in this area. The seating is low into the vehicle which is nice and it feels like your seating far back in the vehicle, very similar to riding in a honda element, It just makes you feel safer.
The center adjustable console up front is very nice and sturdy with lots of room underneath and the front passenger seat and rear seats fold flat with no fuss. Just make sure you dont have the front seats reclined too far back otherwise the rear seats cannot fold forward.
The rear cargo area has more room than i expected and the cargo shelf is sturdy but it just got in my way.
The moonroof is auto open with very large buttons and with the moonroof open there was no buffeting at highway speeds.
The shade opens easily and the whole unit is better than any hyundai system to date.
The gauges are well laid out and easy to read but their small and deep into the dash. The stereo is better than the one in the santa fe but the buttons arent very intuitive and the unit is too far away for quick adjustmets, passengers will be in control of the stereo. The hvac system worked with no fuss and i never felt the ac compressor kick on, again VERY NICE! It also blows very very cold air and the fan is almost silent in its operation.
The gear shifter is typical parts bin hyundai which is nice but its too easy to accidentally knock the shifter from drive over into manumatic function.
Hyundai finally has changed the door ajar beep noise to a nicer one. ;D
SUSPENSION:
Very firm unlike hyundais of the past. THANK GOD! No soggy floaty suspension like everything else they sell. This is the first hyundai other than the tibby than actually corners well and has great steering that doesnt require constant corrections. VERY NICE! (The current gen tibby just has a rough suspension)
NVH:
No rattles, hardly any wind noise, no suspension noise. Very quiet and solid feeling which is surprising considering the interior is covered in hard thin plastic. At least they did their homework in this area.
Nothing moves, other than the panel under the steering wheel, on the interior and i drove on some rough roads and numerous RR tracks, the headliner didnt even creak.
So to sum it up, its a very nice vehicle with tons of standard features thats ruined IMHO by a HORRIBLE transmission and 70's quality plastics that are embarrasing considering hyundai is moving up in price and quality.
I think i will wait for the refresh in 2 or so years to purchase a tucson if hyundai decides to change the plastics and redo the transmission.
Its a sad sad day for me.