After a week-long test drive of the Hyundai Tucson Premium SE, here are some of my experiences with the car.
Day 1 – Hyundai Tucson First Impressions
Hyundai are now taking a bold new step in the crossover market with the all new Hyundai Tucson. I was certainly excited to see exactly what this brand new model would be like. Once it arrived I was impressed straight from the off. The car was a great size, not too big and not too small. The exterior design features were all very fresh, exciting to look at and had a premium look to them.
For me, I really liked the large five spoke alloy wheels, the huge grille and I simply fell in love with the running lights on the car. Hyundai’s signature running lights have LED lights that transfer onto what I can only describe as a diffuser, but I love how it looks and it is different to most out there.
Day 2 – Night Time Photo Shoot
We took the car out for a night-time photo shoot and headed to a location with an electric blue theme. We also had the benefit of the moon reflecting brightly back to Earth. Our photographer, Ross Jukes, spotted a perfect shot from a low angle capturing the Tucson from a completely new angle. You can see the car being lit blue from the surrounding office buildings, and you even see the cloud rushing by with the moon in the background. It looks awesome!
Throughout the evening we used a couple of different locations for both pictures and video of the car. Watch the below video to see some behind the scenes footage.
Day 3 – Daily Driver
Using the car on a daily basis has been a great way to test out all the small features. On Wednesday I was out and about for the entire day and I learnt a lot about the car. Firstly, the Premium SE version is fitted with heated seats in the front and rear which makes for a very cosy ride, plus the steering wheel’s heater is red hot and makes up for Hyundai’s slow warming heating system.
The keyless entry and start system works really well on the car. Hyundai put a small rubber button on the door handles that you press to lock and unlock the car when you have the key in your pocket. This makes darting in and out of the car super easy and has been very well implemented.
The gearbox on the Hyundai Tucson is a real treat to drive, it uses a six-speed automatic gearbox that is super smooth and completely removes interruptions when shifting gears. Whether I was cruising through traffic or on the motorway, the gearbox worked very well during my testing.
Spending a lot of time in a car can sometimes feel like a challenge, but in the Hyundai this just wasn’t the case, the car felt very comfortable, there is lots of room to move around and the car takes little energy to drive.
Day 4 – Does It Stand Out in the Real World?
You can probably tell from how this article is going that I quite like this car, but does it stand out in an already crowded market?
I would like to think it is different and bold enough to stand out from the rest. However, a prime example of how competitive the crossover market is is the fact that I parked the car in a cinema car park one evening. When returning to the car I actually walked up to a similar coloured mid-sized SUV from another manufacturer parked two spaces down from me by accident. I only noticed when I was right up close to the car. I think the Hyundai is great, but is there room for another crossover?
Day 5 – Is this the Perfect Crossover Setup?
The Hyundai Tucson that we are testing is the Premium SE, the top of the range version with the most powerful 185bhp engine and four-wheel drive. The engine works for the car and powers this mid-sized SUV along really well. Most people are not going to be using the car for its four-wheel-drive capabilities, but a lot of people just like to know that extra level of grip is there if they ever get caught out in bad weather. I think it is a bit of a confidence booster.
I think the features that the Hyundai packs in are great and this 2.0-litre engine and gearbox setup works well together. After a few days of testing I think we could be looking at the perfect crossover setup.
Day 6 – Sunset Photo Shoot
We took an early 6am start to get the car on location for a shoot. The location we chose was a reservoir, and you can see from the pictures that the car was set in place waiting for the sun to rise. Ross Jukes sat waiting for the sun to rise to capture some shots of the car, while myself and videographer Dan Barnett put a drone in the air looking to try and capture a new angle.
Here is my favourite shot from this shoot; with the Tucson setup across a quiet road, and the sun at the right height, the car looks truly at home. It’s great to see a modern designed car backed up with some natural scenery.
Day 7 – In Summary
On the last day with the Tuscon I didn’t do anything too exciting, just a few local trips. I remember feeling really content with the car, Hyundai have really packed a good set of features in the Tucson and with the top of the range version starting at £28,345 I think it provides great value.
Take a look at the video below to see some highlights of the car.
Supplied by: Hyundai