Description Of The Car

Fantastic Little SUV 2006 Hyundai Tucson Review

Test drived Mazda-Tribute(v4 and v6), Saturn vue(v4&v6), and Hyundai(v4 & v6), compared with Ford escape a well. Overall feeling: the Hyundai Tucson (v4&v6) is a new modern and advanced SUV, and the other three seems 10 years older even they all 2006 brand new cars.


Tucson cargo is the best of all easy to fold down, easy to clean, flat flat., the dash board is cool and looks to the future, perfect details inside, not lose to Honda (I drive a Honda 2002 Cvic for four years). under the hood, the engine and mechanics are beautiful not as mess as the others. Regarding the driving experience, V4 is not as weak as I thought for the high way entry and accelaration in the local.5 years warranty is way better than 3 years of the others.



Very impressed by the overall quality & performance. Only driven 500 miles, but enjoy the many amenities this car offers at such a good price. The MSRP is a couple thousand less than a Toyoyta RAV4 4cyl. with similar eqpt., but Hyundai allows biigger discounts, plus that great 5/10 year warranty. A few minor gripes are: The drivers seat is a bit too high & forward for anyone 5 10" or larger: the metal finish on the dash looks cheap compared to the rest of the interior ( Hyundai should take a hint from the expensive looking brished silver on Toyota dashes) & I would prefer an 8 way power driver seat rather than the auto/manual transmission.
Hyundai has come a long way these past 5 yrs. & it is a company that will give Toyota & Honda stiff competiiton in the very near future. The new Sonata is very comparable to the Accord & Camry for less money.Good job Hyundai !

Safety

Passengers are well protected as the Hyundai Tucson comes standard with seat-mounted side-impact airbags for front occupants and side curtain airbags for both front- and rear-seat occupants. Four-wheel antilock disc brakes are also standard on all Tucsons, along with a traction and stability control system. This Hyundai SUV achieved a five-star sweep in all NHTSA crash tests, earning perfect marks for its front- and side-impact protection.

Two engines

Both a four-cylinder and a V6 are offered in the Tucson.

Buyers of a Tucson with the 140-horsepower 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder can choose between a 5-speed manual transmission and a 4-speed automatic. This engine, with maximum torque of just 136 lb-ft at 4500 rpm, is in the base GL trim level of Tucson only and is the same engine used in Hyundais Tiburon and Elantra cars.

Tucson buyers who move up to the 173-horsepower 2.7-liter double overhead cam V6 cant get a manual. Only the 4-speed automatic with a Shiftronic shift-it-yourself mechanism is offered in the GLS and LX trim levels. Maximum torque from this V6 is 178 lb-ft at 4000 rpm.
A 4-cylinder Tucson wasnt available for testing. Hyundai officials expect the 4-cylinder to contribute to just 30 percent of all Tucsons sold.

But the V6 performed well in the test Tucsons. The vehicles didnt lag when I passed others on highways, and the engine worked well moving the more than mid-line, 3,500-pound Tucson GLS up hilly, two-lane roads.

Still, the 173 horses and 178 lb-ft of torque from this V6 are only 13 and 16 more, respectively, than the 160 horsepower and 162 lb-ft that the CR-Vs 2.4-liter 4-cylinder powerplant puts out.

Interior

Theres nothing cheap or spartan about the interior of the Hyundai Tucson, although it wont be mistaken for a luxury vehicle. Trim accents are matte black in the GL, bright metallic in GLS and Limited. The GLS comes with brightly colored cloth seats that some people find too gaudy, while others like the pattern as it brightens up the interior.

Big radio and climate controls are mounted reasonably high for easy reach, as is the shift lever. The instrument pod contains three gauges with a decent-sized speedometer in the center and a smaller tachometer and fuel gauge off to the sides.

Big storage pockets in each of the four doors contain an indent for a large cup, plus room for several maps or whatever. In addition there are a couple of cupholders in the center console. Its also nice to see a proper parking brake lever in the center instead of a pedal-operated parking brake. There are no fewer than three 12-volt power outlets; apart from the usual one at the front there is one in the rear cargo area and one at the back of the center console for use by the rear seat passengers.

Thanks again to Tucsons long wheelbase, ingress to and egress from the rear seats is good. Once inside, rear-seat passengers will find adequate head and leg room for all but the tallest people. The rear seatback splits 60/40 to fold down with the push of single lever for more cargo space; you dont even have to remove the headrests. The front passenger seat folds flat also, providing room for long objects or a convenient desk for a lone driver.

A reasonable amount of rear luggage space can be hidden by a solid rear cargo cover/parcel shelf. A large washable rubber mat covers a hidden under-floor storage area. The mat also helps protect the flooring, as well as providing a non-slip surface. There are six tie-downs at the side for securing cargo in addition to three grocery bag hooks.

Driving Impressions

Based on the same platform that underpins the Elantra, the 2006 Hyundai Tucson returns a smooth ride quality and generally handles more like a sedan than an SUV. The standard four-cylinder is quite weak, so the decent-performing V6 is a must. Shifts from the automatic transmission can be a bit lazy, but the Shiftronic manual mode allows drivers to work through the gears themselves when desired.

Can do some off-roading, too

Both four-cylinder and V6 Tucsons are available in two- and four-wheel drive.
Four-wheel-drive Tucsons come with a Borg Warner torque management system that monitors wheel traction, among other things.

Normally, 99 percent of the engine power goes to the front wheels, but if slippage is detected, up to 50 percent of the power can be sent automatically to the back. This 50-50 arrangement can be locked into place with the push of a button on the dashboard, too.

The test Tucsons four-wheel drive kept me going on muddy, off-road trails deep in an Oregon forest. The dirt road was wet, with squishy mud here and there, and the trail had a washboard surface in places. But my companion and I felt mostly slight vibrations — nothing more — as we ventured deeper into the woods. The vehicle never had to stress itself to get through.


Pros

Roomy, smooth ride, great interior, lovely exterior, WAY too underated for its class. Dont mind the MPG at all, if that was my ONLY concern, I would have gotten a hybrid from another dealer instead. Love EVERYTHING about this little SUV. No pressure sales and an AWESOME warranty that surpasses Honda and Toyota that is ALL INCLUSIVE with the price! The STANDARD safety features are a BIG PLUS - even with the low end model!

Cons:

I love everything about it.

Overall Review

a good 1st try for hyundia, great safety features. not the best in its class, its somewhere in the middle of the road. like alot of cars today, it has no soul. with a few improvements, the tucson can be a very good small suv, its just not there yet. id give ford a look, american cars are underrated, im going back to american the next time.