Owner Review: Impressive Cabin Space - My 2016 Hyundai Tucson 2.0

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Basic information

Hyundai Tucson 2.0 TL Executive 2016.

Reasons why I bought this car

My Mother, who was driving an Avanza before this has been wanting to upgrade her car for sometime. She really liked my Uncle's CRV, she found it very spacious and very comfortable during long drives. Hence, we decided to give the SUV Segment a try (our first time purchasing a car that's not a hatchback, sedan or MPV). 

Car selection process

• I had a budget of: RM120-140K

• Models that I have considered include: Mitsubishi ASX, Mazda CX-5, Honda HRV & Subaru XV

The reason why I choose this car

A few of the many reasons why we choose the Tucson was mainly because of the safety features, comfort and reliability. 

In Terms of cabin space, the Tucson is rather impressive, it's spacious cabin makes the car comfortable to be in, our legs have sufficient space to move and we do not feel cramped-p at all with 3 adult-ized passengers in the rear seats. In Terms of driving, the car is rather smooth, engine is a little on the lazier side on Eco/Normal modes but that shouldn't be an issue for most drivers especially in the city.
 
When we were looking out for vehicles in the SUV Segment, we were reluctant to give the Tucson a try (Being a Malaysian, our perception towards Korean cars are always towards the negative side) . However, after test-riving the Tucson, we were impressed with the way the car handled and how quiet the cabin was compared to its rivals such as the CX-(do take note this was in 2016, CX-5 has also improved on their NVH levels). 

The Tucson surprisingly took corners really well and road/wind noise was minimal, it was a rather impressive experience as we have never purchased a Korean car before the Tucson.
 
After careful consideration, we decided to go ahead with the Tucson, mainly because of the comfort level and the safety features. Hyundai's Advance High Strength Steel (AHSS) is an added bonus to this car(50%+ of AHSS used).

User experience

• I have already done 80000
• My average fuel consumption is 9 L/km 

Firstly, the design of the car, Given the history of Hyundai cars in the past decade or so and their Designer (Peter Schreyer, Designer for Hyundai Motor Group at that time). The Hyundai Tucson is a handsome car, it looks stylish, aggressive and has a little bit of an elegant touch to it.

The Tucson is a comfortable car to drive around, easy to judge given it's height, the build quality is also rather solid. However there are some rattling noises here and there(tolerable). The seats that the Tucson offers are also rather comfortable. 

The car has given us minimal problems through out our ownership of the car (Minor issues like Power Window, Switches/Buttons). In terms of the Engine & Transmission, it has been solid, the car has not given us any issues in the Engine & Transmission department. However, as the car age, wear has become more noticeable (Tappet Sound & Vibrations mostly). However, this is normal for most cars as these parts are mostly wear and tear parts.

In Terms of reliability , I would say that Hyundai has come a long way compared to where they were 20 years ago when people tend to label Hyundai Cars as problematic. However, there are some issues that i think Hyundai needs to improve on. The air-onditioning compressor(there were some issues) and also the quality of the accessories that comes with the car(Switches, Buttons, Power Window, Radio, etc) .

Other than that, the car has been a good buy, the suspension is tuned nicely for Malaysian roads as well, making car rides very enjoyable. It also gives the driver confidence when handling corners as the car tends to be rather sturdy and responsive at corners. In my opinion, another plus point for the Tucson is how the car handles, it handles rather well for a vehicle that is in the SUV segment, it feels stable as well at high speeds. 

In Terms of fuel economy, it's acceptable (around 12-6KM/L on highways and around 6-KM/L for city driving), for a 2.0L Engine(SUV), I think it's acceptable.

Hyundai's after sale service has been good as well, whenever we have an issue, the service center looks into it carefully and replace whatever that needs replacing (under warranty). Kudos to Sime-erby & Hyundai Malaysia on that part. 

Also, to my surprise, which Hyundai deserves credit for, the Brake Pads of the car, it lasted nearly 80K KM (The front ones, back ones lasted about 40-0K KM as it's smaller).

Maintaining the car is fairly priced as well,per-ervice with Hyundai is around Rm 380 (Fully synthetic engine oil, Shell Helix Ultra & Oil Filter) which also includes basic inspection of the car, brake pads are around RM 350-50 (which is fairly priced given the duration the brake pads lasted). Gearbox service interval is around 60K KM.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Comfort.
• Spacious .
• Minimal NVH.
•  Handling.
• Spacious cabin and boot.
• Reliable.
• Design.

Cons

• Accessories parts(Buttons, Power Window, etc) not as reliable as the Engine & the Transmission of the car.
•  Fuel Economy could have been better.
• Engine is a little on the lazier side when on Eco/Normal mode. Sport mode does make a difference but it could have been better.
•  Head-nit.
• I don't like the design of the muffler.
•  No automatic door lock.
• No start/stop button.
• No keyless entry.

Ratings

• Performance : 4
• Quality and Features : 3
• Space : 4
• Ride Comfort : 5
• Fuel Economy : 5
• Price and Cost : 3
• Total Score : 4

Summary

Overall, it's fair to say that we have no regrets purchasing the Hyundai Tucson. The car has been with us for 5 Years + now (Warranty period has just ended) and we have yet to have any major complains on it. Besides the engine being a little bit on the lazier side compared to its rivals CX5, XV and maybe the CRV, the Tucson is still a pleasure to drive. The sport mode does help a little when it comes to pick-p & overtaking. The NVH level of the car and also the tuning of the suspension however, makes the tucson a very nice place to be in especially during long drives, even for the driver. Overall, if anyone is looking to purchase a vehicle from the SUV Segment, I would suggest giving the Hyundai Tucson a try, The turbo version would be a better purchase at this point (I believe Hyundai has stopped producing this as the newer Tucson has been launch in other countries). Given the price point of the Hyundai Tucson, i think it's a good buy overall. 

Interesting events

Not many major events has occurred during our ownership with the Hyundai Tucson, however i do remember one event where there was an animal on the road, traveling at around 50-0 KM/H, the car avoided the animal on the road easily, the steering was very responsive and the car felt very stable. 

Also, driving up Cameron Highlands was a fun experience as well, the car handled the corners along the Cameron roads pretty well. The car was very responsive, going up-ill was a breeze as well with the Sport Mode and the Manual mode (+- that comes with the Tucson. 

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