No Longer the Forgotten Little Brother

A family dynamic typically has the younger brother or sister in any family being forced to “grow into” and wear hand me down clothes that were once new for their older siblings. As this dynamic continues onward through years eventually something spectacular happens to that younger sibling; they either grow to be taller than their older ones or develop a style and dynamic that is all their own, which requires a different attitude toward their wardrobe.

Much the same has happened for the Hyundai Tucson which trudged along for many years as the smallest SUV in the Hyundai lineup. While the Tucson is not going to grow and be larger than the other SUVs from Hyundai (that would be really odd), it’s now adorned with its own version of a mature and upgraded build that makes it one of its own. No longer styled after its larger siblings this SUV is making use of the Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design that Hyundai has put forth as their appealing new style. This design makes use of higher strength steel and adds excellent safety features to give you a vehicle that is full of what you want to enjoy on the road from an SUV.

What does being full of more for you to enjoy mean? The Tucson now has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that is attached to a six-speed automatic transmission which isn’t the real engine story here. The three trims above the base model, the Eco, Sport and Limited, will all use a 1.6-liter turbocharged and direct injected four-cylinder engine that uses a seven-speed twin clutch automatic transmission. At 175 horsepower this new engine dies much better than the outgoing model because of the smaller size. This is the replacement for the outgoing 2.4-liter engine. With this new engine you will have better overall performance and an improve fuel economy to be certain you can have what you need from your new Tucson.

Having more also means having more features which can include a motion activated liftgate, a full set of driver assistance features that include lane departure warning, automatic braking, blind spot monitoring and much more. Of course you can also enjoy the AWD that is optional on the Tucson to give a full 50/50 split of the torque from the front to the rear wheels. Even though you probably won’t be trekking in Utah in the Tucson, you can handle the challenges of mud or snow which can be a challenge when the weather turns foul.

When you need a vehicle that gives you more there is something you do want it to take away; noise. The new Tucson is much quieter than the outgoing model to give you a place you can enjoy your music without the interruption of the noise of the road.

Another place this vehicle has been improved is in the steering of the SUV. What used to be a numb and unresponsive system has been upgraded to be a steering that is dynamic and enjoyable to let you take full control of this vehicle. The Tucson even has a Drive Mode Select to let you choose between Eco, Normal and Sport when driving to enjoy the power and shifting to have the drive you want.

When you drive the new Tucson you will immediately notice how much better this SUV is than ever before. The Tucson has grown up to be a fun SUV to drive and now offers you the full package of features and equipment that you can enjoy on any road or even on some light trails should the outdoors call to you.