Car Review: Hyundai Tucson Turbodiesel
Back in March the new Hyundai Tucson launched and we got to drive most of the derivatives. Now Hyundai has added two diesel versions to its line up and we got to drive the 1,7 Turbodiesel last week.
The Hyundai Tucson has become a top seller since it launched in South Africa in March and the addition of these diesel engines will surely boost sales even further. The petrol version won The Women on Wheels Car of the Year award for Overall Car of the Year. And if you want to see what it looks like in the metal, watch Juliet’s video review of the car.
The first of the diesel options is the 1,7 turbodiesel which produces 85 kW of power and 280 N.m of torque. There is also the 2,0 Turbodiesel option which produces 131 kW of power and 400 N.m of torque, but we were only able to drive the 1,7 version at the launch.
The power delivery is notably better than that of its petrol sibling, but it wasn’t as powerful as I would have liked it to be. With that said, overtaking was easy enough and there is extra bit of oomph when you need it. The six-speed manual transmission is slick and the cabin is well insulated against road noise and against the diesel engine, which is in no way intrusive. The ride is smooth and when cornering at potentially illegal speeds up Helshoogte pass, we experiences almost zero tyre screeching.
This model is specced with the Executive trim only so you can expect a load of standard features. Something that bothered both my driving parter and myself was the driver’s seat which felt rather uncomfortable. After only about 100 km we both complained of rather saw backsides and I couldn’t wait to get out and stretch my back.
Other than that, the Tucson continues to impress and with these diesel offerings you really can have it all!
For more information be sure to read our Hyundai Tucson car review.
Pricing for the Hyundai Tucson Turbodiesel derivatives:
Tucson 2.0 Nu Premium (manual) R369 900
Tucson 2.0 Nu Premium (automatic) R389 900
Tucson 2.0 Nu Elite (automatic) R454 900
Tucson 1.6 TGDi Executive (manual) R439 900
Tucson 1.6 TGDi Elite DCT AWD R519 900
Tucson 1.7 UII Executive Diesel (manual) R439 900
Tucson R2.0 Elite (automatic)? R519 900