Hyundai, You've Come a Long Way Baby,
April 28, 2009
By
Car Obsessed
from Nashville, TN
"My mother owned two Hyundais more than a decade ago, and you would think after that experience I would have no interest in them. However, after hearing about how their quality was much improved, and after reading several reviews, I decided to go test drive a Hyundai Tucson. I was very impressed with the car like handling in the corners and the comfortable ride right away. After purchasing the vehicle, I feel I have a decent grasp of its ups and downs to write a review.
As I said before, this SUV handles very well in the corners. It is much more confidence inspiring than a truck based SUV like the Ford Explorer or Toyota 4Runner. The ride quality is very comfortable as most bumps (or giant potholes in Nashville) are smoothed out nicely. At highway speeds, there is some slight wind noise coming from the driver's side window, but I rarely notice it. The interior is good for the money. There are some hard plastics, but I've seen worse. I have the cloth seats, and they are comfortable, more so once I found the lumbar support lever. There are two map lights and a dome light that provide plenty of light. Power from the V6 is adequate. I wouldn't want any less power though (i.e. the 4 cylinder). The 4 speed automatic provides mostly smooth shifts. It occasionally searches for a gear if you have the cruise control set, and you are going up a hill, but a lot of cars do that. On my first tank of gas, I averaged 20.8mpg mixed driving. That's pretty good for an SUV. I haven't had a chance to take it on an extended "all highway" drive. I would expect the fuel economy to pick up some there. I have the base stereo which just has AM/FM radio, CD player, and cassette player. The stock stereo's sound is decent. It's probably fine for most consumers, but if you've ever upgraded your stereo in another car, you'll probably want to do the same in this car. There is an upgraded audio system option that includes built-in XM radio and an auxiliary port for your MP3 player which is very handy. The back seat isn't huge, but it should be fine for an average sized person. The rear cargo space with the back seat up is average. If you need to carry more cargo, you can always fold down the rear seats. There's a cargo tray above the spare tire compartment that you can store and organize various things you may want to keep in the car which is a nice feature.
Hyundais have come a long way. The Tucson offers a lot for a reduced price tag in comparison to the Japanese SUVs and with greater reliability than some of the American SUVs. The gas mileage is also much better than most SUVs. If you are in the market for a SUV and are curious about trying out the new Hyundais, go test drive a Tucson. You won't be disappointed."
| Overall Rating: |
|
4
out of 5
|
| Comfort: |
|
4
out of 5
|
| Performance: |
|
3
out of 5
|
| Quality: |
|
5
out of 5
|
| Appearance: |
|
4
out of 5
|
| Space (cargo/passenger): |
|
4
out of 5
|
| Value for the Money: |
|
5
out of 5
|
What is your gender?:
Male
What is your age?:
18-24
How long have you owned your car?:
Less than a year
How many cars have you owned in your lifetime?:
5+
|