SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.


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This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. The driving experience was limited to a short drive over a preselected course. We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get an actual test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.


Lucky number eight: 2017 Hyundai Tucson Sport launch

Please note that this is an SA-only model

Attitude-added

Posted: 9 June 2017

The numbers
Price: R499 900
Engine: 1591 cc, DOHC, 16-valve four-cylinder with twin scroll turbocharger
Power: 150 kW at 5500 rpm
Torque: 295 Nm between 1500 and 4500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 9.2 seconds
Maximum speed: 203 km/h
Average fuel consumption (claimed): 8.9 l/100 km
Tank: 62 litres
Luggage: 488 – 1478 litres
Ground clearance: 172 mm
Tare: 1613 kg
GCM: 4020 kg
Maximum braked towing mass within GCM: 1600 kg
Warranty: 5 years / 150 000 km, with roadside assistance
Extended Powertrain warranty: 2 years / 50 000 km
Service plan: 5 years / 90 000 km at 15 000 km intervals

•    Strongest version of 1600 TGDI
•    Bespoke body kit
•    Unique Tiger wheels
•    Four-bore pipes

“Not really market research - more a gut feel,” said Stanley Anderson, Hyundai Automotive SA’s sales and operations director. “We knew we already had a very attractive range – topping the compact SUV sales sector with 16.5-percent share proves that – and we were able to create a Tucson Sport that’s bold in a classy way without being overly arrogant, but with looks that grab attention. The 1.6 turbocharged engine also delivers more than enough power to match its sporty appearance.

“We import the body kit – front, rear and side skirts – from Korea while the 19-inch, all-black alloy wheels with 245/45 tyres were chosen exclusively for Tucson Sport with help from Tiger Wheel & Tyre. Nobody can buy duplicates off the shelf to fit to their own cars. Then there’s a special, locally sourced, exhaust system with four chrome pipes that audibly announce its sportiness. The result is a winner in both looks and performance.”

Tucson Sport joins seven other derivatives - a trio of two-litre, 4x2 petrol versions, a couple of 1.6 TGDIs with choice of 4x2 manual or seven-speed DSG with awd and 1700- and 2000 cc diesels in 4x2.  Sport comes in Elite trim, six-speed manual and 4x2. Its particular value-add, apart from cosmetics, is stage one engine tuning that bumps up the numbers from 130 kW/265 Nm to 150 and 295. According to Hyundai’s figures it makes no difference to sprint times or top speed but it does feel a lot stronger and easier to drive.

Standard features include an eight-inch touch-screen infotainment system with satellite navigation, Bluetooth telephone linking and music streaming, a CD player, USB and auxiliary music inputs and several settings for FM and AM radio reception. It also displays a rear view from the park assist camera when reversing.

Other convenience features include cruise control, automatic windscreen wipers, automatic air conditioning, electrically adjustable leather seats and multifunction controls on the steering wheel.

Among its safety features are ABS with ESP and EBD, vehicle stability management, active yaw control, hill start assist and six airbags. Tucson was awarded a five-star safety rating in the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP).

Our familiarisation drive ran back-to-back with the Elantra Sport that was launched at the same event and over the same winding country roads (just in reverse). While maximum power (150 kW) is the same for both engines, the Tucson’s higher torque (295 vs. 265 Nm), along with the SUV’s sweet stick shifter, made for an even more entertaining drive. All we need to make life special is this combo in an Elantra Sport.

Information gathered at a manufacturer-sponsored launch event

The 2019 update with added diesel model is here

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What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments?
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