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. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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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 a test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.

Twins: 2019 Hyundai Tucson Sport returns

Please note that these are purely South African models

Extra pizzazz never hurt

Posted: August 1, 2019

The numbers
Base prices: 1.6 turbopetrol @ R654 900, 2.0 turbodiesel @ R664 900
Petrol engine: 1591 cc, DOHC, D-CVVT, 16-valve, direct injection four-cylinder, turbocharged
Power: 150 kW at 5500 rpm
Torque: 300 Nm at 4500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 8.9 seconds
Maximum speed: 201 km/h
Claimed average fuel consumption: 8.9 l/100 km
Diesel engine: 1995 cc, DOHC 16-valve, E-VGT diesel
Power: 150 kW at 4000 rpm
Torque: 460 Nm between 1750 and 2750 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 9.3 seconds
Maximum speed: 201 km/h
Claimed average fuel consumption: 7.9 l/100 km
Tank: 62 litres
Luggage: 488 – 1478 litres
Turning circle: 10.6 metres
Ground clearance: 172 mm
Maximum towing mass (braked): Petrol 1600 kg, diesel 1900 kg
Warranty: 5 years / 150 000 km, with additional 2 years / 50 000 km on powertrain
Roadside assistance: 7 years / 150 000 km
Service plan: 5 years / 90 000 km at 15 000 km intervals

Isn’t it wonderful when a Sport model is given power and torque to back up its pretty appearance package; the one that adds weight to render it fractionally slower?

Hyundai heard my silent plea. In order to create a uniquely South African Tucson, back in September 2017, Hyundai engineers separated a 1.6-litre, turbopetrol Elite from the flock. They then chipped it, tweaked the exhaust system, added an imported body kit and asked Tiger Wheel and Tyre for a dedicated set of black alloy wheels with 245/45R19 tyres.

That engine upgrade added 20 kilowatts and 30 Newton-metres to produce 150 kW and 295 Nm of sizzle. Its six-speed manual transmission remained untouched. An all-wheel drive version with seven-slot DSG came along later but both were shelved when the range was facelifted in September 2018.

Said facelift meant that a new body kit had to be found and now it has. But rather than resurrect the by-now obsolete 1.6T awd to run alongside the original front-wheel driver, Hyundai SA chose instead to transfer power and appearance kits, exhaust and wheels to a 2.0-litre diesel Elite.

It continues to use its eight-speed, torque converter automatic while the petrol model inherits the old awd version’s seven-speed DCT.

Appearance-wise, the grille was blackened, there’s a spoiler below the front apron, side skirts were added and four exhaust pipes add menace to a body coloured skid plate under the rear valance. The black, 19” wheels remain unchanged. 

Elite specification covers almost everything: Both front seats adjust electrically; there are six airbags; sunroof: LED headlamps with auto-on; fog lights front and rear; all-around disc brakes with ABS, EBD, ESP, VSM, AYC, DBC and HAC; dual zone aircon with ioniser and pollen filter; 7-inch touch screen; lots of connectivity; smart key entry and start; automatic locking and unlocking; cruise control; blind spot, rear cross traffic and lane change assistance; folding outside mirrors and reversing camera. Need I go on?

The brief acquaintance run showed that both are entertaining to drive although characters differ. The diesel, with its tons of new-found torque, chirped front wheels easily on pull-away although its gearbox was less trigger happy. Plain English: Flooring the pedal at around 100 km/h produced a steady surge of acceleration but no dramatic kick-down.
 
The petrol car was less strident on take-off but sportier overall; gears shifted more evidently, the engine snarled delightfully (that special exhaust) and it offered greater driver-machine involvement. I liked both but you can see where I’m going with this, can’t you?

Tucson’s range of competent five-seat SUVs boast ample room for cargo and passengers and sell at an average rate of 316 per month. Hyundai fuel consumption claims are, apparently, realistically attainable on the Highveld too; Stanley the sales director says he checks them personally.

And a little extra pizzazz never hurt anyone.

Information gathered at a manufacturer-sponsored press event



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 or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

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 or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.