2011 Hyundai Tucson Malaysia Reviews & Ratings, Expert Car Reviews on LIVE LIFE DRIVE

Standing out with its distinctive style and value for money, the 2011 Hyundai Tucson proves to be a wonderful addition to the class, one that puts its predecessor to shame and gives the Honda CR-V a run for its money.

2011 Hyundai Tucson quick specs

Body Style	SUV
Class	Mid-size Utility
Assembled	-

Engine Range	-
Fuel Options	-
Seating Capacity	5

2011 Hyundai Tucson ratings (overall rating : 3.5/5.0)

Styling
Handling
Comfort
Quality + Reliability
Performance

Roominess
Running Costs
Value for Money
Equipment
Environment

Styling

The Hyundai Tucson is the first Hyundai to feature the Korean automaker's “Fluidic Sculpture” design language, which entails an aggressively sculpted front end with a pronounced grille and angular headlamps, as well as a coupe-like profile made up of the steeply raked A-pillars, tapering side windows and a sloping roofline. Surprisingly, all of those design cues survived the transition from concept to production. The 2011 Hyundai Tucson shouts style and personality, and is light years ahead of its distinctly bland and forgettable predecessor.

Handling

The 2011 Hyundai Tucson is more firmly tuned than most rivals, providing it with good body control and relatively minimal body roll through corners. The electrically-assisted steering stands out for its inconsistent level of assistance, however, with more just off the centre and less as more steering locks are applied. Still, the steering weighting is good, although there is little feel or feedback to speak of. With the 4WD system sending torque to the rear wheels upon detecting slip at the front, the 2WD and 4WD Tucson variants handle almost identically. Overall, it must be emphasized that the 2011 Hyundai Tucson is miles better than its predecessor despite some areas to improve on.

Comfort

The ride is firm for a supposed road-biased soft-roader; there is some bounce over bumpy roads and some thumps over surface imperfections, especially potholes. The ride quality improves notably as speed increases, though. Road and wind noise are present at speed, but it never crosses from noticeable to intrusive. Ergonomics are excellent as all controls are well-positioned and instruments and displays are easy to read. The raised driving position provides a good range of seating adjustments as well as a clear view of the road ahead, but the small rear windscreen restricts visibility.

Quality + Reliability

The 2011 Hyundai Tucson's interior is high on visual appeal thanks to the stylish dashboard, to the extent that it distracts you from the lack of soft-touch plastics. While seemingly durable, these hard plastics lack tactile appeal. Still, every item on the dashboard feels solidly put together and all the controls work with precision. The interior remains rattle-free on the road, while the doors shut with a resolute thud. Hyundai's two engines on offer have been in use in a range of Hyundai and other make models, and so should stand the test of time. Only prolonged use and time can determine the reliability of Hyundai's all-new, self-developed transmission, however.

Performance

Two engines from the Theta-II family are available: a 2.0-litre with 164 bhp at 6200 rpm and 197 Nm at 4600 rpm and a 2.4-litre with 175 bhp at 6000 rpm and 227 Nm at 4000 rpm, each paired to Hyundai's new six-speed automatic gearbox with Tiptronic. Despite the impressive numbers, the 2.0-litre provides little shove low down the rev range, and working the engine hard to access the maximum torque means enduring a boomy engine note. The 2.4-litre is predictably the stronger of the two, though the performance is still merely adequate. Hyundai's self-developed six-speed gearbox shifts smoothly and manages to find the right gear every time.

Roominess

The interior offers plenty of head- and leg-room for both front and rear. Adding to the 2011 Hyundai Tucson's case are an almost-flat rear floor, supportive seats and no lack of cubbies and storage areas. Due to the smaller rear windows, the rear passengers get a lesser view of the outside, making it a little claustrophobic especially for children. The well-shaped boot measures a useful 591 litres and extends to a massive 1436 litres with the 60/40 split-folding rear seats folded down, even though the rear seats do not fold completely flat.

Running Costs

Hyundai claims official fuel economy of 11.5 km/litre for the 2.0-litre and 10.9 km/litre for the 2.4-litre. Our test drive returns a fuel economy of 9.0 km/litre for the 2.0-litre, which represents a still-reasonable deviation from the official rating. In addition to servicing and maintenance costs which are competitive with rivals', the 2011 Hyundai Tucson comes with a five-year/300,000km warranty that should put most minds to rest. Being a Hyundai, the Tucson will most likely suffer from a steeper margin of depreciation compared to the class-leader Honda CR-V. That said, this trend should change over time as Hyundai persists on efforts to improve their brand image.

Value for Money

The 2011 Hyundai Tucson bundles an abundance of style, adept handling, good ergonomics, solid fit-and-finish, plenty of interior room and a long equipment list into one attractively priced package. Compared to key rival Honda CR-V, the Hyundai Tucson falls short in the areas of ride comfort, drivetrain refinement and cabin material quality. Even so, the 2011 Hyundai Tucson leads the class with its distinctive style, equipment generosity and pure value for money, proving to be a wonderful addition to the soft-roader segment.

Equipment

Standard items include 17" alloy wheels, audio system with iPod auxiliary input, front fog lamps, roof rack, electric mirrors, dual front airbags, active headrests and Anti-lock Braking System (ABS). The two higher-end models add semi-leather seats, synthetic leather trim, smart key entry, engine start/stop button, panoramic sunroof, chrome grille & door handles, Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Downhill Brake Control (DBC) and Hill-start Assist Control (HAC). The 2.4-litre 4WD is the only model to offer electrically-adjustable driver's seat and automatic climate control.

Environment

The 2.0-litre and 2.4-litre spew 207 grams/km and 219 grams/km of carbon dioxide emissions—official figures which are reasonable going by the standards of relatively heavy SUVs. Compared to other body styles, however, the 2011 Hyundai Tucson is neither clean nor frugal enough to justify a good rating here. Hyundai does offer direct-injected GDI engines elsewhere, but Malaysia's inferior fuel quality means we are stuck with the current less-efficient versions.

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2011 Hyundai Tucson Review

2011 Hyundai Tucson at a glance