Six Hyundai Tucsons Set Out to Prove Reliability in 3,850 mile African Expedition

December 17, 2005 by Trevor Hofmann / American Auto Press Antilock Brakes are Now Standard with Well-Equipped 2006 Tucson The Hyundai Tucson is a lightweight SUV right? Well, dont let its compact dimensions fool you. After all, every one of the six Tucsons that set out from Cape Cross, Namibia, on the Atlantic Ocean, for a 3,850 mile quest to cross Africa made it to the other side. It took the trans-African expedition 22 days to reach Maputo, Mozambique on the Indian Ocean, after passing through the desert and over mountains of Botswana, Zambia, South Africa and Swaziland, and only minor problems were encountered. This is impressive, considering that only stock Tucsons, equipped with four-wheel drive and driver-selectable 4WD lock, the latter which provides a continuous 50/50 torque split between front and rear wheels, took part in the largely unpaved journey. "The cars performed extremely well with just two tire punctures, three air filter changes and one air conditioning filter replacement," said Pedro Castelo, PR Manager for Entreposto. The "Tucson Coast-to-Coast" event was organized by Entreposto VH, Hyundais Portuguese distributor, to show the general toughness and overall reliability of the South Korean automakers popular new SUV under what the Hyundai team described as "highly demanding climatic and road conditions." Equally impressive were the Tucsons overall fuel economy, combining for 25 mpg, and this taking into consideration that all six vehicles had their air conditioning systems set to "full blast" for 15 of the 22 days. Temperatures were varied but mostly hot, ranging from a low of 13 degrees centigrade to a high of 45 degrees. In addition to the air conditioning, each Tucson carried up to 660 pounds of cargo, putting a further load on fuel consumption. "This is yet another illustration of the quality, durability and reliability built into every new Hyundai product," commented a Hyundai spokesman. "With its innovative flexibility, abundant safety features and classy styling, the award-winning Hyundai Tucson is a class-leading, value-packed compact SUV that meshes with the active lifestyles of Canadian consumers." The Tucson starts at a miserly $17,495 making it one of the lowest priced SUVs in the industry. For that MSRP the Tucson offers a host of standard features, highlighted by ABS brakes, plus traction and electronic stability control - impressive for the compact SUV segment. Its fit, finish and materials quality is also top rate for the class, on-pavement performance quite respectable, and obviously from this report, the Tucsons off-pavement performance is also impressive. Always remember to visit for latest deals available Gary Rome Hyundai , Hyundai Accessory Store and Hyundai Performance Auto Parts.