The 2016 Hyundai Tucson SUV that goes on sale
this month looks like a real threat to the Ford Escape and Honda CR-V's status
as the best compact SUVs on the market.
A 200-mile road test
revealed that the Tucson
offers a roomy, comfortable interior, a long list of appealing features and
acceptable power. Its pricing and fuel economy appear to be very competitive
with leading compact SUVs.
Tucson prices range from
$22,700 to around $34,050.
Related: Hyundai jumps into SUV boom
with sleek 2016 Tucson
Hyundai offers two
engines: a base 164-hp 2.0L four-cylinder mated to a six-speed automatic
transmission and a 175-hp turbocharged 1.6L four-cylinder paired with a
seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
The more powerful 1.6L
turbo powers both the most fuel efficient and the sportiest versions of the Tucson. The "Eco"
fuel economy special gets better mileage thanks to reduced weight, smaller
wheels and fewer available features.
The Tucson's exterior styling is
consistent with Hyundai's larger Santa Fe Sport midsize five-seat SUV and six-
or seven-seat Santa Fe family hauler. The 2016 Tucson is about 3 inches
longer than the SUV it replaces and 8.5 inches shorter than the Santa Fe Sport,
which is in turn 8.5 inches shorter than the three-row Santa Fe.
The Tucson is shorter but wider
than the Escape, CR-V and Toyota RAV4. It offers more passenger space, but a
smaller cargo area than the Escape and CR-V.
The 2016 Hyundai Tucson's
interior offers plenty of passenger space and features including a touch screen
and navigation.
I recently spent a day
driving a pair of well-equipped, all-wheel-drive Tucsons with the turbo
engine and dual-clutch transmission.
Both had sticker prices
around $31,000 and EPA fuel economy ratings of 24 m.p.g. in the city, 28 on the
highway and 26 combined.
The 1.6L engine's power
is acceptable, but not exciting. Hyundai and
other automakers have had customer complaints about dual-clutch transmissions,
which can feel different from conventional automatics. The new seven-speed felt
fine to me.
An impressive list of
available safety features includes blind-spot alert and lane-departure alerts
and automatic braking that can detect an impending impact with a pedestrian or
vehicle and bring the Tucson to a
halt.
Hyundai expects to sell
about 90,000 Tucsons a year, about double what the old model did.
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