2022 New Hyundai Tucson India: Is It The New Premium SUV Benchmark With ADAS? Find Out In This Review
2022 New Hyundai Tucson India Review: The new Tucson immediately makes an impression with its size along with aggressive design as a premium SUV. Know what's to like and what doesn't impress.
The Tucson is not a new name in India as the previous generation of this premium SUV came six years ago but time does fly and here we have the all-new generation model which has been stuffed with features and technology. That had to be done because midsize compact SUVs are becoming even more premium and hence, the upmarket Tucson had to be pushed higher in terms of luxury. The new generation Tucson does exactly that and having just been launched in India with diesel/petrol engines, the question is whether the new Tucson is worth the money or not. Let us go take a look.
The new Tucson immediately makes an impression with its size along with aggressive design. While it may not look so, seeing it in the real world reveals how big the SUV really is. India gets the long wheelbase Tucson and that means it has a length of 4630mm and that means it beats every other SUV in its class for sheer size. Then the front gets a lot of attention with the massive dark chrome grille where the lights/DRLs remain hidden looking like being part of the grille. The 'Parametric lights' are indeed quite cool and give the Tucson a unique look.
Then you will see big 18-inch alloy wheels along with numerous lines/sharp angles being added to the design along with the roof line nicely blending in. The rear too gets a light bar that connects the LED tail lamps plus even the rear wiper is hidden out of view to not disturb the design. It is a very cool design and we think it is the best-looking Hyundai product yet along with the fact that you need to see it in the flesh to appreciate it more.
The interiors are similarly luxurious along with being a massive leap forward in terms of quality or design. It should be for the price, but the fit/finish to the look is quite premium. We love the line which runs across the entire dashboard and onto the door pads along with hidden air vents for even flow. Then the large 10.25-inch touchscreen comes with touch panels below for controls while the floating driver instrument cluster looks superb as well. The dual-tone interior mixes well with the black top half of the dash while everything from the steering wheel to the keyfob is different from other Hyundai cars.
When talking about features, the new Tucson actually shames luxury SUVs costing twice as much since it gets dual-powered seats with driver memory but also cooled/heated ventilated seats while coming with dual-zone climate control/panoramic sunroof also. The driver's seat automatically folds back for easy entry while the digital display also houses the bild view monitor which displays both sides of the road when the indicators are used. A detailed 360-degree view camera with multiple angles, 64 color ambient lighting, 60 plus connected features, wireless charger, an 8-speaker Bose audio system, powered hands-free tailgate, OTA updates, sounds of nature (which plays soothing sounds to calm stress), valet mode, Home-to-Car (H2C) with Alexa and Google Voice Assistant and more.
For rear seat passengers, there is good news too with a large seat base which means three passengers can easily sit despite the presence of a central tunnel along with excellent headroom/legroom- all thanks to the wheelbase which is the longest among rivals. Further, though you can move the front passenger seat electronically from the back while you can even recline the rear seat. The Tucson is a 5-seater along with a large boot while storage space is decent.
We drove the diesel Tucson with AWD but there is also a 2.0l petrol also with an automatic gearbox as standard. However, we chose the more powerful diesel with its 2.0l unit with 186bhp and 416Nm torque. There is also a standard automatic option with this engine and it is an 8-speed one while AWD with terrain modes along with drive modes are also there. The diesel starts off being very refined and at low speeds, you'll struggle to tell whether it is a diesel or not. Despite being a big SUV, the Tucson is quite easy to drive with light steering while also being easy to park.
At low speed, the gearbox is responsive enough but acceleration is linear along with the torque on offer. The Tucson feels like a luxury SUV with the refinement and how quickly it goes when needed. Like any diesel, this is an engine built to cruise and the Tucson is all about driving large distances in one go easily. We did however miss paddle shifters which is a surprise miss but that aside, the performance and the power make the Tucson enjoyable to drive. The presence of AWD and terrain modes makes this also a bit of an off-roader along with a decent amount of ground clearance. In terms of mileage, expect 12 kmpl.
Despite being big in size, the handling is well sorted with an agile feel to it which you would not get in other old-school big SUVs along with stable handling with minimal body roll. We do think the ride quality is slightly firm over speed-breakers but smoothens out at higher speeds while cabin refinement is fantastic though.
Finally, let's talk about ADAS and the Tucson gets level 2 features with even a rear radar for extra features. Alongside lane assist functions, there are features like forward collision brake, traffic alert, blind-spot alert, rear-cross traffic, and more. You can tune the functions or turn them off but we will say that the functions work very well even in our conditions along with the lane-keep assist, in particular also working on roads where the markings are not so bright. The car will also look out for traffic when reversing or even when opening the door.
The top-end Tucson as tested here is Rs 34.3 lakh and that is a big price hike over the earlier one but it is also a lot more car for the money. The new Tucson does everything well and what you expect from a premium SUV with huge space, comfort, and features while also looking good along with the diesel being quick. It makes a great buy as a premium SUV and its high waiting list along with limited availability is its only shortcoming.
What We Like: Looks, quality, space, features, performance
What We Do Not: Lacks steering paddle shifters, no 7-seater option
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