The Good: Fully equipped at the price, powerful diesel engine
The Bad: Refinement is not good, interior trim quality
The Say: An improvement which is still hampered by bad manners.
Go For: 2.0 GL Diesel
Avoid: 2.4
Price Range: P460,000-P930,000
Our Rating: ***
Full Review: Used Car Review - Hyundai Tucson (2010-2015)
Latest vehicle profile: Hyundai Tucson
See the different versions of this vehicle:
2010-2013
2014-2015
Vehicle Overview
While the first generation Tucson was popular on some aspects, the second generation model became successful and is Hyundai's cash cow for sometime. Although the italicized H brand had increased sales, after sales declined based on owner's complaints.
New set of engines were launched which included the usual fare of offering both gasoline and diesel engines. The base engine is the 2.0 gasoline is capable enough of carrying its weight while updated models in 2014 have their ratings decreased but offered better performance and fuel consumption while the top 2.4 gasoline is fast enough. The cream of the crop is the 2.0 diesel which can be paired to an all wheel drive system that rewards you with lots of power and smooth acceleration at the expense of fuel consumption (only the 2.0 petrol is less fuel friendly by some kilometers). When it comes to driving this car, steering is light making driving easy but may act dumb on certain situations and the suspension is choppy resulting to a firm ride. Rear visibility is poor, no thanks to a design that favored fuel consumption than practicality.
Before thinking that the interior is filled with high quality materials, we'll tell you this one: although the interior is designed professionally, some materials used are of the cheap type. Depending on year model, some units gain a touchscreen monitor which is DVD and GPS ready.
What Should I Get
The base model is the GL which gets the 165hp 2.0 gasoline (2014 models and above get 156 horses), an option between manual and automatic transmissions, driver's airbag, all power features, reverse parking sensors, roof rails, CD player with USB and auxiliary jack, rear wiper, alarm, and keyless entry with fog lamps added later on. The GLS adds a passenger side airbag, ABS brakes, fog lamps, leather accents, rear cargo cover, heated mirrors, and steering wheel controls (deleted in a later update) with items such as a touchscreen monitor with DVD function added in the 2014 update. The R/GL diesel gets the 174hp 2.0 engine and is paired to an all wheel drive system while having the amenities of the GLS gasoline except for the controls. The 2.4 GLS adds the 176hp 2.4 engine, side airbags, down hill brake control, stability control, power driver's seat, leather seats, auto dimming rear view mirror, folding mirrors, and dual air conditioning. Premium models are available for both the 2.4 gasoline and 2.0 diesel from 2010 until 2013 that gains a rear view camera, cruise control, SmartCard keyless entry, and a panoramic sun roof while a Limited model wearing the 2.0 gasoline paired to AWD sprouted in 2013 having the same amenities of its Premium counterparts.
How Much Would It Cost Me
Although the previous model is reliable, it does not mean its successor will be one. If you want one, check the inhibitor switch that may affect on viewing where the transmission is slotted and the thermistor coil in the air-conditioning unit which may shut off the compressor thus making the aircon turned off. Since this vehicle is a volume seller, parts are aplenty plus maintenance costs are on par with rivals from Asia.