This is a truly cracking little softroader, with more character than the CR-V – shame it’s often overlooked by SUV buyers in favour of the m...
This is a truly cracking little softroader, with more character than the CR-V – shame it’s often overlooked by SUV buyers in favour of the more obvious Honda. The Tuc gets top marks for performance and handling, and makes for a practical
family car as well.
The rorty, eager CRDi engine is so good you’d want to marry it, but you’ll get a horrible gearbox as the mom-inlaw. Refinement isn’t great, but performance is truly lovely, whether in the city or out on the highway.
The highlight of this car is its superb handling – more like a hot hatch than an SUV. There’s little body roll, and it changes direction quickly. The ride is pretty compliant, but damping is slightly harsh. Still, this is the only SUV you’d enjoy along a winding ghat road; the next one up
costs some Rs 30 lakh more – and it’s the Porsche Cayenne.
The friendly cabin has good space for five, with comfy seats, and you sit high up. There are lots of cubbyholes, but the loadbay isn’t vast, which is annoying, because this car just begs to be taken off on long journeys.
Build quality is satisfactory outside and nice inside, but for some switchgear, which feels cheap. The fabrics look hardwearing, and should
be able to handle holiday hanky-panky. It’s pretty well equipped, and you won’t exactly miss anything; ABS and airbags are standard. Hyundai service is normally good, but the CRDi engine may not be cheap to maintain; also, resale values aren’t likely to be great, considering how few people buy it in the first Model 2.0CRDi Price (Lakh) 16.7 Engine 4cyl/1991cc G’box 5M Bhp 112 Torque 245Nm Size L: 432.5cm W: 183.0cm H: 173.0cm Kerb Weight: 1670kg Fuel tank: 58 litres
