Hyundai Tucson GLS long term report: After 22,357km and one year

In the end you leave not because you have another place to go but because there is nothing keeping you there." This phrase from the movie
Megan Leavey doesn't stand true for our beloved long term Hyundai Tucson. The SUV is going back to the Chennai plant primarily because it
has completed its term with team OVERDRIVE.

More than me, the wife says that she will miss the refined and comfortable Tucson

The mid-size SUV has had a good time at the OD garage, raking in more than 22,000km in the process and winning over each one of us - except Rohit. In fact, that's the only negative I could think about the Hyundai Tucson - I'll come back to that in a moment.

The Hyundai Tucson will seat five in good comfort. There is enough head room, leg room as well as thigh support for all the occupants. It
has all the right equipment too, including front parking sensors, drive modes as well as the auto hold function. The driver' seat is electrically
adjustable. Hyundai have also added powerful cornering LED headlamps to the Tucson and while this made other road users get out of your
way, it also helped immensely while driving in the night. The electrically powered boot was always the party trick, one which I was never tired of flaunting. There was always power on tap from the 185PS/400Nm 2.0-litre diesel engine and while the 6-speed automatic may not be DSGquick, it does the job. The engine is just as refined even now, and that says a lot about Hyundai's engineering.

That's over 22,000km of stress-free driving.

However, the Tucson is still a couple of steps away from being the perfect SUV there is. Rohit's (and for me too) grouse with the SUV was about its brakes, a bug bear with Hyundai automatics. You need to step on them to bring the SUV to a safe halt. The feedback had improved a bit after the brake pads were replaced, but for a short while. Hopefully, this should be sorted with the facelifted car, which is around the corner. Hyundai's service is top notch, however, cars like the Elantra and Tucson still have a waiting period even for parts like wiper blades.

All in all, the Tucson was a great long term companion and will be missed. By the time you read this, I would have added another
1,000kms+ to the odo with a round trip to Goa, before I wave her goodbye.

Date acquired: January 2017

Total mileage: 22,357km

Last report at: 17,257km

Fuel: 498 litres

Economy: 9kmpl