Archive for the ‘Hyundai’ Category
Hyundai Tucson
Now even middle-class sorority girls can shake enough pennies out of their bogus Louis Vuitton bags to make a mini sport-ute entrance. The new V6-powered 2005 Hyundai Tucson slots in just below the larger Hyundai Santa Fe SUV and has all the right stuff to take on its established compact 'ute competition. And it does so without name-brand overhead built into its cost.
Hyundai has spent the last several years molding its image, improving the quality of its products, and providing contemporary technology at an affordable price, and the Hyundai Tucson is another example of what's going right with the Korean automaker.
V6 Power at Bargain-Basement Price
The Tucson along with its Korean cousin, the 2005 Kia Sportage, sets a new standard of reference among the compact SUVs by providing V6 power for about $20,000. This kind of money gets you only an inline four-cylinder in a Toyota RAV4 or Ford Escape XLS.
Power aside, the Tucson provides plenty of additional value with a long list of standard equipment including traction and stability control, dual side-impact and side curtain airbags and a six-speaker stereo system with cassette, CD and MP3 capabilities.
Cute 'Ute
Fortunately, the Tucson doesn't follow the Hyundai family look too closely. It's less stylized than the Santa Fe, and like a classic Coach bag, it won't look outdated as new designs hit the streets.
Function also follows form resulting in a good-sized vehicle that drives more like a car than a truck. In fact, the Tucson and Sportage both ride on the sedan platform that underpins the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Spectra. Parking lot negotiation is a breeze. With a turning radius of 35.4 feet, the Tucson cuts an identical path to that of the RAV4 and Escape, and is only bettered by the Honda CR-V's tight 33.8-foot circle.
Measuring 170.3 inches, the Tucson's overall length is about the same as that of the Escape and RAV4, while the CR-V is substantially longer at 181 inches. Front legroom is nearly identical across the board, while rear legroom is again trumped only by the CR-V. This doesn't mean that rear passengers in the Tucson will suffer any worse fate than typically offered in today's compact sedans. If you can get comfortable in the backseat of the Elantra, you'll be just fine in the Tucson.
Honda uses up most of the CR-V's additional length in the cargo bay, offering nearly 9 cubic feet more than the 22.7 cubes behind the Tucson's rear seat. Still, the Tucson's wasn't a problem during day-to-day errands, and the addition of the 60/40-split rear bench allowed us to quickly specify our preferred configuration. Drop both sections and the Hyundai offers a 65.5-cubic-foot max, the same as the Escape.
Hyundai ix20
Hyundai will kick off an intensive period of product launches by unveiling two important new models at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.
First of these exciting new models is Hyundai’s new B-segment MPV, named ix20. The Hyundai ix20 is the second European model to adopt Hyundai’s new ‘fluidic sculpture’ design language which helps differentiate it from the boxy ‘minivan’ image typically associated with the segment.
On sale from mid November 2010 in the UK, Hyundai ix20 is expected to attract young families with its excellent all-round package: class-leading fuel economy and low CO2 emissions; the latest in active and passive safety technologies; and the company’s groundbreaking Five Year Triple Care warranty.