The 2016 Hyundai Tucson. EDIT: Launched

[Arjun Reddy]

Originally Posted by kartavya

If they price the top model around 25 L (ex showroom) they won't get any buyers. 25 L (ex) translates to around I guess 28-29 L on road. I could get a base X1 (new product as well) for around 32-33L. There is no chance anyone wouldn't pay 3-4L and get an X1 over the Tucson.



Both the cars carry the same dimensions and hence fit the exact same purpose as well. The X1 looks better, obviously will drive better and definitely has better interiors. The only thing the Tucson would beat the X1 on is the feature list.

Totally agree with you. Hyundai should not outprice itself. Also the comparison between the X1 and the Tucson may not be the best. Even though the top end Tucson maybe around 5 lakhs away for the base X1, I would probably go with the Tucson purely because it will be my daily run around. The maintenance of the Tucson in terms of service , repairs and parts will be a lot cheaper than the X1.
Your theory will hold good if it's going to be your weekend car and have some other car doing the daily grind.

[ach1lles]

Arjun (below) has already posted what I was going to say. The total cost of ownership with an X1 will be quite a bit higher even if the initial cost isn't that different. The car won't be fuss free like the Hyundai too. Also, crossing that 30L bracket is another issue altogether. The pre-owned market really opens up in that range.

Originally Posted by kartavya

If they price the top model around 25 L (ex showroom) they won't get any buyers. 25 L (ex) translates to around I guess 28-29 L on road. I could get a base X1 (new product as well) for around 32-33L. There is no chance anyone wouldn't pay 3-4L and get an X1 over the Tucson.

Both the cars carry the same dimensions and hence fit the exact same purpose as well. The X1 looks better, obviously will drive better and definitely has better interiors. The only thing the Tucson would beat the X1 on is the feature list.

Good catch that, but even when the news of 14th being the new launch date came about, only a couple of media outlets carried that news initially.

Originally Posted by sids1811

Can't find the said image anywhere else except the ET auto link as posted, not even on HMIL website.

Last time when Creta was due to launch and HMIL released such renderings they were India specific RHS drive models, whereas these pics are for the LHS drive.

Might be that these pics are not released by Hyundai India but instead sourced from some international market, just one more case of an news agency trying to get ahead in news reporting but not paying attention to minute details.

Just my opinion, i might be wrong too

It may very well be that Hyundai does keep the Tucson at around 22-23L ex showroom for the top end, but then I'd expect stingy plushness.

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

Totally agree with you. Hyundai should not outprice itself. Also the comparison between the X1 and the Tucson may not be the best. Even though the top end Tucson maybe around 5 lakhs away for the base X1, I would probably go with the Tucson purely because it will be my daily run around. The maintenance of the Tucson in terms of service , repairs and parts will be a lot cheaper than the X1.
Your theory will hold good if it's going to be your weekend car and have some other car doing the daily grind.

[aviraj]

The launch of the new Endeavour and Fortuner have given a comfortable slot to the Tucson to launch. It can very well start where the Elantra ends i.e. around 19-20L for the base version and easily go up to 24-25L for the top end version. There is no competition at all in that space. Honda CRV in the present form is too dated and the facelift is not in the horizon, leave apart the lack of a diesel engine.

This is good for Hyundai, but not for consumers. Almost in all segments, we are seeing the segment prices moving upward by 3-5L. Sometimes I feel it is a collective ploy by all manufacturers to keep pushing the segment cost higher. Also maybe they are factoring in the GST impact and preparing for it.

[Axe77]

On pricing, I have a feeling spec for spec (roughly), they'll charge not more than 3 - 3.5 lakhs over the corresponding Elantra. Its will be a very similar product with the only thing justifying the premium that its a SUV vs. Sedan.

Hyundai has had far too many product / pricing debacles in the segment over the Creta (actually over Verna, Creta was the first exception). The Elantra has been well received for once and pricing has been a contributory factor to this success - I would replicate the model and not start off the Tucson with unduly optimistic pricing.

[mjumrani]

A friend sent me these.

I had pre-booked the Tuscon and here are some scoop pics from my visit to dealer yard, below is the information i have got.

Petrol Engine : 2L , 154bhp
Diesel Engine : 2L , 180bhp

Trims

Petrol : G , GL
Diesel : G , GL , GLS

G is Manual , GL and GLS are torque converter automatic.

Colors : White , Silver , Black, Star Dust , Wine Red.

Bangalore On Road Cost : 22L - 29L.

Tyres : 225/55 R18 Nexen.

Difference between GL and GLS difference - whatever I could see as below.

GLS gets powered tail gate , dual barrel headlights, hill descent control , electronic parking brake, powered tail gate, auto hold.

Drivers seat was set for me and then in the rear seat, I was comfortable. ( I am 6.2 feet tall).

Build quality was great. Doors have a solid thud sound. Interior quality is great. ORVM's do autoclose and open on lock and unlock.

Edit : Fixed Typos.

[pbbarangalli]

I had a word with one of the friendly salesmen from Popular Hyundai in Trivandrum. The vehicle is in their yard. Pricing is Rs22lac and the launch from company is on Wednesday 09/11 with dealers asked to do a launch from their end on 10/11. This is for the top end 1.6 Diesel according to him. He has agreed to give me a test drive on Friday 11/11.. Will share the drive review then.

[nareshtrao]

Originally Posted by pbbarangalli

I had a word with one of the friendly salesmen from Popular Hyundai in Trivandrum. The vehicle is in their yard. Pricing is Rs22lac and the launch from company is on Wednesday 09/11 with dealers asked to do a launch from their end on 10/11. This is for the top end 1.6 Diesel according to him. He has agreed to give me a test drive on Friday 11/11.. Will share the drive review then.

Is it 1.6 L or 2.0 L as mentioned below? This seems a little confusing. Even the press coverage indicated 1.6 but the below update seems genuine from a dealer too.

[GTO]

If you ask me, the Tucson's success is going to be limited by its cheaper sibling, the Creta. The Creta has immense brand value & recognition on the street - I forget the number of times my co-passengers have complimented other Cretas on the road. In comparison, the Tucson is an unknown. And those who know it associate it with failure (earlier Tucson bombed).

Even size-wise, there's not a world of difference between the Creta & Tucson. I'm sure that the Tucson, like all new Hyundais, behaves well and has top class quality.

But it's going to have its work cut out. Especially if Hyundai prices it at too much of a premium. A very delicate situation for Hyundai to figure out.

[ach1lles]

What? They won't have the mouth watering "caribbean" blue colour? Head. Bang. On. Wall. I've seen the grey, white and black colours. They're not bad, but that blue is something else. Dammit Hyundai

Edit: mjumrani, will you be able to confirm if they're including the pano sunroof and the ventilated seats in any variant?

Originally Posted by mjumrani

A friend sent me these.

I have seen, and driven the Tucson. Next to the Creta, it feels like a comparison between the older (last gen) i10 and the newer i20 elite. Does that make sense? I mean inside and out, Creta just feels too spartan, too minimally forged next to the Tucson. Also, I don't think Hyundai will be looking to sell the Tucson in any large numbers. Wait. Let me rephrase. They won't be expecting to sell the Tucson in large numbers. What was their target for the new Elantra, about 3-400 a month? If they price the Tucson right, they can hit maybe hit half that. For a Hyundai that starts at 20L, I don't think that's a bad number. Plus, even the last Elantra was a bomb. So was the Baleno, the Vitara etc. I don't think the last version matters that much, specially since it's been a good few years since anyone saw those.

Originally Posted by GTO

If you ask me, the Tucson's success is going to be limited by its cheaper sibling, the Creta. The Creta has immense brand value & recognition on the street - I forget the number of times my co-passengers have complimented other Cretas on the road. In comparison, the Tucson is an unknown. And those who know it associate it with failure (earlier Tucson bombed).

Even size-wise, there's not a world of difference between the Creta & Tucson. I'm sure that the Tucson, like all new Hyundais, behaves well and has top class quality.

But it's going to have its work cut out. Especially if Hyundai prices it at too much of a premium. A very delicate situation for Hyundai to figure out.

[Tumbler]

Per the sales rep at Advaith, the cars have already arrived at their yard and there is no pana sunroof even in the top model. He mentioned something about maintenance challenges with the rubber beading in India climate and they justified that other manufacturers are also shying away from sunroofs. Unfortunate. No AWD version either, so its just a glorified hatch. Going to be tough to differentiate between Tucson, Creta and the upcoming i20 SUV.

[CarguyNish]

Originally Posted by Tumbler

Unfortunate. No AWD version either, so its just a glorified hatch.

Ah, there goes my interest in getting this one sometime soon. I was waiting for this, it had appealed me very much. But I had wished 2 things
1. 2.0 L CRDI Engine
2. AWD

But sadly, this doesn't even have optional AWD. No, I won't be taking this off-road, but the AWD certainly increases confidence by providing additional grip. Have felt this when I had driven Skoda Yeti & Honda CR-V.

Now, the Tuscon despite being SUV (Compact or Full Size) doesn't have the thing that makes it an SUV. It joins Trailblazer as a Non AWD/4WD SUV.
Hyundai, you did big a mistake.

Originally Posted by Tumbler

Going to be tough to differentiate between Tucson, Creta and the upcoming i20 SUV.

Certainly,
Apart from Size, Slighlty Bigger Cabin & Boot the Tuscon doesn't have that much edge over the smaller Creta. So, it all depends on Pricing then. Let's wait & watch.

[Axe77]

Let me put it this way. If they were to create an Elantra like package in a Tucson shaped body, charged about 2 lakh more, then there's a decent market for this.

The Creta is ultimately half a size smaller, its under equipped AND overpriced. I don't think the Creta in its current spec and price avatar massively dents the Tucson if the latter is well equipped and well priced. Having said that the Tucson does have a LOT of options to worry about keeping in mind a comparable price range as benchmark (I know these are very different products but while buying everything within budget is often considered)

- cheaper XUV
- 7 seater Crysta
- CRV (for petrol lovers)
- all D segment sedans, some of which are VERY spacious.
- entry level Endy & Fortuner.

Also, while some of the creta competitors are themselves pretty sparsely equipped like duster etc. that's not so with most of the Tucson competition. Not to mention the 20-30 lakh customer may not be as ok with being shortchanged as the 14-17 lakh customer. I'd agree they need to be very generous and conservative when special and pricing this for the above reasons.

[mjumrani]

Originally Posted by ach1lles

What? They won't have the mouth watering "caribbean" blue colour? Head. Bang. On. Wall. I've seen the grey, white and black colours. They're not bad, but that blue is something else. Dammit Hyundai

Edit: mjumrani, will you be able to confirm if they're including the pano sunroof and the ventilated seats in any variant?
.

Yes no blue color on the Tucson, even my friend was very much disappointed. No sunroof on any of the variants and no ventilated seats as well. He said that GL & GLS get front and rear parking sensors and rear sensors are with camera with active parking guidelines.

Engine is 2L CRDI with e-vgt and it's not 1.6L.

Edit : More information

[ece2k2]

I was kind of decided to buy the Tucson purely for the long list of features speculated. Now with goodies like ventilated seats, sunroof, AWD, etc missing, it suddenly no longer makes any sense to buy one at 20+ lakh rupees on road.

In fact from the international reviews, it is clear that it's engine-gearbox combo isn't its USP either and the feature list is the only differentiating factor. I think I should stretch my budget a bit and get the X1 instead for its brilliant engine.

The only way for Hyundai to sell poorly specced Tucson in decent numbers is to price it very very competitively, but I doubt if that is going to happen.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by ach1lles

I have seen, and driven the Tucson. Next to the Creta, it feels like a comparison between the older (last gen) i10 and the newer i20 elite. Does that make sense? I mean inside and out, Creta just feels too spartan, too minimally forged next to the Tucson.

I 100% agree with your post. However, what we'll be seeing is a trend similar to how C2-segment sedans murdered D1-segment sedans - related thread.

The Creta has made things very difficult for the Tucson.