[Randamoozham]

Originally Posted by Randamoozham

I landed on Tucson GLS 2WD Diesel, Phantom Black. This is my third week and hitting 500Km on the Odometer.

I did my first service today at Blue Hyundai@Rajaji Nagar. It was a pleasant experience. I was told to avoid Fri thru Mon for any service during the delivery of the vehicle, but I had to do it due to different reasons. Moreover first service is only a general check-up. Naveen (Branch Mgr at Blue, Rajaji Nagar) connected me to the Service Manager and the whole process went smoothly. Thanks to Naveen.

The floor manager (Agsar) was very cooperative, and he took me for a preservice drive and answered all my questions.

1. He helped me figure out the operations of fog lamps and Auto rain sensors. They were not working in the last rain but when he tested with some splash of water it worked like a charm. I might have done something wrong.

2. His advice on the break in process and general guidance in driving an automatic. Hopefully this will help all new owners, especially the Diesel ones.

a. Be Gentle with the car for the first 10K. The Manual says the first 1000 kms but he advised me to take care of the engine for the first 10K and it will take care of you for the next hundreds of kms.

b. During the break in process, drive your car like a Manual where you help the engine to change the gear. It means that you should not keep the accelerator pedal continuously but release it when you know that the engine is trying to change the gear.

c. Do not keep the car in the Drive (D) mode during signals because the car will be engaged always. Give rest to the engine and gear system by moving the car to Neutral (N) and either use the Auto Hold or Electronic Parking Brake.

d. The diesel from IOCL pumps (especially COCO) is good enough and you do not need the expensive Shell or Shell Power. Requesting advice from other Tucson owners on this on their experience. He asked me to stay away from HP and BPCL.

They topped up all fluids as needed and checked the vehicle and I only paid Rs.60/- for disposables. I specifically told not to wash my car but do the vacuum for the interiors. I got the car back in 2 hours. I was able to watch the car and I found that Hyundai allows you to watch the car remotely using their CCTV.

The BlueLink has an issue where it sends me a notification the doors are not locked immediately after I lock the car. He ensured that the SW version is up to date and tried contacting the BlueLink as well as SOS line using the switches within the car. I am not surprised but both did not connect. I keep wondering when I really need it for emergency. Then I called them BlueLink support team from the App itself and they asked me to send the details via email.

In one of the conversations, I understood that Hyundai could install the 360 degree camera for you but they advised me against it. They found out from an experience from Alcazar is that the Reverse Line Assist system went away after the 360 degree camera installation.

Overall, it was a good experience.

BTW, I reduced the Tire pressure from 40 to 35 and the ride became much better. Thank you all.

[lordrayden]

Originally Posted by Randamoozham

The diesel from IOCL pumps (especially COCO) is good enough and you do not need the expensive Shell or Shell Power. Requesting advice from other Tucson owners on this on their experience. He asked me to stay away from HP and BPCL.

I always fill regular diesel from Shell, simply because I trust them more than IOC, BP, HP.

Originally Posted by Randamoozham

The BlueLink has an issue where it sends me a notification the doors are not locked immediately after I lock the car.

I have a similar problem in my car too. I don’t have app notifications enabled, but if I open the Bluelink app immediately after locking the car, it shows as “not locked”. I have to hit refresh on the status page of the app for the correct status to reflect. The connected car tech seems to be mostly a gimmick from my point of view at least. The only things I personally find useful are remote starting the car to cool the cabin or to run the engine when the car hasn’t been used in a few days.

[xantia]

The NGT guidelines have put a spanner in the works for my longterm ownership of the indestructible silver Toyota Fortuner Diesel 4x2 and I am in the market for an alternative. The Fortuner has been an amazing with several trips in and around Rajasthan, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Punjab and UP. It has been zero maintenance, exceptionally safe, resilient and with the Bridgestone Duellers, a really comfortable ride too. In spite of the driving experience that people like Jeremy Clarkson hate, I thoroughly enjoyed it from the front seat.

After 8 years of almost heavenly experience, our needs as a family have changed:

1. We need a lower car. Women need to elegantly get into the car. Older people should not have to use a stepper / stool to get in.
2. We need better ride quality all around, not just on the front seats
3. We need a 5-seater. The nest has emptied out, our nieces have grown up and there are fewer opportunities for all of us to be together. The 3rd row is being treated like a punishment posting. So, we don't really need a 7-seater.
4. Boot space: We still need boot space for our own travels as well as for the regular airport duty. However, the boot needs to be covered / safer than what the Fortuner has
5. I think I need a petrol
6. I would love a AWD / 4x4
7. No MPVs
8. Budget is anywhere between 30-40L as long as there is consensus on the car.

With basic research done on Team BHP and Youtube, and reading through everything on this thread, I narrowed it down to Tucson. And yesterday, I did the Test Drive on the Diesel AWD Silver. Bear in mind that I had not done a TD for my Accord, Superb or the Fortuner. so it was a new experience! Thoughts from the TD:

1. Very comfortable, smooth, well equipped, good looking (I am a Capricorn and the looks don't scream "look at me" which is great!)
2. I took it on a traditional route with the wife in the back seat, so she was able to compare with the Fortuner. Tucson is much better with no roll-pitch-yaw.
3. The test car had driven 11000 kms and felt fresh. No rattles etc.
4. The seats are lower. The drivers seat, at its lowest position, sits really low (I am 5'8") and I had to move it to a mid-height. The rear seats are very low too. Maybe because we are coming from the T-Fort but a slightly higher base position would have been nice.
5. Seats are comfortable enough. Rear seat thigh support was good for the wife, but I felt I need a couple of inches more of seat squab. Leg room is fine, due to the scooped out front seats, the leg room in the second row felt more than Fortuner, but less than the Altis. Slightly more than what we have on the Jazz as well.
8. Music system is acceptable and I am sure I can get it to be better with a bit of tweaking
9. Boot space is good. The curtain cover ensures some safety.
10. Boot lid has multiple height settings, which is a good thing.
11. The big feature: Panoramic Sunroof. This is completely lost on both of us. We are not a fan. Delhi has 3 seasons: Summer, Winter, Monsoons and Pollution. All of them require air conditioning. We are not yet contesting elections and don't need to wave at the crowds.
12. Cost of the car: 32.99L without discounts
13. Delivery in 4 weeks (2 weeks to make, 2 weeks to transport)
14. It is being "manufactured" in Chennai but is it a CKD assembly?

Decision: Yes, we are going for the Diesel AWD.

Next Steps: A colleague's son has a startup called GroupWe where they aggregate buyers and build some negotiating prowess for discounts and other benefits. I have known him since he was 8 years old and is now armed with an overseas degree and investment banking experience on top of his business family genetics. So far it has been quite seamless as they have agreements with Hyundai. @mods please feel free to remove if this sounds like a plug.

So, I will post an update on the final pricing and buying process. Especially the Fortuner needs to be sold to fund part of this purchase.

Mod Note : Please do NOT use acronyms (e.g. ANHC, MS, T-Fort, ANHV, JC) when referring to cars or their makers. You are ONLY permitted to use the full Make & Model name. This will make our content useful, searchable & easy-to-understand for experts & newbies alike.

Thanks for the support & understanding

[umairalvi]

Originally Posted by Randamoozham

I did my first service today at Blue Hyundai@Rajaji Nagar.

I know this isn't important but did you, by any chance ask your SA to check if the car maps are updated? I know it's the era of Android Auto and Apple Carplay but if something is offered in a car, it should work as advertised.
I had asked them to update the maps during my last two services and they have eschewed on both occasions.
They have mentioned Map update in the service invoice on both occasions but they just never did it. I realised when I checked the map version post service and it was the same. Also, some major roads in my city were still missing. I didn't bother to talk to my SA again regarding this but did mention it during the feedback call.
Also, I have tried updating the maps as per instructions on the Hyundai website and it just didn't work. The car doesn't recognize the update when I put it on the pen drive i.e. the flashing device for this car.

[Randamoozham]

Originally Posted by umairalvi

I know this isn't important but did you, by any chance ask your SA to check if the car maps are updated?

No, I did not. In fact, I did not know that I had to do it. I can call back and ask him though.

[Nikhil1406]

Just took delivery of my Phantom Black Tucson GLS petrol today. Drove it straight to the detailer to get PPF done.

I had a great experience with Shreenath Hyundai, Mumbai. Will post a detailed ownership review soon.

[lordrayden]

Originally Posted by xantia

Panoramic Sunroof. This is completely lost on both of us. We are not a fan. Delhi has 3 seasons: Summer, Winter, Monsoons and Pollution. All of them require air conditioning. We are not yet contesting elections and don't need to wave at the crowds.

Yup, a sunroof makes very little sense in India, but in the morning or at night when the sun is not blazing hot, opening just the sun blind gives a massively increased sense of airiness and space inside the cabin. Of course if you happen to have small kids in the car, they will enjoy it, even if it’s just the sun blind that is open.

Originally Posted by xantia

It is being "manufactured" in Chennai but is it a CKD assembly?

Correct, it’s a CKD. The kits are imported from South Korea and the car is assembled in Hyundai’s Chennai plant.

[shady8701]

This is my first ownership review at TBHP and it gives me immense pleasure to pen this for a car as wonderful as the Tucson.
Let me just start this with a disclaimer that all opinions expressed are entirely my own and I mean no disrespect to anyone with contrary opinions and purchases.

A bit of background

We were currently owning a VW Vento and despite the DSG scares that we read about, the car is an absolute hoot to drive and we've had it for 5 years. I was bitten by the bug to buy a second car, but I had to put off my plans because of the pandemic and the fact that our cars were barely seeing any runtime at all.

Finally in 2022, with a new job coming up and the potential to start using our vehicles again, I decided to start looking for one.

The criteria I had for the car was the following:
1. SUV - we live in Bangalore and the nearby area has broken roads. There's metro construction going on all over the place and the condition of the roads isn't going to improve anytime soon. Didn't want to buy a sedan and have it bouncing all over the place. I know, technically the monocoque SUVs do not have a advantage over a car but it does have more ground clearance and an all around tough image. The larger tyres also help.

2. I was looking to spend not more than about 35 L for this, also wasn't willing to buy pre-owned. Again, I know the benefits of buying something in the 3-5 year range, but I just didn't want the headache.

3. Petrol. My commute and my road trips aren't frequent enough to really justify getting a diesel call. The diesel clatter is also something that does not really lend itself to a very smooth experience.

4. 5 seater and not a 7 seater - the typical 7 seater car (save for maybe the Kia Carnival is just a 5 seater with another row of seats in the boot and that doesn't serve the purpose of seating another two adults and also makes carrying some luggage a hassle.

5. Should be bigger than the Creta (for instance)

Naturally, I'd been following the Tata Harrier threads and at least on paper it did seem like a pretty good contender, but more on that later.

Options considered:

1. Jeep Compass - test drove it and loved the experience. The better half really liked it too because of the well put together interiors and the fact that it seemed pretty solid. What it lacked in was just space. The rear seat didn't seem all that much bigger than the Vento and the overall cabin also didn't inspire a sense of space. However, we wanted to keep our option open for the Jeep.
Another challenge with the Jeep was that the Diesel auto was only available in the 4x4 trim and I have no use for a 4x4. I was looking for a 4x2 vehicle.

2. Tata Harrier - now this is what I'd been angling for in my head. It was, somehow, very difficult to get hold of a Tata sales guy who'd bring a vehicle over for a test drive. I managed to get one from after about a month's time. The condition of the vehicle was deplorable. It'd done about 35k kms and was rattling all over. The brakes were spongy, the acceleration was weak and the SA basically just said - sir, imagine this same car but without the squeaks and rattles and running better.

3. XUV700 - On paper this seemed alright, however, the insanely long wait times, the over designed looks and the new car niggles that we've usually seen with Mahindra cars in the past gave me pause. In addition to all that, the 5 seater configuration was only available in the AX5 trim and not the AX7. Buying a XUV 700 without the ADAS and other new features that it offers would feel like missing the point a little bit.

4. Skoda Octavia - obviously does not fulfil the criteria of the SUV but I thought about it nonetheless. The base variant is what would fit closer to my planned budget and the L&K version had some ease of life changes that I felt that I could live without, however, the fact that this did not seem as roomy as the SUVs and this would feel like a enhanced version of the Vento eventually had me decide not in favor of this car. Moreover, the two Skoda dealers I talked to just forgot to bring this over for a test drive. Got me thinking - if this is how it is for selling their cars, how would it be once I actually finish the sales cycle.

5. Hyundai Tucson - This is the one that finally pulled the heart strings. The fit and finish looked great, the car felt powerful (specially given that the dealer brought over the Diesel test drive car), had all (well, almost) the bells and whistles and a ton of comfort features to boot. Even the missus drove it for a while and gave it a thumbs up.

By now (we're talking MAR'22) it was common knowledge that Hyundai is finally going to bring out the new Tucson in India. Some folks think that it might be the long wheelbase version (if there's such a thing) with a 7 seater configuration. It should certainly be loaded to the brim with new age features, maybe even ADAS. There would almost certainly be a price bump as well. After seeing multiple reviews of the new (and I use that term loosely since it has been around since 2020) Tucson, I must say that I didn't quite like the over designed looks of it. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the parametric design language adopted by Hyundai doesn't quite agree with my taste in aesthetics.

So all in all - this was the time to bring home the outgoing Tucson.

Sales and Booking experience

I spoke with three Hyundai dealers in BLR about the Tucson - Lakshmi Hyundai, Trident Hyundai and Advaith Hyundai.

Lakshmi Hyundai was quite clear on two things - they do not have it in stock, they do not have a test drive car. They agreed to match (and exceed) any discount offered by any other dealer though. The experience was a dud since I couldn't decide to buy without driving the car at all.

Advaith Hyundai directed me to their sales manager - chap called Niren. He mentioned that they have diesel only in the AWD variant and he'd try to bring the car over for test drive at his earliest convenience. By now I was really surprised at the way Hyundai dealers were going about selling their priciest car. He calls me after a week saying that he'll try to bring it over this week and that doesn't happen either. Then he calls me the week next and (almost in a smug voice) tells me that they've sold out the petrol car and if I want that I'd have to rush. I bid him good luck with his sales and moved on.

Trident Hyundai - we'd purchased an i20 from them back in the day as well, had, by far the best sales experience of all. In fact, it was just about perfect. I was redirected to their sales guy (Mr. Kiran) who promptly brought the car over the next day for a test drive and inspection. He's also the only sales guy I saw who was really knowledgeable about the car and its myriad features. I took the car for a fairly long drive and it felt right. Felt planted, powerful, specially around the mid range and stable on bad roads.
My kid loved the fact that it had a panoramic sunroof!
Since my wife wasn't able to join me on this drive (she actually goes to work physically), I had to ask them to get the car over one more time. The magic works! My wife likes the car and all approvals are granted.

I negotiated a decently sized discount on the 2WD GLS Diesel in the starry night color. I was initially angling for the black but this looks awesome. Looks black in white light, but the blue shines though during direct sunlight.

The booking and the paperwork was a breeze. We decided to book it in the wife's name. They even got all the documents over to our home for us to sign.

Then finally, delivery was done in about 2 weeks since Trident had that car in their stock and it was Jan'22 vehicle. Got the vehicle from the showroom - drove nervously in absolutely amazing Bangalore traffic and got back home.
Obligatory pooja done over the weekend and she's all set.

Overall impressions after 4-5 days and 250 kms. Most of my driving so far has been in traffic. The car is really easy to manage in traffic with a steady crawl speed of 7kmph once you take your foot off the brake. The road presence seems pretty good without the boxy looks. So far, the car data shows me about 11kmpl within the city limits. The eco mode has actually been enough for the city traffic conditions. Tried the comfort mode and sport mode on open roads, however, I haven't been able to drive so much on better roads yet so I'll update this thread once I've driven this a little more, especially on outer roads or highways.

Couple of interesting points

1. Alloy wheels - Hyundai apparently makes only one design of alloy wheels and thus if the design isn't symmetric, it looks different on different sides. In my case, If the wheels are "flowing" back on the right side, they are flowing forward on the left. You can see that in the two pics that I've posted from the different sides.

2. Car unlock - when you move close to the car with the key in your pocket, the ORVMs open up and the lights inside the car door handles turn on. However, the car only really unlocks on pressing the request sensor on the door handle. If you do not do that, but just walk away, the ORVMs do not fold back. That, I think, is a miss since you could inadvertently just walk by and have the ORVMs open up without even noticing it.

3. Blue link - the Hyundai Blue link app is a little raw. I thinks it notifies you as soon as you step out of the car and you get a pop up on your phone saying that the car is unlocked. Once you refresh the status, it rectifies itself though. While it happens in my apartments' parking lot it is not panic inducing, but it might throw you for a loop if you're somewhere where it might be a bit of a risk.

Thanks a lot for reading through and if you've made it all the way here, please do provide inputs on whether I should go for a ceramic coating (I think PPF is crazy expensive in India right now). Even the ceramic coating feels like a bit of an overkill since cars would be just fine without as well.

[xantia]

Originally Posted by lordrayden

Yup, a sunroof makes very little sense in India, but in the morning or at night when the sun is not blazing hot, opening just the sun blind gives a massively increased sense of airiness and space inside the cabin. Of course if you happen to have small kids in the car, they will enjoy it, even if it’s just the sun blind that is open.

Thanks @lordrayden ! Yes, it is a popular feature. I hadn't used it at all on my Superb.

There are two worries at the moment:
(a) The tires: I guess they will be covered by warranty if something does go wrong. I have seen one post of frayed tires but nothing else so far

(b) There is way too much software / tech in the Tucson compared to the T-Fort . I worry about it as my previous Superb petrol had two mechatronics problems, one within 6 months and the other one around the 4th year, which laid it off for 3 months each. Basically, the electronics refused to engage the transmission and the car would not move. Both instances were in town and it took the roadside assistance about 3 hours to come and pick it up. The mechatronics unit had to be imported from Germany (from the VW or Audi plant I am guessing) Skoda gave me a replacement Superb diesel, so I did not have much of a day-to-day problem. Has anyone faced any glitches with the Tucson, other than the map update issue?

[AB10]

Congratulations on your new ride ! The Tucson in Starry night looks absolutely a dream. Wishing you many happy miles with the beauty !

[sid3091]

Originally Posted by xantia

So, I will post an update on the final pricing and buying process. Especially the T-Fort needs to be sold to fund part of this purchase.

Hello,

Could you give me an approximate on the price you're getting for the Diesel AWD?

[xantia]

Originally Posted by sid3091

Hello,

Could you give me an approximate on the price you're getting for the Diesel AWD?

32.99L which is without any discounts.

[bhalu]

I had booked Hyundai Tucson 2L 4W Drive on 12 April with DPM Hyundai, Chakrata Road, Dehradun and paid a booking amount , after the sales manager confirmed it from Hyundai office/factory that the car will be available in a month (this is what i was told while waiting). In the intervening period, i was told a couple of times that my car is well on course for delivery. Today evening, i received a call from the dealership, that the company will not be able to deliver the car, as the production is being stopped to make way for the New model coming out in a couple of months. However, i was told that a vehicle is available with the Jhansi dealership (670 Kms from Dehradun) , it can be delivered to me but will be driven down to Jhansi, i refused, instead suggested that the car be transported by a trailer, the dealership was fine with it, but they wanted me to share half the cost of transportation.
Well is this the normal practice? And how should i proceed from here, am not particularly keen on the new model and and quite keen on the existing 2020 facelft.

[shady8701]

Originally Posted by bhalu

Well is this the normal practice? And how should i proceed from here, am not particularly keen on the new model and and quite keen on the existing 2020 facelft.

My two cents on this - this is certainly not normal practise and we, as customers, should definitely not encourage this. Having said that though, if they are giving you a sizeable enough discount and you're keen on getting this car, you may not really have an option. Somehow the sales of the outgoing Tucson have picked up in the last few months are people who are keen on the existing model are picking this up fast. Myself being one of them

[bhalu]

Originally Posted by shady8701

My two cents on this - this is certainly not normal practise and we, as customers, should definitely not encourage this. Having said that though, if they are giving you a sizeable enough discount and you're keen on getting this car, you may not really have an option. Somehow the sales of the outgoing Tucson have picked up in the last few months are people who are keen on the existing model are picking this up fast. Myself being one of them

I have raised the level and spoken to the senior managers, they will let me know by evening, there side is that the car is not readily available in the factory and they have arranged it thru the Jhansi dealer. I am keen on the vehicle and they have given a 50 k discount.