[RahulNagaraj]

Hyundai launched the 4th-generation iteration of its premium Tucson SUV in the Indian market earlier this month. The new Hyundai Tucson features a completely new design, in line with the brand's latest 'Parametric Design' philosophy.



The 4th-generation Tucson is offered in two variants: Platinum and Signature, both of which are offered with a choice of petrol and diesel engine options. The Tucson is also available with an optional 4WD with the diesel engine.

So, if you were to buy the 4th-gen Hyundai Tucson, which engine option would you pick & why?



Starting off with the petrol unit, the new Tucson comes with a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder naturally-aspirated engine. It produces 154 BHP @ 6300 rpm and 192 Nm @ 4500 rpm and is paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission as standard.



Coming to the diesel version, the 4th-gen Hyundai Tucson comes with a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel unit producing 183 BHP @ 4000 rpm and 416 Nm @ 2000-2750 rpm. The engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission as standard.



Slot the gear lever into D, lift your foot off the brake pedal, and the car gets off the line smoothly. Throttle response is good and power is delivered in a linear manner with a gentle foot on the accelerator. Since the Tucson has a very urban feel to it, we made sure that we spent enough time driving the car in the city traffic. And despite the Bangalore ring road traffic being excessively unpleasant, the Tucson wasn't.

Driving in D, the engine was calm and provided power smoothly. Going on and off the throttle was also a smooth affair, which means that your passengers also won't have to worry about a jerky drive. The gearbox goes up the ratios pretty quickly. You won't feel the upshifts as the transition is very smooth. Put your right foot down and you will experience some lag as the torque converter does take a second to respond. But after that, you get a strong surge of power that will help you make those quick overtakes and close those gaps in traffic. Overall, the tall seating position, good all-around visibility, light controls and smooth gearbox make the Tucson very easy to drive in the city.

On the open road, where you can stretch the car's legs, the Tucson is impressive. It accelerates quickly, and with the good insulation, you may not even realize the speeds you are doing. Put your foot down and the AT downshifts to get you going. Overtaking on the highways is a breeze, but it's better if you anticipate and prepare for the slight delay in downshifting. Even with foot hard down, the AT doesn't let the engine rev beyond the 4,500 rpm redline (in manual mode too). The engine feels quite relaxed cruising for long distances. In 8th gear, at 100 km/h, the engine spins at a comfortable 1,500 rpm, while at 120 km/h the tachometer reads 1,750 rpm.

Read the full official review here.

[GTO]

In this era of turbo-charging, I find most NA petrols to be boring. The Tucson's 2.0 Petrol is "nice", but that's it. Not to forget, it's the same motor you get in the cheaper Alcazar too.

The turbo-diesel has more BHP, torque, better fuel economy and performance. The refinement is also top-class. The diesel here is the no-brainer choice for me. Only reason to pick the petrol is if you live in Delhi-NCR & want to keep the car for 15 years, are a very sedate driver, don't want to stretch your budget by another 2.5 - 3.0 lakhs or have very low running.

Voted for the impressive 2.0 diesel .

[Eddy]

I stay in Delhi. Need I say more?

[Axe77]

Easy one this. The diesel any day over the petrol. Its 4x4 and even that aside just comprehensively a nicer engine than its petrol sibling.

If I had to have a petrol, I’d just consider a different car. Either the XUV 7OO if on a tight budget, a Kodiaq / Tiguan if flexible upwards.

Only makes sense if in NCR etc and then too mostly chauffeur driven to not care about the drive that much.

[anjan_c2007]

Going by precedents and by the recent illogical decisions emanating from the judicial forums and also from the corridors of power during these times, a petrol engine is always to be preferred by all who prefer to keep the SUV for at least 15 years. The lower on performance petrol engine with its reported 154 BHP @ 6300 rpm, 192 Nm @ 4500 rpm and its 6-speed automatic transmission will be the choice.

Diesel as a fuel is under harsh criticism by all those who matter in the decision making hierarchy but do not understand the A, B or C of ICE technology. Hence, in the near to distant future, diesel engines could face severe bottlenecks for their seamless sailing and their longevity is unpredictable.

But those who do not bother for the life of their machine and also prefer the more powerful and punch-packed 183 BHP @ 4000 rpm, 416 Nm @ 2000-2750 rpm engine with the 8-speed automatic transmission, could always prefer such a variant.

The petrol variants cost about Rs 3.5 L lesser that the diesel variants.

[heydj]

I live in NCR, do not have too much of running, from middle class wherein would like to get my moneys worth and still bought Tucson Diesel in June. Why?

10 years is a long time to live with boring car and one gets this life only once. If I had to pick a petrol suv I would buy XUV700 or VW/ Skoda models.

[axe_deo]

The diesel engine in Tucson is far more superior than its petrol engine. In the current scenario, I would any day go for the diesel engine.
Hyundai could have offered the 1.6 turbo petrol as an option and priced it closer to its diesel sibling. The 2.0 NA petrol engine is not worthy to be put in a car like Tucson.

Moreover, Hyundai is offering turbo petrol engines in its smaller cars e.g. Creta, Venue, etc. Even the i10 gets a turbo petrol engine. And the Tucson, despite being a premium offering, does not get it.

[sunikkat]

This is the easiest poll. More than being impressed with the Diesel engine, I am disappointed with the petrol. A 2 litre NA engine has no business in a car costing 40 lakhs. And then you compare the competition. Even cheaper Creta has much better engine than Tucson petrol. So diesel all the way.

[krsiva]

The 2.0 litre diesel any day, The 2.0 N.A petrol is such a let-down in a car costing 40 lakhs, the power, torque and transmission are miles ahead of the petrol. I think the petrol is similar to the one on the Alcazar.

[vijaykr]

I had a chance to drive the previous gen, both Diesel and Petrol cars and test drove the 4th gen recently.

In my opinion, if the usage is mainly intended for city driving (80% or 90%), then the Petrol car seems to be adequate. I didn't find too much issue with it in some rush-hour and some small stretches of free flowing traffic.

The diesel was (is) another story altogether. It is far more eager to push forward with enough power on tap to keep moving briskly through traffic. And on open road, it builds up speed really well and overtakes doesn't require much effort.

Even though there is a possibility of restrictions on diesel coming in future, personally I'd go for the diesel only.

Voted for diesel

[neel911]

I voted for Diesel. Any day Diesel over Petrol for this car. I'm based in Bangalore so no issue with 10 year NGT stuff for Diesel engine. The only time I might have gone for Petrol is if it was chauffeur driven primarily?

Can we add following option in poll as well: Diesel 2WD or Diesel AWD?

Heart says: AWD
Mind says: You're not off roader, even mild. It is powerful Diesel engine to take care of slush kind of situations. Save that hard earned 1.9L

I test drove Diesel and it brings a big smile to your face. If I'm plonking close to 40 and self driving it, I know Diesel is only thing that will give me long term satisfaction on this car.

[R_R]

In NCR, so I am not going for the Tucson but if I were given the choice, it'd be the 2.0D. The 1.6 Turbo petrol with AWD would have given the 2.0 diesel a run for its money, but as it is, the 2.0 petrol is clearly no match, especially without the AWD option. I've given up trying to understand the choices auto manufacturers make in choosing which vehicles/version they decide to bring to the Indian market, but with diesel under such threat in India, Hyundai could have brought the more tasty 1.6T petrol or even the hybrid versions of the Tucson, but what do I know!

And with reference to the diesel, the problem is not that you can only drive it for ten years but also that its resale value will drastically drop, I suspect, after 5-6 years. Of course, as others have pointed out, there may even be other additional ill-thought measures, including banning diesel cars entirely on some days if the pollution levels gets too bad in the NCR, just so officials can act as if they are doing something.

[Newtown]

Just looking at the figures, I would imagine the naturally aspirated petrol to be lethargic. The diesel is close to double the torque figures and would be my pick.

The Petrol use case would be city runabouts and a little chauffer driven highway usage. The diesel would be more of a self drive, up the hills and on the highways for the most part.

[Rookie_Jeeper]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Easy one this. The diesel any day over the petrol. Its 4x4 and even that aside just comprehensively a nicer engine than its petrol sibling.
.

I agree to your points but I don't think Tucson is a 4X4 like Compass/Meridian . It's just AWD as far as I know.

[noufal.ps]

Diesel engine makes tucson interesting on a otherwise boring car (tech aside). Diesel AWD is the combo - AWD makes car much more stable in rain and bad patches. SUVs should have AWD for better traction, better drive. Off roading is a different game, you need to prep even a fortuner for hard core off roading