[vharihar]

Originally Posted by sj_koova

Awesome ach1lles.

I have put my decision on hold. Hyundai dealer offered me close to 2L discount on 2016 Dec model, still I wasn't convinced.

I see you're in Blore. I am in Blore too.

What was his ex-showroom price after the 2L discount? And the on-road price? Which variant?

I am also in the market and have similar sentiments. I am waiting for Creta to come with cruise control, that fits in my budget better. But if the wait gets too long, then I am willing to stretch to a Tucson, I love its interiors.

[manson]

Originally Posted by ach1lles

What could be the reason? Gas, or some software, or something else?

Could be the AC compressor. Make sure they don't just top up the gas and get you going as this way the failure can go unnoticed for a few months.

[bharathan]

Originally Posted by ach1lles

Okay, so the first problem cropped up recently. The AC. Ironic because my name initials to AC, heheh. Here's the thing. The AC seems to work fine till the accelerator is pressed, but cuts off when it isn't. I noticed this sometime ago but today in stop and go traffic it was blatantly obvious. What could be the reason? Gas, or some software, or something else?

Usually it chills the front of my body so much that I curse Hyundai for not giving ventilated seats in this one.

I have called the service head at the dealership and he said he'll check it out tomorrow. Any pointers here? TIA.

Hi,

were you able to figure out the problem here? and was it solved by Hyundai?

I'm considering buying the GLS in the next couple of months and was wondering if you could give an updated on the performance of your car and any other small things/issues you noticed recently?

Thanks
Bharathan

[Seacat]

Originally Posted by ach1lles

Okay, so the first problem cropped up recently. The AC. Ironic because my name initials to AC, heheh.

I have called the service head at the dealership and he said he'll check it out tomorrow. Any pointers here? TIA.

Hi ach1lles, any update ??
Very strangely I am having the same issue -6040 kms on the odo now .Took it the ASS but they said the AC was cooling fine. The other day when it was bright and sunny the cabin just would not cool even when the temp was set to Minimum !!
I understand the "grill temp" should be 6-7 Deg C when car is in the shade and engine revs are around 1000 rpm.
Planning to stick a dial thermometer into the vent and check.
Lets have some inputs when you have sorted out your AC issue.
Regards,

[aadya]

Originally Posted by ach1lles

Attachment 1606726

Headrests: Why are there headrests in the front seats, especially the driver's? I don't need to rest my head while driving, ever.

I don't know whether anybody else has clarified this. Headrest are not for resting and napping. It is an important safety instrument to prevent "Whiplash" injury to the neck in case of accidents. Don't ever remove it or use neck support which can reduce its functionality.

There is reason for it to be odd shaped with the upper part pointing forwards, which is a very uncomfortable position to rest.

And also removable headrest has pointed rods for adjustment, which are meant to break the glasses in case of accident and doorjam situations.

Originally Posted by ach1lles

Okay, so I just discovered a very nifty feature. If this car is unlocked using the remote and the door isn't opened in about 10-12 seconds, the car locks itself back.

Most of Hyundais have this feature. If you unlock and do not open the door for 15-30 seconds it will lock automatically. But will remain unlocked if any door is opened within 30 seconds.

[ach1lles]

Originally Posted by bharathan

Hi,

were you able to figure out the problem here? and was it solved by Hyundai?

I'm considering buying the GLS in the next couple of months and was wondering if you could give an updated on the performance of your car and any other small things/issues you noticed recently?

Thanks
Bharathan

So Hyundai is (are?) aware of this problem, apparently. A small part, the thermo-coupler needed to be replaced, which was done by a visiting Hyundai technician promptly. He came down just to replace this part for me. Other than that, the car has had zero issues.

Originally Posted by Seacat

Hi ach1lles, any update ??
Very strangely I am having the same issue -6040 kms on the odo now .Took it the ASS but they said the AC was cooling fine. The other day when it was bright and sunny the cabin just would not cool even when the temp was set to Minimum !!
I understand the "grill temp" should be 6-7 Deg C when car is in the shade and engine revs are around 1000 rpm.
Planning to stick a dial thermometer into the vent and check.
Lets have some inputs when you have sorted out your AC issue.
Regards,

Check above, it is the thermocoupler. The Tucson has a different one, which needed to be imported from Korea, or atleast that's what they told me. That's when I commented that Hyundai is learning from Ze Germans, in more ways than one, and not having spare parts in stock in India was, er, typically german.
PS: I actually noticed it during bumper to bumper traffic when the AC would just cut off if the accelerator wasn't pressed. On highways it worked almost fine, and so I wasn't sure if there was a problem.

Originally Posted by aadya

I don't know whether anybody else has clarified this...

Yeah, I should've added all of this, I realised it after thinking about it for a bit, but then I just didn't bother :P
All the points you've posted are absolutely correct. Thanks.

Also, I'm due for an update, a 10k write up if you will, but I was travelling for the last month or so, and that really deserves a travelogue. A hint, and a small preview in the pic below. Bonus points for everyone getting it

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by ach1lles

Bonus points for everyone getting it

Tunnel de Monte Carlo Star en Monaco.

Okay okay I zoomed in the photo and I didn't know such a tunnel exists I still get the bonus points though.

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Okay okay I zoomed in the photo and I didn't know such a tunnel exists I still get the bonus points though.

That tunnel is part of the F1 track at Monaco and so very popular.

Originally Posted by ach1lles

Also, I'm due for an update, a 10k write up if you will, but I was travelling for the last month or so, and that really deserves a travelogue.

That would indeed be something! Even well to do Europeans consider Monaco too expensive for a holiday.

[Arjun Reddy]

Nice write up, 5*.

You should be in that tunnel to listen to the F1 cars at full throttle. Awesome it would be.

Do the eyebrow lights turn on with the parking lights or is it part of the DRL set up?

There is word that the 4*4 will be launched by Diwali, but not sure with Hyundai, this model was slated to be launched around March this year. At least they will have black interiors and probably cooled seats. If Verna can get them, why why Hyundai?

[ach1lles]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Tunnel de Monte Carlo Star en Monaco.

Okay okay I zoomed in the photo and I didn't know such a tunnel exists. I still get the bonus points though.

You get a bonus point for being correct, and another bonus bonus point for being clever.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Even well to do Europeans consider Monaco too expensive for a holiday.

Nah. While the south of France (or, more precisely, Côte d'Azur) is different, prettier, costlier and fancier compared to rest of France, or even Europe, it is still not out of reach like that. I see what they mean though. The level of glitz and flamboyance in Monaco was through the roof. The only place that could come close was St. Tropez, but Monaco is, well, Monaco.

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

Do the eyebrow lights turn on with the parking lights or is it part of the DRL set up?

It really should be a part of the DRL set up, and it was weird to me too that it wasn't. No, there's another stalk position for the eyebrows.

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

If Verna can get them, why why Hyundai?

What, Verna has cooled seats? Grrrr...

[vharihar]

Originally Posted by ach1lles

Congrats on your car, Seacat. Which colour did you get? I've done over 5000 kms now and an update here is due. I'll get to that soon.

On you point about the mileage, around 9 kmpl in local traffic sounds about right. I get a combined 11.5 kmpl or thereabouts, in which about half the distance is on the highways, which, if I'm honest, even though they're inter state highways, they still don't offer a drive which can give a higher average speed and mileage per L. Also, I'm mostly in sport mode and constantly braking. I once did go eco for a 100 km stretch and the computer showed that I was going about 17 kmpl :O

Nice review @ac1lles.

Do you know any 2017 Tucson owners in Bangalore? Can you PM me and share their handles or contacts? Wanted to check something with them.

I live in Bore, and am considering the *petrol* Tucson base model. Any idea whats the Petrol Tucson's *actual* fuel efficiency in city and in highway (as opposed to the ARAI figures in the brochure or what the instrument cluster says)?

Any *Bangalore* Tucson owners in this forum? You could help me by stating *actual* Blore city FE figures (given Blore's notorious traffic), I'd be much obliged. (Based on, you know, fuel tank top-up to top-up method)

[ach1lles]

^Thanks. Sorry, I don't know any Tucson owners in my area, let alone Bangalore, heh. As for actual FE, you can extrapolate and get a fairly close idea, if not actual FE. In my experience, the instrument cluster is quite close to actual FE, give or take a couple of litres of difference in a full tank of 60+ litres.

I'd assume about a 33% difference from ARAI figures. But, obviously, an actual user will be able to give you a more accurate reply. Also, same engine is there in the Elantra, so you could get an idea from Elantra owners too.

[anandpadhye]

Are low beam and high beam - both LEDs? How good are they? I owned 1st gen Tucson and headlights were poor.

[vharihar]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

Your Black Tucson looks great! The feature you mentioned is there on my 12 year Elantra, that's nothing new!

Yes, my SX4 has this feature too. And I think its there in cars from several notches below in segment.

[ach1lles]

So, I've been meaning to write this post for sometime now, but I've either been too busy or too lazy. For all intents and purposes, consider that this was (is) posted on Dec 10, 2017, Danke.

So, one year. When I wrote my review, I said that I'd be covering about 20k kms in the year, and we're actually now at 18. But, this year has been crazy for me travel wise and I've spent a good 100 days away. Sadly, there was only one long trip in the entire year with the Tucson, and that was with a fully loaded car with capacity luggage and 4 people on board. That trip, and that drive taught me a lot. Also, the 18k can be split 60-40 mileage wise in highway and local, though time wise, local would be close to 85%. I shit you not. God bless the automatic transmission.

The car has behaved itself very well, and except for that one small part, the thermo-coupler, conking off and being replaced promptly, the car hasn't asked for anything. The only three things I've had to do are fill fuel, fill the wiper liquid reservoir, and air top ups for the tyres. And that's absolutely it. I couldn't have asked for a more hassle free, niggle free car.

Daily cleaning is handled by the Jopasu duster. A daily wipe every AM by my domestic help keeps the car clean. The car is washed if it gets too dirty, or if I just feel like it. No unnecessary washes, and no fixed schedule though it averages about once a month. I make sure the interior doesn't get dusty too often, and if it does, a quick wipe from the handheld duster does the job well. I don't have a cover yet, because I couldn't find a good one for reasonable cost (TPH one starts at 20k!) but I'm going to aggressively look for one now.

Mileage per L has stayed around 11. I don't really drive for better mileage, and usually the car is in Sport on the highways. Being in Eco in the city ensures a smooth drive free of any jerks from the throttle. Though if I tried, I could get 16 on the highways. I've seen higher on the MID.

The car continues to run rattle free, which is amazing to me. It's gotten a few creaks, but judging by the roads I commute, and the trips to the farm, it's really commendable how insulated the car has remained.

Now that we've gotten the general stuff out of the way, let's get down to the specifics.

The Drive
As I've gotten more comfortable with the car, with it's dimensions, the engine, and dynamics, I've begun to appreciate what all the car has to offer, and where it falls short too.
I've grown to love and appreciate the power the engine provides. I'm so, so glad Hyundai has offered this gem of an engine here. It was unlikely, as no other car in the Hyundai portfolio in India gets this engine, and Hyundai usually shares engines and transmissions between siblings.
The acceleration doesn't stop till way into the silly figures, that'll either get you arrested or killed on public roads.
Light speed: while most people I know feel terribly frustrated at *just* having missed the light at a signal, I quite enjoy it. Being the first car at the signal, and after making sure it's safe to do so, I gun it, and after that short wheel spin, all I see are blips which used to be vehicles in my rear view mirror. Boom! Oh, I love it. I know its silly, and it should've gotten old by now, but it hasn't, and I'm glad. Heehee.
I can also now comfortably, and safely weave through traffic if the need arises.

What I've grown to detest is the sound. Ugh. It's like a groan, a small sort of whelp when it's easy going, and just an annoying boom when it's pushed. I really dislike it, and usually some music is there to cover it up.

The Transmission
For the longest time, I couldn't put my finger on what was bothering me. And then one day, it hit me. It's the engine braking from the manual cars that I've been missing. This one just coasts.. for days! There's absolutely no perceptible engine braking while in auto mode, and it used to bother me when I had to use brakes a lot more often than I was used to. Once I realised what it was, I've peacefully accepted it. And when I absolutely must have it, I can flick that lever to the right into tiptronic mode.
There are a few things I properly appreciate.
The auto hold makes it very convenient to drive. If the car comes to a halt, it will stay halted unless I provide throttle. That's very comforting, without having to worry about (parking) brakes, or shifting to neutral, or having to judge the incline of the surface you're on. It's very simple, and very effective: if the car stops, it stays stopped unless asked to move.
I can move the transmission between N and D without having to push a button, or brake. Super convenient. I can also move the transmission from R to N or R to D without the button and the brake pedal, though to get it into R or P, the button and the brake need to be pressed. Again, very simple, yet effective: as long as intended direction of travel is forward, you can change position of lever without brake or button input. Just slide it in to her D(Ms) .

Comfort and Space
This is what pleasantly surprised me. The car is very comfortable, and is quite a bit more spacious compared to its closes sibling, Creta. Rear seat comfort has never been important for me, but as I mentioned earlier, this year was kind of killer as far as travel goes, and I started taking the driver with me for a few usual highway drives. Man, the way I could relax in that rear seat was eye opening the first time. I miss the 'front-passenger-seat-folds-flat' feature, and I'd assumed that this car would have it. It doesn't. And in that, the front passenger seat remains the least comfortable seat to be in. As others have pointed out, it's a little too low, and doesn't offer height adjustment Also, it's manual adjust. As Sam Kapasi said, and I'm quote-paraphrasing: "if I'm spending this much on the car, I don't want that danda". Ugh. That the front seats don't offer ventilation even after the mini update is incomprehensible to me. I mean, the friggin' Verna gets them now. VERNA! Grrrr..
I like to keep the tyres at 32-33, instead of the recommended 35 psi, as at 35, the ride becomes noticeably jittery. The car has also become more pliant and I remember it used to be harsher.

Special likes:

• The looks: I still love how it looks, specially with the light position at 'eyebrow'. Delicious.
• Lights: The illumination and way they look. Though I'll maintain, as I've said earlier, the Fortuner's rear lights are probably the best looking rear lights I've ever seen. Also, the hazard lights on the rear are quite useful, as they were in recent fog nights around the capital.
• Cornering lights: they deserve a special mention. The best implementation of a feature is when it fades away into the background and goes unnoticed in its implementation. Cornering lights in the Tucson are exemplary. The light up the dark corners, parkway entries, driveway exits and mostly once you get used to them, you won't notice unless you drive a car that doesn't have this feature.
• Front parking sensors: Every single car should have them. They have been so useful in parking, obviously, but also in many other tight situations while moving about in narrow streets etc.
• Turning radius: Simply incredible. Short and precise. That's all.

Special dislikes:

• Engine sound: Mentioning this again because I've really, really grown to hate it.
• Boot motor groan: The boot opener isn't silent like in the Tiguan. It's groan-y. Uncouth.
• Maps: Today, without traffic information and constant updating, maps are useless.
• Absence of auto wipers: Why? Just.. why?
• Wipers: The wipers are really crappy. If you buy this car, wipers should be the first on your list to upgrade.

Quirks:
Auto Hold: Sometimes, the software misses or is late in implementing the hold. Here's what happens: When you lift your foot off the brake, the car *just* starts to move when the auto hold is implemented, and there's a noticeable jerk, and it feels like someone has rear ended you. It used to be quite disconcerting in heavy traffic.
Front arm rest: I use a cushion now below my elbow. The arm rest is not adjustable. IMO they should make it illegal to provide a front centre armrest without adjustability. It's quite moronic. The best implementation would be how the captain seats have it in Innovas, or how the last gen CR-V used to have it. They're great that way.

Mostly the special likes, dislikes and quirks remain the same from my initial review. Heh.

Today, on the 10th of December (deal with it) I took the car to 3M for birthday treatments, and wouldn't you know it, just as I was getting out after the treatments, it started to rain. And I had a highway drive in front of me. Heh. It ended something like this:


Whoosh.

All in all though, it's been a great year with the car, my mom really loves it and I'm happy and content with it. Would I buy the Tucson for the same money today? Probably. And that's that.

-------------------------------------

The Long Drive
The lone long trip we took in the car. It was to Jim Corbett, and we went there for a cousin's wedding party. This drive really gave me a new outlook towards the car. It was the first time it was this loaded, and it felt so. It felt heavy. The nimble-ness was absent. The pick up was noticeably dulled. Even direction changes felt 'declined'. The car didn't like being tail heavy at all. The roads closer to Jim Corbett are amazing, curvy, smooth, and amongst pretty scenery. I was quite looking forward to this portion of the drive in the car. I was quite disappointed on what actually happened, and how the car behaved. For the first time, it felt like a big, heavy thing.



A beautiful, big, heavy thing though



Pretty pretty ways



Night shades


Jungle climb

This hyperlapse will give you a decent idea of the route:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHYrRwBoDF0

-------------------------------------

Everybody knows you love me baby, everybody knows you really do. Everybody knows you’ve been discreet, but there were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes..
Everybody knows.




The Scorpion Prince

Leonard Cohen sums it up really well. I drove along the coast of Côte d'Azur, St. Tropez to Monaco in a 595 Turismo. While this whole thing deserves a proper post, and I will get to that when I will, this drive just gave me something which I didn't even know was missing. I just love, love driving hot hatches. My love for the Mini Cooper S is unhidden, and this one, with it's engine sound and sports seats and everything, just made me realise that I deeply care for a car's ability to be nimble. The curvy roads, the coast, the canyons, the hills, and this bomb on wheels. Mmmmmmwah.

Even though I love the Tucson, and it fits my current requirements properly, my next car definitely won't be a diesel, and it won't be an SUV. Maybe that's why I'm kind of overcompensating and will be getting a bike soon. Heh.

With this bittersweet realisation, Happy first b'day, Tucson. You're 1.