My 2021 Hyundai Tucson petrol: Purchase & initial experience

I am getting a fuel efficiency of 9-10 km/l in mixed driving conditions. It should get better in due course but I'm not expecting any miracles.

BHPian Pyrotek recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

It gives me great pleasure to pen this initial ownership review of my Phantom Black 2021 Hyundai Tucson GLS Petrol. Given the relative rarity of the Petrol compared to the immensely more popular Diesel, I hope this thread serves as a useful reference for prospective buyers and I look forward to learning more as well from other contributors on Team-BHP who own this beautiful machine.

Background

I am an ardent automobile aficionado and I often use this expression "I set out in life to be an industrial designer but, alas, I ended up becoming an instructional designer. It's still ID!"

Of course, while the heart yearns for coupes, extreme off-road machines, and mid-engined monsters, the wallet and the mind often has to look for compromises. However, I consider myself slightly "left-field" when it comes to my car choices.

Contrary to typical financial prudence, I upgrade my cars every 5 years because I believe the adage "the heart wants what it wants". So while I like to look after each of my cars with care and compassion, the new car itch is a hard one to leave unscratched.

My previous ride was a 2017 Maruti Suzuki S-Cross 1.3 Zeta in Caffeine Brown. This car set an incredibly high standard and I knew it was going to be a tough task to find a worthy successor.

Other cars I have owned and driven include a 2006 Blue Maruti Suzuki Swift VXI, 2011 Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 MJD in Fox Trot Azure (I sold this in 2020) and a 2013 Hyundai Eon Magna(O) in Grey.

Barring the Swift, I doubt anyone would call the other cars I have owned thus far as mainstream. However, barring the Fiat Punto, I had a pleasant ownership experience with all my other rides. Each of them was incredibly hard to let go because they were in top shape and had been driven for less than 50,000 KM at the time of being let go. Nevertheless, as I said earlier "the heart wants what it wants"!

Options considered

It was one fine Sunday morning in October 2021 when I was out for a stroll on Church Street that I casually walked into TAFE Access on St. Mark's Road to check out the Octavia. While they didn't have one on the showroom floor, they walked me to the back where the TD car was standing. One glimpse of the Silver test drive Octavia and I knew that I was going to enjoy this new car discovery journey.

Skoda Octavia

The Octavia was light years ahead of the S-Cross in terms of sophistication, luxury, and style.

After driving the Octavia, I was convinced that spending 30L or so on a new car would be worth it because the cars in this segment were significant steps forward from my current ride.

I absolutely loved the styling and the performance. The interiors were super stylish and luxurious. I enjoyed the short-ish test drive around the MG road area and walked out of the TAFE Access showroom after sharing my contact details. However, I was disappointed not to receive any callback in the days to follow.

I wasn't going to bother following up and, to be honest, I still wasn't convinced that a sedan was the right option as I had gotten used to the comfort and convenience of a crossover. My wife is averse to sedans and we have a small toddler which means that we need to carry a number of odds and ends on road trips.

But I was keen on giving the Octavia a second chance. This time, I checked out a Lava Blue Octavia at PPS Skoda Sadashivnagar. This test drive was much more exhaustive and I was convinced of three things:

• The performance of this car was extraordinary. So much power and instantaneous throttle response.
• The rear seat was not as spacious as I wanted and the suede upholstery would be a tough one to look after especially given our small kid.
• The Style variant felt like a compromise and it was the L&K or nothing if I had to go for the Octavia. But at an eye-watering 37 lakhs, the value proposition was simply not convincing enough. There were no discounts on offer and I made it clear to the sales advisor that I would not consider buying in December without any discounts. We were at an impasse.

Audi Q2

Did I mention that I was a bit "left field" in my thinking? Well, you can't get more left-field than this. To be perfectly honest, I have dreamed of owning this car ever since it was released in Europe and I was beyond disappointed when this was launched in India with underwhelming specifications and atrocious prices.

But I knew that there was plenty of stock available and I thought that I'd be able to strike a good deal. The Audi Bengaluru Central showroom is just a short walk from TAFE Access on St. Mark's road and I trundled along to their showroom.

In there stood a Red Q2 in the Premium trim. One look at the car and I was smitten. Forget the lack of features and pricing and all that stuff, JUST LOOK AT THE CAR! It was love at first sight. In my heart, I knew that this was the car I wanted. It had amazing proportions, a tight, snug stance and then walked over to the sales advisor.

Now this gentleman was the most amazing sales guy I interacted with during this new car purchase journey. Super friendly, super professional and very accommodating. He instantly understood that this was the first time I had mustered the courage to walk into a German luxury car showroom and he was very thorough in his explanation. I drove their test drive Q2 for quite a bit and loved nearly everything about it.

I loved the high-quality interiors, the tactile feel of every button, knob, and switch, the exquisite virtual cockpit, and the driving experience (of course!). I knew the Quattro system was virtually useless for this class of car but that's what bragging rights are about, isn't it?

We haggled a fair bit over the price of the Q2 over the next couple of weeks. I think the sales advisor was not really sure if I was going to be a serious buyer or not and perhaps he stopped short of unveiling the "full" Audi discount barrage. But we stopped at approx. 40 lakhs for the Premium Plus 1. This was the only trim I was interested in. I hated the black details and bits of the Premium Plus 2 and the Technology trims and the Premium was too basic for my liking. There was no way I was going to spend over 30 lakhs and get fabric upholstery.

As I ruminated some more on the Q2, I came to the following conclusions:

• Barring the badge, this car was going to be a compromise on many fronts such as space and luxury features.
• The car is a non-mover for all practical purposes. I am going to get a car that's already a year old and will be 2 model years behind come 2022. I wasn't sure if the car would be in good shape considering it's been sitting in a lot at either the dealership or in the factory for a good year or so.
• It's simply too expensive for what it offers. Truth be told, paying anything more than 32 lakhs on road for the Q2 Premium Plus 1 would be criminally insane.

So with a VERY heavy heart, I bid adieu to the Q2. May we meet again a decade from now when you have an EV heart, perhaps, my love? And maybe you'll be a Q3 by then?

BMW 220i Gran Coupe

Once I was in German car territory, the bug was truly bitten. I couldn't help but proceed to check out this car at Navnit Motors. I had already made up my mind that the BMW X1 (which is simply the logical upgrade from an S-Cross in every sense) was not for me. I was truly in love with this car several years ago but at 50 lakhs, it was simply not sexy enough for me anymore.

Sexiness, however, is something the 2 Series had in spades. It was menacing, cajoling, inviting, and sinfully tempting. You don't need one but dear Lord, you want one! The sales experience at Navnit Motors Lavelle Road was unimpressive at first. I don't think the sales advisor took me as a serious buyer. I was even turned down from a test drive on Sunday morning I went there. But another visit a week later was much more pleasant.

Zero complaints about the drive in this car. It was supremely sports coupe-like and I enjoyed everything about it. It made the Q2 feel like a grandmother's car, such was the level of sophistication and luxury inside. Hands down, this was the best vehicle I enjoyed test driving.

Again, the current market situation being what it is, the sales advisor was unable to come below 46 lakhs on road for the Sport trim. The list price was 51 on-road. I was perfectly happy with the Sport trim and if we were able to strike a deal at around 42 or so, I might have bitten the bullet and got this one - my wife's aversion to sedans be damned!

But the thought of being kicked out of the house and having to sleep in the car for several nights took over my brain and I admit I was not too keen on being in that situation. Thus I said my farewell to the 2 Series.

Citroen C5 Aircross

PPS Citroen has opened a showroom on Millers Road (next to Vikram Hospital) where the Old Mini showroom used to be. I stepped in one afternoon to check out the C5 Aircross. I was the only customer there and was attended to promptly. The sales advisor tried his best to convince me that I should think of the C5 as a competitor to the BMW X1. I was impressed with the space, comfort, and style of this vehicle. The Blue shade in particular was very striking.

I test drove the car and was beyond impressed with the suspension. The S-Cross is not terrible by any means but compared to the C5, its suspension felt like sticks and stones. This car's ability to absorb road imperfections, craters, and potholes was second to none. If comfort is one's sole priority for purchasing a luxury car, I don't think one can go wrong with the Aircross. Performance was not a concern either. The diesel was responsive, smooth, and refined and the gearbox was impressive too.

Here's my conclusion on the Citroen:

• While it's a great car, I found it hard to convince myself to spend 40 lakhs on it. There was nothing about it that screamed desirability and luxury. This was a competent, sensible car and somehow I thought this car was punching way above its league in terms of price.
• The PPS sales experience was thoroughly underwhelming. There was no interest to make a sale. Just a "take it or leave it" attitude and I was off-put by it.
• The absence of a petrol option. As much as I have owned and driven diesels for more than a decade, I was not convinced about the quirks and inconveniences of owning a BS6 diesel. I was keen on getting a Petrol and the Citroen didn't have this option.

Jeep Compass

KHT Prime on Tumkur Road is just a few kilometres from my residence and I drove in to check out the Compass. I saw both the Limited and Model S trims and test drove a white Model S 1.4 Multiair Petrol. The sales advisor was very friendly and we struck conversations at great length about the car and just about anything else. The Compass is clearly the most popular D-segment SUV in the country and I can see why. There's a model trim for every price point and the facelift has made it infinitely more desirable. It had a great range of colours and I could think of at least 4 colour options I would be happy to drive home with. The trouble was the following:

• The car was not a big or spacious one. At 30 big ones, my wife and I couldn't convince ourselves that we were getting sufficient metal and space for our buck. No middle head-rest for the rear passenger is a surprising omission.
• The Model S was way too expensive at 33-34 lakhs and the black interiors were making an already small interior feel entirely claustrophobic.
• The automatic transmission was feeling dim-witted even in bumper to bumper city traffic and sudden bursts of acceleration felt unpredictable and non-linear.
• My previous ownership experience of the Fiat Punto was downright atrocious. Defective parts, eye-watering service costs, thoroughly incompetent service centres et al. The thought of compounding that experience with Jeep weighed heavy on my mind.

Hyundai Tucson

Saved the best for the last, haven't I? But jokes apart, this car flew under the radar through my entire car search and discovery. Like many others, I thought "Oh, this model is outdated and is expected to be replaced fairly soon" and I was not at all serious about it. But my experiences above meant that I was running out of options. It was then I chanced upon the ownership reviews from Team BHPians Quadratic Amoeba and LONG TOURER. I admit their write-ups made me sit up and take serious notice. I downloaded the brochure and checked out a number of videos online.

Deciding to embrace the adage "Do not judge a book by its cover", I picked up the phone and contacted Blue Hyundai on Mysore road. The sales advisor at Blue Hyundai was the best of the lot (I also interacted with Trident and Advaith). Even though a Tucson petrol was not available for a test drive, he arranged for me to drive an Alcazar Petrol (same powertrain) and 2 test drives of the Tucson Diesel.

The Tucson impressed us on several fronts:

• Incredible space and comfort. The space in the rear seat was jaw-dropping and the overall comfort was even better than the C5 Aircross.
• Several feel-good creature comforts with the most essential ones being the panoramic sunroof, the dual electric front seats, the connected car tech, the auto-hold feature, static bending lights, and the electric tailgate. I was well aware we were missing some good stuff like ventilated seats, paddle shifters, digital instrument console among others, but those were not essential in my view.
• The overall cost and value proposition. At the offered price, the car was well and truly impossible to ignore. This was a full D-segment SUV at just a little over C-segment SUV price and well below what the competitors were demanding.

Pricing, sales & delivery experience

For a variety of reasons, I ended up striking my final purchase with Trident Hyundai in Sadashivnagar. But chief among them was that their quote on my S-Cross was the best of the lot. I was offered a price of 7.5L on my 2017 S-Cross which was above what the other dealers were interested to offer. We were quoted a price of 29.8L for the Petrol GLS and 31.3 for the Diesel 2WD GLS.

We dilly-dallied between the Starry Night GLS Diesel 2WD (primarily for its ubiquity, scintillating performance, and availability of our preferred colour) but ultimately we decided to get the Petrol. Although the only model available was Black in colour (and we were staunchly against owning Black cars before), we determined that the Petrol will give us long term peace of mind.

While the sales advisor was competent about the car itself, the follow-up and delivery experience were not up to the mark. There were oversights and mistakes at many steps but the team there slowly worked through each of my pain points. Some examples include:

• Not being able to provide all documentation on the day of delivery (e.g. Road Tax paid challan, insurance, registration number) despite us being clear about the date on which we wanted delivery.
• The insurance did not have all the add-ons we discussed. They quickly amended this but it should not have happened in the first place.
• The accessories provided at the time of delivery were not up to our satisfaction. I had not discussed the contents of the free accessories but barring the mud flaps and the floor mats, I was unimpressed by the car perfume and the Ganesha idol provided. They did not look fit for an Eon, let alone a Tucson. I actually paid an additional 650 bucks to pick this idol from the dealer. They really should have procured this in the first place.
• We requested the car to be delivered at home. There were no flowers, chocolates, no photo frame - NIL. Clearly, this is a seller's market but the lack of effort made it feel like I have purchased vegetables from a shop and not a 30L car.

The only silver lining was that they took my complaints seriously and made amends. My wife was particularly underwhelmed and vowed to never purchase from Trident again. She's a Hyundai fangirl. In hindsight, I think I could have gone with either Blue Hyundai or Advaith Hyundai but well, no point crying over spilled milk.

When I was due to have the number plate installed at the dealership, the team tried their best to make up for all my complaints. Thus, I experienced a "second" handover. All's well that ends well, I suppose.

Exteriors

Here are some exterior shots of my Tucson. I admit I am hardly an avid or professional photographer so pardon my rather underwhelming pictures.

The black and chrome detailing look harmonious together and I believe make the car look quite elegant. Similarly, the design of the 18" alloys is quite striking. Overall, the Tucson is an elegant, sophisticated looking vehicle.

Interiors

Similarly, here are some pictures of the interiors of my Tucson. The rear seat is a HUGE draw with the incredible angle of recline available.

The front seats are incredibly comfortable too. The driver gets an electric lumbar adjust which is quite useful too.

First 1000 km experience

As I write this today, the car has covered 1450 kilometres since I brought it home in Mid-December. It's due to go in for its first service next week and I have had the chance to drive it in the city as well as on outstation drives to Tumkur, Mysore, and Lepakshi/Penukonda in AP.

What I like

• Refinement- After a decade of driving diesels, the quiet solitude of a petrol is such a calming influence on the senses. I often wonder whether the car is running at all!
• Ride comfort- Over broken roads and bad surfaces, the car is unruffled and holds its poise really well. Very un-Hyundai like, if you know what I mean. Bumps and surface irregularities are mild inconveniences and the suspension absorbs them really well.
• Supreme highway muncher- The overall powertrain and ride/handling dynamics make this a super comfortable cruiser. Almost 70% of my driving so far has been on highways and I am convinced that this car can get me across the length and breadth of India without skipping a beat, while keeping me utterly relaxed and comfortable in doing so.
• Ease of Driving- Despite being a fairly big car, the vehicle does not feel imposing to drive. I have been able to take it into fairly tight spaces and the camera, front and rear sensors provide enough ease of judgment to make day-to-day driving easy. The steering is light without feeling too artificial and suits my style of driving really well.
• Full-size spare tyre with alloy- This is a rarity in today's day and age, isn't it? Unlike the diesel, the petrol gets a full-size spare tyre with the alloy to boot. While space savers may be the rage, there's nothing like a full size spare to calm the nerves on long highway drives.
• In-built navigation- the navigation system is surprisingly good and even provides graphic details on the exit roads and turns to take. Take that, Google Maps! I have used this system a fair bit and found it quite reliable.
• Panoramic sunroof- This roof has become a huge hit in the house. It looks vast and has sufficient insulation to prevent the insides from feeling too hot. The cover is of high quality and blocks sunlight effectively when required.
• Fit and finish and material quality- There are no real cheap surfaces in the Tucson. All the plastics and leather feel both high quality and durable. The Citroen which costs 10 lakhs more feels more or less similar in material quality and finish. I am a huge fan of the leather seats. The doors are well built and feel solid to the touch.
• Service Cost and Wonder Warranty Program- I must admit that this is a huge draw. Flexible warranty schemes are the need of the hour based on one's usage and the assurance of low maintenance costs with fully covered service makes the ownership experience more predictable and satisfying. I opted for the 5 year, 50,000 KM warranty coverage.

What I dislike

• Petrol/gearbox responsiveness on kickdown at medium to high highway speeds- The Petrol will not knock the socks off you. Let's get this straight out of the way. If you are after the performance and do not care about what it takes, just do yourself a favour and get the Diesel. With 188HP on tap and its vicious 400 Nm of torque, that powertrain will have you grinning from ear-to-ear at every turn. Its throttle response is almost telepathic. The petrol is a much gentler beast. It has 152 BHP on tap with a torque of just 192 Nm. When driven with linear throttle inputs, the pick-up is calm and brisk. But put your foot down to do that quick overtake on a 2-lane road and you will hear the engine jump till 3500 RPM before upshifting. It will get the overtake done but you realize that the car is hunting for the right gear in doing so. That's the only time you feel the powertrain is straining itself to get something done.
• The absence of a few creature comforts like adjustable rear sunshades, ventilated seats, paddle shifters, and memory function for the front seats. The last two are particularly irksome misses.
• Infotainment system- The radio reception seems particularly poor. It struggles to pick up FM radio signals on highway journeys smoothly. Some of the radio stations in Bangalore can be heard all the way up to Mandya if you are driving to Mysore and I observed that the signals were fading quickly on this one. The other nitpick I have is that Android Auto does not work with voice commands. Why oh why, Hyundai?
• Bluelink app commands don't work 50% of the time- Now whether this is because of my phone's internet connectivity or the Bluelink servers, the reality is that using the app commands for remote start-stop is completely hit and miss. After a while, you realize these feel like gimmicks. However, the reports and insights on driving patterns are quite useful and detailed.
• Bottle holders in the doors. The shape of the speaker panel is such that large, tall bottles don't fit as neatly as I expect them to.
• Absence of an adjustable driver's armrest- I really got used to the sliding armrest in the S-Cross and the one in the Tucson (while quite comfortable to rest one's arm on) is not adjustable. So be prepared to move your seat accordingly to find the perfect position and your rear passenger may frown at you for doing so.
• Brakes don't have much feel- There is a discernible disconnected feeling with the brakes. The stopping power is plentiful and panic braking is not an issue but it has a PlayStation-like feel (or no feel if that's how one would put it). I think this is just a matter of getting used to.

What I can live with

• While Black does take some effort to keep tidy, I have grown to like it. This car and color make me turn back and take a look at it every time I park. I guess that says all that it needs to say, doesn't it? What more can we ask of as car enthusiasts?
• I am averaging about 9-10 KPL in mixed driving conditions and I think that is par for the course. This is a heavy vehicle and you cannot deny the laws of physics. I expect it will get better in due course as I put in more KMs but am not expecting miracles.
• The AC has a mind of its own. While the cooling itself is not an issue, I cannot understand how the AC works and it keeps switching between recirculation modes, fan intensity, and direction of airflow in ways that I don't expect. Perhaps it's really intelligent and, for now, I am just learning to live with it. None of my co-passengers has complained of cooling (or lack thereof).

Grievances

• The single most heart-breaking thing for me was a rogue stone that chipped my windshield. This incident happened in Mandya while I was driving from Mysore to Bangalore one morning. Given the other two incidents of chipped/cracked Tucson windshields reported by fellow BHPians in the Diesel facelift review thread, I am wondering if it's just my bad luck or is this a quality issue? I have driven this stretch several times over the years and this is the first time any car of mine has suffered such damage. Most disappointing!
• Front underbody engine/mud-guard- Watch out as this piece is prone to scraping when you encounter an undulating road surface with a sudden/steep elevation change. I believe a couple of BHPians have suffered damages with the underbody already so, yes, while this is an SUV, I don't advise chucking it onto all types of road surfaces with gay abandon.

And that's it for my write-up for today! Thank you to all Team-BHP members for offering insights along the way and fellow Tucson owners for their write-ups and advice.

I am happy to answer any questions and look forward to keeping this thread updated as I clock the miles on my Black Beauty!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.