USA Today Reviews the Tucson! Options

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Tucson plows through snowstorm handily

As if Hyundai weren't doing enough sport-utility business with its Santa Fe, now it rolls out the 2005 Tucson SUV, based on a modified version of the company's Elantra small-car platform.

Tucson is meant to compete with Toyota's even smaller RAV4 and Honda's CR-V, which is similar in size and price. Tucson offers a V-6 engine that neither of those do, plus a remarkable array of standard features and enough rear-seat room to be adult-friendly, though at the expense of cargo space.

Hyundai begins manufacturing vehicles in the USA in March at its new $1.1 billion factory in Montgomery, Ala.
First off is a redesigned Sonata sedan, about 2 inches bigger in each direction than the current model. It's to be at dealers in April as a 2006 model.

A bigger Santa Fe SUV based on the new Sonata underpinnings goes into production at the Alabama plant early next year. It should be on sale in the first quarter of '06, likely as an early '07 model, Hyundai says.

That redesigned Santa Fe will be enough bigger than the current one for three rows of seats. Its larger size and additional seating will separate it from Tucson, which will stand alone as the small Hyundai SUV.

Tucson's standard hardware includes premium items such as anti-skid and traction controls, side-impact and side-curtain air bags and power-almost-everything.

The Tucson test vehicle was a four-wheel-drive, midlevel GLS with most options, priced at $21,584. It arrived in time for last weekend's big snowstorm.

The snow showed that Tucson's four-wheel drive system is good but not great. In challenging situations, it works best if you shut off the so-called ESP — Hyundai's and many others' abbreviation for anti-skid and traction controls. Typical of traction nannies, the Hyundai system kicks in pretty aggressively when the wheels spin, reducing forward progress.

Starting uphill from a standstill with a heavy throttle foot, Tucson and its ilk will lunge a short distance, shut down almost completely, snap back on and lunge, shut down, lunge and so on as the system swings wildly between nearly halting the vehicle to get the wheels to stop spinning and unleashing full power once they do.

But punch the "ESP off" button on the dashboard and the same uphill start results in solid forward movement, with a little sideways sluing that's easy to control. The 4x4 system hunts for the wheels with the best traction and sends power to them. It's not trying to stop the wheels from spinning.

Tucson also has a "4WD lock" button that sends half the power to each end, regardless of how much any of the wheels spin. In that mode, and with ESP off, Tucson whipped some pretty serious drifts and ruts. But locking the 4x4 system makes the steering balky in tight turns.

You have to unlock it before parking, as you do in any vehicle with part-time four-wheel drive, such as most pickups.

When driving moderately in light snow, leaving ESP on seemed to work best. It did its main job of keeping the vehicle from skidding much on slick turns, and it didn't hamper the 4x4 operation in undemanding circumstances.

The drift-bashing packed so much snow into the wheel wells that the little SUV began shuddering and shaking at highway speed. Ramming the snow away from the wheels with the business end of an ice scraper cured the problem, but it shows how little clearance there is around the Tucson's tires. Carry a stiff stick when it snows so you can clear out the wheel wells.

In the snow or on dry pavement, Tucson endears itself by responding promptly and directly to steering and braking inputs, feeling more like a solid, somewhat sporty sedan than an SUV.

Seats are quite comfortable, but in some positions the steering wheel rim blocks the driver's view of the speedometer's 55- to 85-mph range and the top of the fuel gauge. And whoever approved the upholstery pattern, which resembles barbed wire, probably ought to be in another line of work.

Though the inside is generally a nice place to be, there are details Hyundai could do better. Front floor mats, for instance, don't snap onto their hooks properly and slide forward into a bunched-up mess. That interferes with the foot pedals on the driver's side and exposes the carpet under the mats to winter's staining salt-and-slush muck.

A single 12-volt plug for the front seat is insufficient. There's another for the back and a third in the cargo area, but the front really needs two or three to handle today's common accessories.

The middle, rear safety belt is attached to the ceiling, where it's awkward to use. Belts built into the seats are more convenient, though that requires heavier, costlier seat construction.

The heater fan is annoyingly loud on the top setting.

The base, four-cylinder engine and the manual transmission weren't tested. The V-6 in the test car — and in most Tucsons sold — delivers fair scoot accompanied by a healthy growl.

The automatic transmission is a bit sloppy, though. It takes too long going from gear to gear, up- or down-shifting, especially when you slam the gas pedal to the floor demanding an urgent downshift for passing. The automatic's manual-shift mode is easy to use, which is some compensation.

Tucson is tempting, but competition's especially stiff: RAV4, CR-V, Jeep Liberty, Ford Escape, Nissan Frontier, Kia Sorento, Subaru Forester and Hyundai's own Santa Fe, to recite only some.

The Honda CR-V, perhaps most similar to Tucson, is priced within a few hundred dollars. Tucson has more power, which makes it more satisfying to drive and safer for high-speed merging and passing. And Tucson has what appears to be a superior 4x4 system. But the Honda's lower-power engine gets better fuel economy, and the CR-V is a little roomier.

The Tucson, surprisingly alluring behind the wheel, does nothing to make a shopper's choice easier.

Hyundai Tucson Facts

•What is it? Small, four-door, sport-utility vehicle available with front-wheel drive (FWD) or four-wheel drive (4x4). Manufactured in South Korea.

•What's the point? It lets Hyundai continue to field a small, entry-level SUV when Santa Fe gets bigger and pricier this fall.

•How soon? On sale since September.

•How much? Prices range from $18,094, including $595 destination charge, for base GL FWD with manual transmission, to $24,364 for LX 4x4 with automatic transmission and all factory options.

Expect discounts of only a few hundred dollars, according to online car-shopping services.

•How many? Hyundai forecasts 40,000 to 60,000 the first full year.

•Who'll buy? As likely to be women as men, probably college-educated and closing hard on age 30, Hyundai says.

•What's the drivetrain? GL has 2-liter, four-cylinder engine rated 140 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, 136 pounds-feet at 4,500 rpm; five-speed manual transmission; traction control.

GLS and LX have 2.7-liter V-6 rated 173 hp at 6,000, 178 lbs.-ft. at 4,000; four-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift mode; and traction control.

Four-wheel drive is full-time, automatic system that's normally in FWD, shifts up to 50% of power to rear wheels when fronts slip. Driver-selected lock mode splits power 50% to each end, regardless of traction.

•What's the safety gear? Anti-skid system; anti-lock brakes; normal bags and belts, plus front-seat-mounted, side-impact air bags; ceiling-mounted, side-curtain bags for front and back rows.

•What's the rest? Standard features on all models include air conditioning; power steering, brakes, windows, locks, mirrors; outside mirror defrosters; AM/FM/CD stereo; cruise control; tilt-adjustable steering column; P215/65R-16 tires on alloy wheels.

V-6 models add cassette player; leather steering wheel cover; fog lights; body cladding; P235/60R-16 tires.

•How big? Larger than a Toyota RAV4, a little smaller than a Ford Escape. Tucson is 170.3 inches long, 70.7 inches wide (72.1 inches with body cladding), 66.1 inches tall (68.1 inches with roof rack), on a 103.5-inch wheelbase. Hyundai lists 22.7 cubic feet behind the rear seat, 65.5 cubic feet when the seat's folded.

Weight ranges from 3,240 pounds to 3,548 pounds, depending on model. Rated to tow up to 2,000 pounds.

•How thirsty? Ratings range from 22 miles per gallon in town, 27 mpg on the highway for four-cylinder, five-speed manual front-wheel drive to 19/24 for V-6, automatic four-wheel drive. Regular fuel is specified.

•Overall: Tight-feeling, good-handling, comfortable-riding, modestly priced weather-beater. Potent combo.