Hyundai is producing the top-tier product across its line-up in 2021. Could its Tucson Highlander mid-size SUV be the best of the bunch?
- Fantastic interior space
- Highlander specification kitted-out to the nines
- Ride comfort is quality around town
- Touch panels and piano-black prone to fingerprints
- Wireless smartphone mirroring deleted from top variant
- Price is getting up there
Introduction
Hyundai is kicking some serious goals across the board with its product line-up in 2021. Whether it’s new arrivals like the wild-style Staria people mover, any cars of the updated N range, or the brand’s revised venture into electrics with the Ioniq 5 – it’s a manufacturer to be reckoned with.
The South Korean carmaker even brings excitement to the often-mundane medium SUV segment, with the new Tucson sporting radically redesigned looks that fly in the face of convention. The face borrows a sci-fi look with an expansive grille-mask that incorporates LED headlights, while the profile is highlighted by intentional crease lines.
It’s a far more butch-looking car than a Hyundai has ever been, and sure to be a winner for those looking to make a statement in the mid-size SUV space.
Even so, Tucson is a model name that Australians should know. It existed in the local market through the late noughties, and was reintroduced over five years ago as the brand’s fighter against the likes of Toyota’s RAV4, Ford Escape, Nissan X-Trail and Honda CR-V.
Within Hyundai’s own model line-up, the Tucson sits above the Venue and Kona light and small SUVs respectively, but sits below the larger Santa Fe and Palisade large SUVs.
Like most medium SUV options, the Tucson comes with a choice of three engines and can also be specified with three different model grades.
Pricing begins at $34,500 (before on-road costs) for the eponymous Tucson variant, extending up to $52,000 (before ORCs) for the top-spec 2021 Hyundai Tucson Highlander diesel, which is what this review focuses on.
The Tucson Highlander diesel utilises the most powerful engine in the range – a 137kW/416Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder that comes paired with an eight-speed torque converter automatic.
It’s highlighted on the exterior by unique 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail-lights, a dark chrome grille, a silver skid plate, chrome trim and a panoramic sunroof.
| Key details | 2021 Hyundai Tucson Highlander diesel |
| Price (MSRP) | $52,000 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Silky Bronze |
| Options | Brown leather-appointed upholstery – $295 Metallic paint – $595 |
| Price as tested | $52,890 plus on-road costs ($57,722 drive-away in Victoria) |
| Rivals | Volkswagen Tiguan | Toyota RAV4 | Ford Escape |
Inside
Much like its exterior, the cabin has also had a huge step-change with this new generation. The dash design is all new, and marked by a high-set character line extending from the doors, along the windscreen and across the dash.
The centre console feels high and incorporates buttons for shifting gears in place of a conventional gear stick. The bulky centre console hides a centre airbag that deploys between the front seats in the event of a crash, but more on safety later.
Different people are likely to share varying opinions on the usability, but personally I’m not into the button shifter. It’s an odd action to perform, and the right gear doesn’t always engage as you’d expect. But it does free up space in the centre console, which is prime real estate when it comes to practicality.
Speaking of which, storage is catered to through two cupholders, a large centre console bin, and small cubby just below the air-con control panel. In the Highlander, this spot has two surfaces: one flat section for storing keys and the like, but also an angled panel that incorporates a wireless phone charger. There are also narrow slots alongside the transmission tunnel down by your shins, which can hide away extra items.
For driver and passenger in the front row, you’re cocooned in place between the high-set centre console, and it ends up feeling a bit like a cockpit. Even though it’s a cosy, closed-in space, there’s a comfy amount of room and the seats are soft and springy.
The cabin is fitted with nice materials that make you feel it sits at a cut above other mid-size SUVs. The door cards and dash feature a new strip of tactile fabric that feels and looks great, while there are soft-touch plastics at most touchpoints. There is a fair amount of piano black around the centre console that will show up fingerprints and could show scratches over time.
Back seat passengers will be amazed at the amount of room on offer in the second row. For a mid-size SUV there’s a fantastic amount of leg room, even for the tallest of passengers, while foot and head room are non-issues.
There are electric seat controls on the side bolster of the passenger seat to either annoy the person in front or to allow the person behind more room, but they’re unlikely to be needed.
Amenities-wise, the Tucson Highlander scores air vents, two USB-A ports, map nets, heated outboard seats, and windows that go all the way down in the second row. The centre armrest folds down to reveal two cupholders. The full-length panoramic roof affords a nice, airy feel despite a black headliner.
Further back, the boot affords 539L of capacity – a good amount for a five-seat medium SUV. The second row of seating can be flattened using handy latches in the boot for a full 1860L of space. A power-operated tailgate is equipped on Highlander variants.
Hyundai damps down the impact of a tyre-related mishap by fitting the Tucson Highlander with a full-size spare wheel, while the boot floor is flat to allow for the easy load-in and load-out of big items.
Back in the front, front seat occupants are kept happy in summer or winter thanks to ventilated and heated seats, and the driver gets a heated steering wheel. Both passenger and driver are able to electrically adjust their seats.
While the functionality is there, the piano-black touch-operated climate-control panel does look a bit drab to my tastes, but this is very nit-picky stuff in an otherwise modern-looking cabin.
There’s also ambient mood lighting to change up the vibe in the interior, and an easy-entry ‘walk-in’ feature to slide your seat into position.
| 2021 Hyundai Tucson Highlander diesel | |
| Seats | Five |
| Boot volume | 539L seats up / 1860L seats folded |
| Length | 4630mm |
| Width | 1865mm |
| Height | 1665mm |
| Wheelbase | 2755mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Infotainment is serviced by a 10.25-inch touchscreen display in the Hyundai Tucson Highlander. It features Hyundai’s most recent software and can cater to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though only through a wired connection, as opposed to wireless systems like the one in the base Tucson. Weird that the top-spec doesn’t get this wireless functionality.
If you prefer using the car’s own system instead of smartphone mirroring, the Tucson Highlander comes with native sat-nav and digital radio played through an eight-speaker Bose sound system. I was very happy listening to tunes through the system over the course of a week, with a resounding bass and a good clarity of sound.
The screens and menu systems are fairly simple to navigate between, and the unit itself contains a good amount of functionality. However, the lack of a hard-coded home button is a constant frustration, which makes it difficult to get back to the home and menu screens. The touch-controlled volume is also a non-user-friendly bugbear.
The screen itself does pick up a fair amount of fingerprints, and that’s especially magnified in the light of day. So make sure a microfibre cloth is stored in the glovebox if you like a nice, clean look.
Mirroring the 10.25-inch infotainment screen is an equally sized digital instrument cluster, which displays a side-view camera feed when you use your indicator to help with visibility when merging lanes.
Safety and Technology
All variants in the Tucson range score what Hyundai calls its Advanced SmartSense Safety Suite. In practice this includes blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assistance, forward collision avoidance (Hyundai’s term for autonomous emergency braking) with cyclist and pedestrian detection, tyre pressure monitoring, intelligent speed limit assistance, junction and turning detection for the autonomous emergency braking, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.
Seven airbags are also standard across the range, including a centre airbag between the front seats – deemed necessary by some manufacturers for a five-star safety rating in 2021.
The Highlander spec receives a blind-spot-view camera system, reverse parking collision-avoidance assistance, as well as a 360-degree camera.
Australia’s local crash-testing authority has yet to score the new-generation Hyundai Tucson. However, it does share bones with many five-star Kias and Hyundais on a similar N3 platform, suggesting this new model should fare well when.
Value for Money
Hyundai warrants all its products for five years with no limitation on kilometres – pretty run-of-the-mill for a mainstream passenger car manufacturer.
Hyundai offers pre-paid service packages for three, four or five years. Those packages cost $1125, $1500 and $1875 respectively. As part of this pre-paid plan, owners will also have access to 24/7 roadside assistance for the duration. Capped price pay as you go servicing is also available at $375 per visit for the first five years.
Service intervals occur every 15,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first.
On our week of testing, the Tucson Highlander’s diesel engine recorded 7.6 litres of fuel per 100km travelled. Compared to Hyundai’s 6.3L/100km claim, this is worse than expected, but experience tells us these engines improve when run in.
| At a glance | 2021 Hyundai Tucson Highlander diesel |
| Warranty | Five years / unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months / 15,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1125 (3 years) | $1875 (5 years) |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 6.3L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 7.6L/100km |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Fuel tank size | 54L |
Driving
Under the bonnet of the diesel Tucson Highlander is a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine that outputs 137kW and 416Nm to a H-Trac all-wheel-drive system. This powertrain is coupled with a conventional eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission.
Whereas the naturally aspirated petrol Tucson feels a bit lethargic, this turbo-diesel car issues a good punch when you step on the throttle and responds diligently to changing pedal inputs.
The eight-speed transmission is responsive and smooth around town. You can kick down the accelerator and the car responds with a quick gear change to get you moving in a hurry.
During a wet Melbourne week, traction was never an issue. The car rides on a set of lesser-known Nexen Rodian tyres.
The steering feels generally well-weighted for around-town duty, though there’s a certain loose feeling around the centre. Interestingly, this generation Tucson doesn’t get Hyundai’s Australian ride and handling tune, which traditionally adds a bit of steering weight and better tweaks the suspension for Australian roads.
That said, the ride of the Tucson is pretty bang-on without the bespoke tuning. It goes over speedhumps without translating too much through to vehicle occupants, and settles really predictably and comfortably. Sustained road imperfections are ironed out well, and though we reckon it errs in favour of ride quality over sportiness, the car doesn’t sway too much or feel overly top-heavy through bends.
I got along well with the Highlander’s various active safety systems, which didn’t impede into normal driving. I was particularly impressed by the adaptive cruise-control system, which speeds up at the right times and keeps appropriate distances to leading vehicles.
| Key details | 2021 Hyundai Tucson Highlander diesel |
| Engine | 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel |
| Power | 137kW @ 4000rpm |
| Torque | 416Nm @ 2000-2750rpm |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Eight-speed torque convertor automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 77.3kW/t |
| Weight | 1773kg (tare) |
| Tow rating | 1900kg braked, 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 11.8m |
Conclusion
We at Drive rate Hyundai’s current product line-up highly. It’s a company pushing boundaries and trying far-fetched ideas in vehicle segments that can, at times, be a bit ordinary.
The Tucson is the perfect example of a cool mid-size SUV. Some may find the design a bit odd, though it certainly stands out in a populous segment, which is what some buyers look for.
I’m most impressed by the amount of space on offer in the second row. Families will no doubt appreciate the amount of room on offer, from both a passenger perspective as well as a storage one.
The cabin stocks nice materials and presents well, while the driving experience is a nice one too. Lower-spec variants in the range with the naturally aspirated petrol engine have been a miss for us in the past, but this diesel-engine car steps the Tucson up by a large degree.
Though you do pay for it at this lofty $50K-plus top-spec level, the Tucson Highlander comes stacked with amenities, technology and equipment that should see owners enjoying its wacky design for years to come.
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