Despite owning all manner of shoulder bags, I cannot appreciate the burst of joy a female must experience when noticing the Hyundai Tucson’s built-in purse hook. It’s there, in the passenger-side footwell — within easy reach for a quick scavenge to the cracked tube of lipstick that sits at the bottom of her bag.
Details are what the Tucson is all about; the integrated purse hook, standard 60/40-split rear seats, grocery bag hooks, tie-down anchor points; and in the rear, cargo tie-down mounting points. In addition, all Tucsons feature a composite load floor, under-floor sectionalized storage, storage bins, and three 12-volt powerpoints.
It’s little details like these that allow you to be an organized and practical person without necessarily looking like one.
Driving the Tucson is basically car-like, save for the higher seating position and additional load capacity behind the rear seats. It’s manoeuvrable in traffic, easy to park, and has (on most trim levels) grey bumpers to help protect against parking lot scrapes.
According to Hyundai, its approach to safety is to bundle features at a low price point, making safety technology accessible. To start, its active safety technologies include electronic stability control, traction control and dual front airbags. Dual side and dual curtain airbags are available on only the high-end $30,995 Limited model … if it’s safety for all, why can’t six airbags be in all models?
Despite wanting more airbags on lower-priced models, I’m happy Hyundai didn’t skimp on the mechanicals. The Tucson has disc brakes standard on all models, plus ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), and Brake Assist (BA). EBD is neat because it allows for wheels with the most traction to receive more braking force. Brake Assist senses when you’re doing a panic stop and applies additional pressure on the brakes in case you’re not pressing hard enough on the pedal. Neat.
The Tucson L starts at $21,195 and for that you get a four-cylinder engine, practicality, and not much else. Stepping up to the $22,995 GL adds privacy glass, roof rails, air conditioning and an upgraded stereo. Opt for an automatic transmission on the GL and cruise control is added at no charge. One might be hard-pressed to spend more than that, simply because there’s little else to want above the GL trim level.
Unless, of course, you think you need all-wheel-drive — which (with additional features) pushes the price to $28,795 for the GL AWD.
