Hyundai Tucson 1.6 Turbo - new 'spice' of Korean cars for Vietnamese customers

Turbocharged engine and 7-speed dual-clutch transmission appear for the first time in Hyundai products in Vietnam.

Hyundai Thanh Cong's move from importing completely to assembling brings an advantage to Tucson 2017 when the current price starts from 760 million VND. The Tucson 1.6 Turbo version costs 882 million VND.

The exterior design of the Tucson assembled in Vietnam is not much different from the imported version.

The assembled Tucson is not much different from the previous imported version in terms of design. The distinguishing feature is the shark fin antenna replacing the dragontail antenna. The rim design has also changed to a more sporty trend. The Turbo version uses 19-inch rims and 245 mm tires, while other versions only have 225 mm tires. In addition, the rear of the Turbo version is equipped with a pair of chrome-plated dual exhaust pipes.

Dual projector headlights with LED technology, but the main light is still halogen so sometimes it does not achieve optimal efficiency when driving at night.

The interior space has bright tones from leather seats to plastic details. Amenities on the turbo version include electric driver and passenger seats, multi-function steering wheel, cruise control, dual-zone air conditioning, rear air vents, panoramic sunroof, electronic handbrake, parking assist, electric trunk, 8-inch entertainment screen with integrated navigation system developed by Hyundai specifically for Vietnam.

Hyundai Tucson 2017 is equipped with a safety system of 6 airbags, anti-lock braking technology ABS, emergency brake assist BA, electronic brake force distribution EBD, electronic balance ESC, downhill assist.

Tucson is equipped with Drive-Mode system with 3 driving modes including Normal, Eco and Sport.

Tucson 2017 has two more engine options besides the Nu 2.0 engine on the previous imported version. That is the 2.0 eVGT diesel engine with 185 horsepower, 400 Nm torque and the 1.6 Turbo GDI gasoline engine with 177 horsepower, 267 Nm torque. The 1.6 Turbo engine is combined with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Full throttle at 80 km/h, with Sport mode ready, Tucson is enough to make the car's occupants press their backs against the seat. In about 5 seconds, the 1.6 Turbo engine takes Tucson from 80 km/h to 120 km/h.

In Normal mode, the car is smooth enough. At 100 km/h, the engine speed is only about 1,800 rpm at 7th gear. The 1.6 Turbo version uses 19-inch rims with 245 tires, providing better grip than the other versions, especially when cornering at 70-80 km/h.

Eco mode is suitable for driving on the street, the steering wheel is light and flexible, the engine speed operates under 2,000 rpm.

The interior of the Tucson is dominated by light tones.

Tucson 1.6 turbo still has inherent disadvantages such as lag at low rpm range. Like full throttle at starting position, it feels like the car is about a second late before accelerating. It feels a bit late at 50-60 km/h when the engine speed is about 1,250 rpm, when overtaking the car in front.

For city driving or regular highway driving, the engine is responsive enough and easy to control thanks to the throttle delay. The vehicle only uses A95 gasoline or higher as recommended by the manufacturer, which is a small disadvantage when not all gas stations have it available.

For Tucson, the 1.6 turbo version is a big change to attract more customers who love driving. The price of 882 million, much lower than the CR-V 1.5 turbo imported from Thailand (nearly 1.1 billion) or the CX-5 2.5 AWD version (989 million), Tucson turbo has the opportunity to create its own game.

According to VNE