Topic: Used Car Review: Hyundai Tucson, 2005-2009

[Autos_Editor]

The 2005-2009 Hyundai Tucson was a "nicely-built vehicle for its price," says Contributing Editor Chris Chase, who recommends them as used vehicles "without reservation." Minor problems when they were new should be easily avoided with maintenance, he says.

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[mossmiller]

Worked for a Hyundai dealer when these came out in '05.  Will miss the simplicity of this design.  Very practical car, and can get 22MPG on the open road even with the V6.  Much better protection of the lower engine compartment than in the CRV, so better suited for dirt roads.  Also liked the fold-flat seats, including the front passenger seat, to allow a work space for the driver. 

[Shnak]

The cargo flexibility of these vehicles really is what I appreciate the most, I think. Nothing beats fold-flat rear bench, fold-flat passenger seat and flip-up rear window. It's sad that newer vehicles rarely offer this much flexibility.

12ft ladder, 12ft lumber, 4-5 boxes of suspended ceiling tiles, two halves of king-size boxspring, big screen TVs, many trips to Ikea/Rona, chrismas tree, huge/heavy industrial metal filing cabinet, big computer desks, patio set table/chairs, many loads of drywall/etc. to municipal dump. As I said, great cargo flexibility!

[quadzilla]

Very practical car, and can get 22MPG on the open road even with the V6.

@ Shnak -- How do you feel about that? Isn't that kind of low for a sub 200hp vehicle?

[tpl]

Very practical car, and can get 22MPG on the open road even with the V6.

@ Shnak -- How do you feel about that? Isn't that kind of low for a sub 200hp vehicle?

Mossmiller was posting from NY state so that's probably US gallons

[Shnak]

Very practical car, and can get 22MPG on the open road even with the V6.

@ Shnak -- How do you feel about that? Isn't that kind of low for a sub 200hp vehicle?

Please, let's compare apples to apples. Vehicle aerodynamics plays a much bigger role in fuel econonmy than even weight. Fuel economy has never been a strenght of the previous generation of Tucson/Sportage, but compared to other similar vehicles (i.e. almost bricks), it's not terrible. Besides, on the highway, the fuel econonmy of my Sportage is very close to what I used to get with my '99 CR-V 2.0L 146hp. I used to get around 9L/100km with the CR-V, and get maybe 10L/100km at the most with my Sportage. That's with cruise control set at 120kph most of the time, and stretches of heavy wind (inevitable when driving from Ottawa to NB!). That's a valid comparison. Same driver, same highways, same driving habits.

I haven't tried the same trip with other CUVs such as a RAV4 or newer CR-V, but I doubt they'd be much lower than 9L/100km for my specific situation. Once at speed, it's pretty much a matter of combating air friction, and for the most part, they're all shaped the same.

[jason]

I totally agree that aerodynamis plays a big role in fuel economy among other things.
Nevertheless, technology (especially about fuel economy) has evolved so much last few years as well. I am getting 30-32 mpg hwy with my Genesis Coupe 3.8, which is, as you know, a 300+ hp sports car. I also heard that some owners of 2011 Sonata (2.4 GDI, 200 hp) were reporting 40+ mpg hwy.

[Shnak]

Of course. The V6 powertrain in the prev gen of Tucson/Sportage is ancient, doesn't even have variable timing! On the flip side, it's been used by many vehicles (Sonata, Santa Fe) for many years, and it's proven itself to be very reliable. Same with the 4-speed auto... problem-free, but not optimal for fuel economy.

The engine/transmission was definitely the weakness we had to accept when we decided to buy our Sportage. It has enough power for our needs, and it's an incredibly smooth powertrain, but it could be better for maintenance (timing belt) and fuel economy. But we were willing to accept this as a trade off for lower purchase price compared to its competitors, as well as better warranty and financing.

[BobCat]

We own a 2005 V6 FWD and we have not had a single problem with it (90 000km). We would have liked it to be a bit less thirsty but for the rest we still enjoy every drive. We still consider it being a "new" car.

One feature that we like that has been removed on the 2010 is the option of opening only the tail gate window. Nice not to lift the whole tailgate everytime or when getting something out of the trunk when the garage door is closed.   

[Spec5]

Shnak is right on - these vehicles were never intended to be MPG class leaders but rather a less expensive alternative to the CRV and RAV4. Having said that they're not what I would consider brutal either. My Viva Edition V6 2WD gets 13.5L/100kms city and 10.5L/100kms hwy. Its not stellar but also not bad considering its a pretty tall SUV with a 4 speed auto.You'll never make up the difference in fuel that I'll have to spend over its lifetime with me vs. ponying up the dough for one of the class leaders in MPG. (Well, maybe I shouldn't say that - might be able to get a RAV pretty cheap in the coming months! )

I put nothing down and pay just over $450/mnth. Plus I've got 5/100kms bumper to bumper. There is nothing out there that comes close to that kind of value and I think thats why you see so many people driving these things. Its an excellent vehicle for an excellent price. Here's to hoping that Hyundai doesn't start cranking the rates.

I haven't had any "problems" with mine. Although every time I bring it they tell me they've replaced another bushing or mount(they're always rubber). Its never cost me anything and I've never been able to tell that anything was "a miss". At 40k they replaced the rear sway bar because the rubbers were "worn out". Something perhaps our former service tech could shed some light on as my service manager told me that all Hyundai's seem to have issue with that. He blames it on our award winning roads.

All in all a great little vehicle with awesome versatility. As mentioned the front passenger seat folds flat which very few SUVs had at the time I bought mine in '07. I can fit 2 model airplanes in it that each has a wingspan of 6+feet (fuselage is a little shorter) plus everything I need to get them in the air.

I do find it amusing that the US vehicles had the extra safety features. I guess a Canadian life isn't worth as much.

[Shnak]

I do find it amusing that the US vehicles had the extra safety features. I guess a Canadian life isn't worth as much.

That was the reason why I got the Sportage instead of the Tucson. The Sportage had 6 airbags standard, while the Tucson's radio had MP3 playback. Went with the Sportage, and replaced the radio.

Price was virtually identical between the two. Finance rates were much better on the Sportage (2.9%/72 months while they were something like 4.9% for the Hyundai).

[Spec5]

I do find it amusing that the US vehicles had the extra safety features. I guess a Canadian life isn't worth as much.

That was the reason why I got the Sportage instead of the Tucson. The Sportage had 6 airbags standard, while the Tucson's radio had MP3 playback. Went with the Sportage, and replaced the radio.

Price was virtually identical between the two. Finance rates were much better on the Sportage (2.9%/72 months while they were something like 4.9% for the Hyundai).

Thats why I went with the Tucson - put the mother-in-law in the back.

[sacrat]

We own a 2005 V6 FWD and we have not had a single problem with it (90 000km).
One feature that we like that has been removed on the 2010 is the option of opening only the tail gate window. Nice not to lift the whole tailgate everytime or when getting something out of the trunk when the garage door is closed.   

They've also removed folding front passenger seat on 2010. Great style, less flexibility

[Spec5]

We own a 2005 V6 FWD and we have not had a single problem with it (90 000km).
One feature that we like that has been removed on the 2010 is the option of opening only the tail gate window. Nice not to lift the whole tailgate everytime or when getting something out of the trunk when the garage door is closed.   

They've also removed folding front passenger seat on 2010. Great style, less flexibility

Why the hell would they do that!? I mean seriously they already had the mechanism built and everything. Wow thats frustrating.