Tucson (pronounced TOO sahn) is one of the oldest towns in the United States. The capital of Arizona from 1867 to 1877, it has a desert basin as well as forests at 9,100 ft and is also home to the University of Arizona. Santa Fe on the other hand, is the capital of New Mexico and the oldest capital city in the US. It is 7,000 ft above sea level and day temperatures reach 40?F in winter and 91?F in summer.

Geographical details about these two places aside, they also happen to share the same names with two quality vehicles from the Hyundai stable. In fact, Hyundai Motors India Limited (HMIL) will soon be launching the Tucson, an SUV, in India. Also from HMIL is the Santa Fe, another SUV but an older one at that, more in the Chevrolet Forester mould and one that the company had thought of launching some years ago. However, in a clinic comparing the two cars, the Indian consumer had indicated his/her preference for a larger, more macho vehicle. Thus Hyundai put the brakes on the aforementioned SUVs and chose to launch the Terracan instead.

Obviously, the company now sees potential in having a smaller SUV in its portfolio for India. As can be seen, the Tucson is quite different and smaller than the Santa Fe, more like a lady?s dainty runabout than a purposeful machine. In any case, off-roaders are rarely driven off-road in India. The plan obviously is to take on the Honda CR-V, which is already here and prepare to take on the Toyota RAV-4 that could be on its way too.

Globally, the Hyundai Tucson comes with three engine options, two four cylinders (petrol and diesel) and a V6. In India, it will first be available with the diesel unit ? something that makes sense, as this is the same engine used in the Elantra diesel. It is a 2.0 litre inline unit with CRDi (common rail injection technology). This engine develops 12BHP of power at 4,000RPM and very important for a vehicle like the Tucson, 245Nm of torque at as low as 1,800RPM.

Of late, Hyundai has reverted to European styling to help sell more vehicles in the West. The Santro Xing, Getz and the new Sonata are clear indicators of that. However, in the Tucson, Korean styling has been retained, which means you either love it or hate it ? just like the older version of the Santro. The Tucson starts with the headlights and goes back to the taillights. The grille, thankfully, is a mesh, unlike the barracuda style that came with the first Santro. There is a slightly pronounced waistline running around the car that demarcates it into top and bottom halves and cladding has been used all around, even on the wheel arches to lend some sort of macho appeal.

The Tucson measures in at 4,325mm in length, 1,795mm in breadth and 1,730mm in height. The wheelbase is 2,630mm. In comparison, the Tucson?s sibling, the Terracan is 4,710mm long, 1,860mm wide and 1,790mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,750mm. The Tucson rides on either 215/65 R16 T or 235/60 R16 tyres. The front suspension comprises MacPherson struts and coil springs while the rear suspension is a dual-link type with a stabiliser (anti-roll) bar. The kerb weight of the Tucson is 1,685kg although that could change depending on how the Tucson is specified. To bring that weight to a halt from speed, disc brakes have been employed all round.

What?s interesting about the Tucson is the automatic switchover between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. This is due to the Borg Warner gearbox, which has an interactive ?torque management? system. When the Tucson is running on a smooth surface, it stays in two-wheel drive mode, 99 per cent of torque going to the front wheels. If the road conditions change, or the situation demands it (like a throttle change), the sensors detect it and the Borg Warner unit immediately diverts up to 50 per cent of torque to the rear wheels, making the Tucson an all-wheel drive vehicle. The big advantage of this: optimised fuel consumption. However, the driver can also lock the unit into permanent AWD with a 50:50 split by the press of a button on the fascia.

This apart, the Tucson is not a body-on-chassis design like the Terracan but a monocoque, where the body is the chassis as well as the mounting point for the aggregates. It is a very stiff monocoque however, designed to take the shocks of off-roading.

Pricing is where Hyundai has always been a leader and one expects the Tucson to be priced lower than the opposition. This means, it could be near about the Rs 13 lakh to Rs 14 lakh mark. For what it offers, the Tucson could prove to be a good buy. But like they say, the proof of the pudding will only be in the eating or in this case, the driving.

Road rage

Shaina NC
Fashion designer

I love driving and usually drive to office and back. But every time I take to the wheel, I realise how over-populated we are and how this is adversely affecting traffic conditions. Traffic in Mumbai is a nightmare and with increasingly bad roads, things are only getting worse. Also, with the increasing number of cars, there seems to be no solution in sight to the pathetic state of affairs.

Another thing that really gets my blood boiling, are Mumabi?s taxi drivers. Like most men, they believe that women are bad drivers and so, they inevitably cut lanes, overtake and honk as soon as they see a woman in the driver?s seat. This is very annoying since I drive as well as any one else.

Thankfully, these days with FM radio, driving has become more pleasurable. There?s nothing like your favourite tune to help you relax and destress while driving in Mumbai.