Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/753405
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 2016 Motoring VII THE shape of an SUV but small- er in size, the compact Hyundai Tucson crossover is a wise compromise for families who want extra seating or cargo stor- age but not drive a gas-guzzler. The 2017 Hyundai Tucson is the second year in its third genera- tion; its rivals include the Ford Escape and Honda CR-V. The Tucson is designed to look like a baby Santa Fe. Look at it from the front and there are a whole bunch of design elements that jump out at you, starting with the large three slat grille with a chrome surround that interlinks the two headlamps. The swept back headlamps themselves are very detailed with a twin barrel LED cluster for the low beams and a halogen setup for the high beam. Then you have the long eyebrow like daytime running light in the headlamp and a secondary LED DRL just below the fog lamps. As a combination, you can spot the Tucson coming from a mile away. The front bumper, side skirt and rear bumper all get matte silver scuff plates which when combined with a darker colour like the dark grey or wine red looks great. The silver we have here masks it just a little. Just like the front, the rear too has quite a few very distinct detail elements, for example, the twin trapezoidal exhaust tips that have been angled to match the bumper. The tail lamp too follows the same lighting pattern that you get in the headlamp with the slim long LED elements and the LED brake lights. Hyundai has really stepped up its game in the last few years when it comes to interior design and quality and the Tucson pretty much proves it. The grey and beige two tone dashboard would have looked a lot more premium if it was offered in black but then, the current layout does look good with the polished silver AC vent surrounds and the gloss black AC control surround. The large central touchscreen is very easy to use and has a great user interface and as ex- pected, comes with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mak- ing it second nature to use when synced to your smartphone. You also get parking sensors and a rear-view camera along with features like cruise control. The Tucson is one of the first 'mass market' cars that offers an electronic handbrake instead of a conventional one. What this means is that the centre console gets a lot more storage area and two cup holders. The Automatic variant also gets a drive mode button and hill hold assist buttons right next to the electronic hand- brake. The Tucson also gets an electronic tailgate which can be opened and closed though a button on the dashboard which makes it very handy to use. Get into the rear seats and the amount of space offered in such a relatively compact pack- age will impress you. There is enough space for three pas- sengers to sit comfortably and since the seats offer a 60:40 split, you can recline them to get more comfortable. The rear passengers get AC vents in the centre and the top of the line package gets leather seats. Safety features are something that we always appreciate and instead of pro- viding a simple lap seatbelt for the middle passenger, Hyundai has gone that one step further and offered a retractable roof mounted seatbelt. The large boot has a retract- able cover and Hyundai has offered the Tucson with a full sized spare wheel instead of a space saver. The Tucson is a good blend of a comfortable and spacious and yet compact SUV that of- fers good driving dynamics and great interior tech and is bound to be another winner. New Hyundai Tucson VALUE DEALS CORSA from only €11,950 * MOKKA PRE LAUNCH OFFERS AVAILABLE ADAM from only €12,900 * OPEL SHOWROOM MDINA ROAD, QORMI, QRM9010 MALTA T. •+356 2269 2122 E. OPELSALES€MOTORSINC.COM.MT ƒ W. OPEL.COM.MT ƒ FB. „OPELMALTAMI * T&C Apply. This is a limited time stock offer. Scrap Grant included (where applicable). €16,950 ASTRA from only *