2013 Hyundai Tucson (IFAR)
Standard Features
2.4 L inline 4
6-speed shiftable automatic
20/27 mpg
0 - 60 - 9.6 seconds
Leatherette/cloth manual seats
6 speaker audio system with bluetooth, USB and AUX
160 watts output
3 months SiriusXM
Pros
Nice looking car
Cons
VERY firm ride
VERY loose steering
Weak engine
Bland audio
No backup camera
Outdated entertainment system
Conclusion
Riding in this car will make you wish you had grabbed the Captiva, or maybe even the Patriot instead
There is not much good I can say after spending over 200 miles in this car. The ride is one of the firmest I have seen. You feel every bump in the road. This is the only car I can think of where I got nauseous from riding on descent roads for 45 minutes. It feels like riding an old wooden roller coaster. The steering is very light. On the way home yesterday, I drove through some tight S turns at 70 mph, steering with only my two pinkies.
The engine is noisy on acceleration and feels a little underpowered. The Escape has turbo 1.6 that has similar 0-60, but gets 5 MPG more on the highway. If you are fortunate to get the Escape's 2.0L turbo, you get an engine with similar MPG's, but gets to 60 a full 2.6 seconds faster.
The multimedia area is grossly outdated and looks identical to the one found in the Genesis. Like the Genesis, it has an issue with the bluetooth. You have to crank the volume to max for it to be loud enough for highway speeds. Speaking of sound, the six speakers are average sounding, with no power for bass, and will easily distort.
I'm starting to the Hyundai designers are depressed, because they LOVE blue. Most of the interior lighting is blue, and blue is all over the dash. The interior materials are what one would expect, lots of hard plastic. The HVAC system is flawed. When the fan is turned to 0, the heat will still pour in and can be felt a foot away. The only way to stop it is turn shut off the vents.
I don't think I would willingly rent this car again. I guess if it were on the EA, and the other choice were a 200, and I was not driving far. It's not an enjoyable ride, and not much to offer to make it more enjoyable.
