Tucson N-Line takes on monsoon with all-wheel drive

Pulau Tekong, the Singapore island that is used for basic military training, saw more than 240mm of rain on Jan 10, more than what the Mojave Desert receives in an average year. Come hell or high water, the updated Hyundai Tucson is ready.

- Lee Nian Tjoe

Or at least, being an all-wheel drive, it will be more capable to cope with slippery conditions.

This is a change from the pre-facelift model, which had front-wheel drive - the predominant format among mass-market mid-sized sport utility vehicles (SUVs) on sale in Singapore.

The Tucson's system apportions up to 50 per cent of driving force to the rear axle as a backup when the front tyres are struggling. This may be during accelerations off the line. Otherwise, the Tucson operates as a front-wheel-drive car for fuel efficiency.

A setting in the digital display shows the torque split between the axles.

From the driver's seat, it is not possible to feel how much drive is shuffled to the rear, but whatever it does works. The Tucson felt sure-footed when powering on during the persistent downpour encountered during the test drive, going exactly where the steering wheel was pointing it to.

As in its pre-facelift form, the updated Tucson has a 1.6-litre petrol hybrid engine, but the combined output is lower - at 212hp, instead of 230hp on the pre-facelift model. This is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, which offers manual control with the shift paddles when the car is in Sport mode. In the standard Eco mode, the paddles set the amount of energy recuperation, like Hyundai's electric vehicles.