Space Odyssey

Hyundai adds head-turning design to its triedand-tested family SUV while adding more standard tech, luxury and interior practicality

- Braam Peens

HYUNDAI TUCSON ETA: NOW

Price: R699 900 Engine: 2,0-litre, 4 cyl, turbodiesel Transmission: 8-speed, automatic Power: 137 kW @ 4 000 r/min Torque: 416 N.m @ 2000-2750 r/min 0-100 km/h: 9,20 seconds* Top speed: 201 km/h* Fuel consumption: 7,9 L/100 km* co,: 169 g/km* Rivals: Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5, Peugeot 3008 Toyota RAV4, Volkswagen Tiguan

If the skyrocketing fuel and electricity prices are already disconcerting, the evolutionary shifts in new-car shopping trends make for an analysis that feels similarly frightening.

In 2021, the humble sedan once the mobility mainstay of the four-member nuclear family shrank to a mere nine percent of the South African automotive landscape. No prizes for guessing the winners here, with five-door hatches and, yes, you guessed it, SUVs and crossovers slugging it out at the opposite ends of the scale with a respective 40,5% and 41% of local market share.

Today, it's all about practicality and value as household budgets continue to wilt under below-zero salary increases and rising utility costs. As a consequence, it's been trench warfare between manufacturers as consumers relentlessly compare standard specifications to establish which models offer the tiniest iota of competitive advantage.

Few automakers seem more cognisant of this than Hyundai. Similar to Toyota, but unlike its German competitors, Hyundai sells its products straight off the showroom floor as what-you-see-is-what-you-get and (apart from maintenance plan upgrades) with no optional extras.

The manufacturer recently introduced the fourth generation of its mid-size Tucson. The new line-up spans three 2,0-litre, automatic, front-wheel-driven derivatives in petrol (graded as Premium, R519 900; Executive, R569 900 and Elite, R634 900) and one diesel (also Elite, R699 900).