Life is Poppin'

I believe in sharing my life so I can save you time, money and a few headaches! Always learning from my screw-ups.

  • Drives With Girls
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • DIY
  • Kid Stuff
  • Reviews
    • Giveaways

2016 Hyundai Tucson – Quick Spin

Jul 21 by 4 Comments

“Missi and I were invited to Hyundai’s Urban Adventure for the launch of the 2016 Tucson, oddly enough, our drive took place along rural and even dirt roads along the Minnesota and Wisconsin border. Thankfully everything else about the 2016 Tucson actually made sense…”

IMG_1148Crossover, or Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) is a term that most of you should be familiar with by now, and if you’re not, you should be —because it’s here to stay. Think of the SUV and how it’d be nearly impossible to come across someone ignorant to that term, but rewind fifteen years or so and the SUV was just starting to become a common term in the real world. Fast forward fifteen years from today, and CUV’s will rule the world like little agile velociraptors.

Ask any automotive expert and you’ll get a long, detailed and most likely boring description of what a Crossover is, but to put it in simple terms, a Crossover is a small-er SUV based on the frame/chassis of a small sedan or coupe. Therefore achieving a similar size, weight, economy and handling proportions and characteristics of a car, but with a higher ride-height and cargo capacity, although the latter is debatable.

Now that I’ve given you a plebeian definition of the Crossover, I can talk to you about the 2016 Hyundai Tucson.

IMG_5530

206-tucson-hyundai-adventure-test-drive

Imagine the moment as production is set to commence for a brand new model, and the crucial task of naming it springs up. For most manufacturers this would employ their marketing and advertising teams, and maybe even the help of focus groups to birth a timeless, yet catchy name. But for Hyundai, they just said, hey —we already have the Santa Fe, so let’s name it after a city 500 miles southwest of it. The Tucson was born.

The Tucson arrived to the states in 2004 as the baby SUV and designed to cater to small families with active lifestyles, and while sales were decent, it never truly stood out in the crowded segment. Fast forward nearly eleven years, and the Tucson has changed substantially, but it’s also matured and grown wiser. Like many of us —right?

51% of the new-generation Tucson is made with high-strength steel, it sports a fancy 7-speed EcoShift dual-clutch transmission, active cornering LED headlights, a front-facing camera and radar that will keep you from running over annoying pedestrians (sorry road-ragers), but more importantly it offers more cargo space than a Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5 or even a massive Infitini QX80. So if you are rich and thought you needed a full-size luxury SUV to carry a ton of stuff, I just saved you about $50,000 —you’re welcome.

Hyundai designed with new Tucson with one goal in mind, to beat the competition and to be named an IIHS Top Safety Pick.

IMG_5538

IMG_5533

First Impression

Walking up to the Tucson for the first time was a neat experience, not only because we had the opportunity to be one of the few media outlets to be invited to the event, but because it was actually great to look at. Sharp headlight and taillight angles gracefully split the rounded quarter panels on the front and the back, and an aggressive pseudo-floating roof line compliments the aggressive character of the hexagonal front grille.

A straight forward, checklist driven interior design dominated the cabin. You know? AC Controls – check, Radio – check, Heated seats – check, etc. It’s clean, well thought-out, and quite airy and spacious. Although the massive panoramic sunroof may be to blame for that. My biggest take away? Extremely comfortable and cooled seats. Loved them.

2016-hyundai-tucson-interior-cargo

Driving Experience

One of the friendly Hyundai PR bosses approached Missi and I at one of the break areas along the driving route, and quickly pulled out pen and paper and asked for our unfiltered feedback. Thankfully, I already my speech all lined up. “Premium feel” I said, it feels like a pricier car, the fit and finish, the firm suspension, the responsive brakes, the different drive modes, it all feels solid. Missi then shared her approval of the heated second row seats, as well as the AC vents and USB chargers in the rear center console. Even though those features aren’t “driving” impressions, you bet your butt they’ll impact kids enough to make your road trip a pleasant or a miserable experience. The only drawbacks we both noticed were corky transmission behavior at low speeds, a locking rear-diff OFF light which stays on at all times (pretty annoying), and the fact that at nearly $33,000 for the Limited AWD Tucson, adaptive cruise-control isn’t offered —yet.

IMG_1168

IMG_1206

Technology and Safety

Computers play a big role in keeping us alive before, during and even after a collision. The 2016 Tucson is equipped with the right technology to prevent you from being involved in a wreck. A sensor-driven Blind Spot monitoring system, Lane Change Assist, and a rearview camera with rear cross-traffic alert are part of the new suite of accident avoidance systems, but Hyundai went all out and added an automatic braking system with pedestrian detection. If the inevitable does happen, the Blue Link system will even emit a distress signal to a monitoring center where police, medical, or even roadside assistance personnel can be dispatched.

More to come

All in all, we left our “Urban Adventure” curious of how the Tucson can stand up to everyday life, kids, pets, and because a week-long test won’t be available until later this year, maybe even some snow. That being said, the Tucson is a crossover with enough charm inside and out to lure non-loyal buyers away from Honda, Ford and most definitely Toyota.

With new and updated rides like the Sonata and now the Tucson, Hyundai is definitely lining up to be a major player in the years to come. And talk about lining up against the competition, Hyundai is now the official sponsor of the NFL.

IMG_5551

IMG_5556

The 2016 Tucson will be on sale later this summer and available in FWD, AWD, and in four different trims: SE, Eco, Sport and Limited. Prices ranging from $22,700 to $34,050

Photos by: Jerry Perez and Hyundai Motor America

More Photos:FullSizeRender

IMG_5562

IMG_5525

 

 

Related Posts

  • 2015 Mazda 3: It should have its own infomercial2015 Mazda 3: It should have its own infomercial
  • All Hail The 2015 Nissan MuranoAll Hail The 2015 Nissan Murano
  • 2015 Toyota RAV4 XLE2015 Toyota RAV4 XLE
  • Toyota Highlander Hybrid – Kia Sorento Limited ReviewToyota Highlander Hybrid – Kia Sorento Limited Review
  • 2015 Infiniti QX80 Limited – Living Large2015 Infiniti QX80 Limited – Living Large
  • 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited – One Size Fits All2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited – One Size Fits All
  • Mazda CX-5 – The Fun SUVMazda CX-5 – The Fun SUV
  • 2015 Lexus NX200t: Mother’s Day in style2015 Lexus NX200t: Mother’s Day in style

Don’t Miss the Latest

2023 Mazda CX-50: Practical and Stylish

Mazda’s new take on one of our favorite crossovers renders a family ride just as practical as the CX-5, yet looks more modern.

Celebrating the New Year in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

We drive the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 to the Great White North, where we say goodbye to a rather tumultuous 2020. 2020 has been a year for most of us, huh? So happy to get rid of it and here’s to hoping 2021 is better in every way! Of course, we say this with the […]

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Family Road Trip In the 2021 Chevy Tahoe

A large and rugged country requires a large and rugged vehicle. With COVID-19 shutting down most things around us or at least applying rigorous restrictions to help slow the spread of the virus, a lot of activities we would normally do with our family are off the table. Luckily, we’ve always loved family road trips, […]

Explore Chicago: The Four Seasons With Kids

We head to the Windy City in the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime Once upon a time, we could get away as a couple whenever we wanted wherever we wanted. Early mornings, late nights, breakfast in bed, shows, clubs, parties—you name it, we enjoyed it. But for a while now, we’ve had to play by a […]

Filed Under: Pit Stop Tagged With: automotive, blog, cars, crossover, CUV, drive, event, family, Hyundai, media, press, review, road trip, Santa Fe, SUV, test drive, travel, Tucson

Comments

  1. Tami @Colorado Mtn Mom says

    July 21, 2015 at 12:47 pm

    Funny, informative, & entertaining recap of an awesome event. Loved meeting you and your wife in Minneapolis… Now i have new “Car Friends’ – woo hoo!

    I agree the new Tucson is a super option, and was my first introduction to CUVs. You showcased it well. 🙂

  2. Jerry Perez says

    July 22, 2015 at 11:13 am

    Thanks, Tami, likewise! Glad you liked our content! Most definitely car friends now, lol. Hope we meet you at another event sometime.

Trackbacks

  1. 2016 Mazda CX-3 Review - The Cute Winter Slayer - Life is Poppin' says:
    January 19, 2016 at 8:28 pm

    […] we embark on a trip of some sort, most of our car advice is derived from the real-world testing we perform at our […]

  2. Pope Francis' Rides and Other Famous Popemobiles Throughout History - Life is Poppin' says:
    February 4, 2019 at 4:44 pm

    […] modest vehicle the Pope has been fond of during official travel has been the Hyundai Santa Fe. This SUV features a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that delivers a respectable 22 to 27 […]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

follow-me-on-pinterest

Get to know Drives with Girls!

Drives with girls, lifeispoppin.com

Gifts for Dads

Fox 59 Segment

drives-with-girls

Popular posts you will love:

Fairy in a Jar Night Lights

Fairy in a Jar Night-Lights

4C Spider

Alfa Romeo 4C Spider

gala

Womens Daily contributor transTODAY.com Parenting Team FC Contributor

TODAY.com Parenting Team Parenting Contributor

Everywhere

This post may contain affiliate links

Copyright ©2023, Life is Poppin'. All Rights Reserved. Custom design by Pixel Me Designs