Snackable Review: Hyundai Tucson Highlander

PLUS

• Style. Penned by a European designer, the Tucson’s good-looking exterior gets the thumbs up.
• Driveline. The feisty 1.6-litre turbo motor and efficient seven-speed dual clutch transmission pair nicely together. A 2.0-litre turbo-diesel (and six-speed auto) is also available with even more grunt.
• Seats. Up front, the Highlander features the luxury of heated and cooled seats. Once you’ve tried them, you won’t go back.
• Tailgate. Power tailgates are becoming the norm these days, but not all are created equal. The Highlander’s ‘Smart Boot’ will automatically open, hands-free, if you stand at the rear of the car for more than three seconds with the key on you.
• Safety. The Highlander has a laundry list of safety features including auto emergency braking, blind spot detection, lane change assist, downhill brake control, tyre pressure monitoring, parking assist, rear view camera and more.

MINUS

• Interior. For all the style of the exterior, the Tucson’s interior plays it very safe. It’s not bad, but it’s a little on the bland side. Having said that, it is very spacious and will tick boxes for a lot of people.
• Services. Next to its competitors, the Tucson has more frequent service intervals. It needs an oil change every six months/7,500kms. Compare that to the Ford Kuga at 12 months/15,000kms or the Mazda CX-5 at 12 months/10,000kms.