Life with a manual, non-hybrid Tucson
Posted: Tue May 03, 2022 4:01 pm
I think most people on here have (or are waiting on) an automatic Tucson. Having taken delivery of a manual, non-hybrid Premium version as a lease car a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd share my thoughts so far after around 200 miles on this particular set up in case it helps anyone else out. I've posted on a few threads already but thought I'd bring everything together in one place.
Positives
Overall, I think it's a great car. It's my first SUV so still getting used to the extra size (particularly when parking!) but the main advantage is how spacious it is inside - zero complaints from my wife and kids about how much space they get.
The interior is nice and feels solidly put together. Touch wood I've had no issues with the infotainment system and everything has worked flawlessly with Android Auto and Bluetooth. The upgraded Krell sound system sounds really good and portrays decent bass even at motorway speeds. No complaints there.
I appreciate how easy it is to driver aids on and off when needed, particularly Lane Assist. I turn it off by holding down the steering wheel button everytime, so it hasn't had chance to annoy me yet! I've managed to change enough settings so the car only bongs at me when the car in front pulls away (seriously, give me a second before nagging me!) or if I have the cheek to start the engine before putting my seatbelt on! Cruise control (standard on my car, not adaptive) works well on the motorway alongside Lane Keep Assist, which has worked flawlessly so far. Likewise Blind Spot Assist, handy if not maybe a little overzealous in what it counts as a 'blind spot'.
This all means though, that it's a comfortable way to cover miles on the motorway, and noise levels are pretty good too.
The manual gearbox is smooth to use. I sometimes find myself going from 5th to 6th rather than into 4th at times, but that is definitely user error and I'm already getting better!
Being the basic petrol engine means it is the least powerful in the range but it feels faster than the 10.3 seconds 0-60 time would suggest. Certainly no issues joining a motorway or pulling out at junctions yet.
Not so positives
The big one for me (and I've posted in another thread about it) is the feel of the road through the pedals. This may or may not bother others but on rough surfaces in particular, the feedback of the road does come up through the pedals a bit. I feel this is more prominent in the manual, and mainly affects the clutch and brake. I test drove another manual to check it wasn't just my particular car and it felt the same, so I think it's just the way it works. Possibly feeds into the reviews which suggest the Tucson in general is rougher over some surfaces than competitors (particularly the Sportage) although I've found the ride in general decent so far, other than the pedals issue. Still, I'm sure I'll adapt.
Being the non-hybrid I get the largest possible boot at 620 litres. However, I guess I was expecting it to seem bigger? I imagine the overall size takes into account the underfloor storage, which is really handy, and it's fitted in everything we need so far, but on first impression I wouldn't have guessed the literage from the appearance. The real test will come on a camping trip in a few weeks!
Speaking of the boot, opening it after rain seems to bring a bit of a shower of drips. Will have to be careful with that to make sure it doesn't rain on the inside too much!
I like the Bluelink app but a few times I've received false notifications that the doors are unlocked when they weren't. Hopefully just a gremlin that disappears.
Other than those (not so major) issues, pleased in general with the car and look forward to getting to know it even more!
Positives
Overall, I think it's a great car. It's my first SUV so still getting used to the extra size (particularly when parking!) but the main advantage is how spacious it is inside - zero complaints from my wife and kids about how much space they get.
The interior is nice and feels solidly put together. Touch wood I've had no issues with the infotainment system and everything has worked flawlessly with Android Auto and Bluetooth. The upgraded Krell sound system sounds really good and portrays decent bass even at motorway speeds. No complaints there.
I appreciate how easy it is to driver aids on and off when needed, particularly Lane Assist. I turn it off by holding down the steering wheel button everytime, so it hasn't had chance to annoy me yet! I've managed to change enough settings so the car only bongs at me when the car in front pulls away (seriously, give me a second before nagging me!) or if I have the cheek to start the engine before putting my seatbelt on! Cruise control (standard on my car, not adaptive) works well on the motorway alongside Lane Keep Assist, which has worked flawlessly so far. Likewise Blind Spot Assist, handy if not maybe a little overzealous in what it counts as a 'blind spot'.
This all means though, that it's a comfortable way to cover miles on the motorway, and noise levels are pretty good too.
The manual gearbox is smooth to use. I sometimes find myself going from 5th to 6th rather than into 4th at times, but that is definitely user error and I'm already getting better!
Being the basic petrol engine means it is the least powerful in the range but it feels faster than the 10.3 seconds 0-60 time would suggest. Certainly no issues joining a motorway or pulling out at junctions yet.
Not so positives
The big one for me (and I've posted in another thread about it) is the feel of the road through the pedals. This may or may not bother others but on rough surfaces in particular, the feedback of the road does come up through the pedals a bit. I feel this is more prominent in the manual, and mainly affects the clutch and brake. I test drove another manual to check it wasn't just my particular car and it felt the same, so I think it's just the way it works. Possibly feeds into the reviews which suggest the Tucson in general is rougher over some surfaces than competitors (particularly the Sportage) although I've found the ride in general decent so far, other than the pedals issue. Still, I'm sure I'll adapt.
Being the non-hybrid I get the largest possible boot at 620 litres. However, I guess I was expecting it to seem bigger? I imagine the overall size takes into account the underfloor storage, which is really handy, and it's fitted in everything we need so far, but on first impression I wouldn't have guessed the literage from the appearance. The real test will come on a camping trip in a few weeks!
Speaking of the boot, opening it after rain seems to bring a bit of a shower of drips. Will have to be careful with that to make sure it doesn't rain on the inside too much!
I like the Bluelink app but a few times I've received false notifications that the doors are unlocked when they weren't. Hopefully just a gremlin that disappears.
Other than those (not so major) issues, pleased in general with the car and look forward to getting to know it even more!