Hyundai Tucson (2015 - 2020) N Line 1.6 T-GDi 177PS 2WD DCT auto 5d Owner Review

Having driven some 35 company cars during my Sales career, I retired in August 19 and had to buy a new car for the first time in 13 years. Our last new purchase was a 2005 Hyundai Coupe 2 litre petrol and it has been faultless for the 13 years we have owned it. We therefore decided to add a Hyundai to our shortlist. We wanted a medium sized versatile car with smart/sporty looks, load carrying capability and good build quality. I wanted an auto, having driven autos for 12 years, so much easier than manuals, but wanted to change from diesel to petrol due to environmental considerations, even though we knew that would mean less fuel efficiency. We did two test drives of a Tucson, a manual Premium and an N Line Auto. Both were lovely drives, the Premium had a bit more kit but the N Line just looked great and those 19" black alloys and optional aluminium side steps with black metallic paint did it for us. The 7 speed auto DCT box is smooth, quiet and responsive Almost 6000 miles on, we love our Tucson. It's solid, stylish, and very pleasantly powerful for a 1.6 litre (unusually this auto has lower emissions, slightly better fuel economy and faster 0-60 than its' manual counterpart). It delivers a very respectable 177ps and delivers a very smooth torque from 1500 revs right through to 5000 plus - very diesel like but with a broader range at each end. Overetaking is safe and rapid. The black leather trim with red piping looks great and the sport mode really brings a nice rorty note from the engine when under hard acceleration. The 8" screen is very intuitive and responsive, and the satnav (Tom Tom based) is excellent. DAB radio, wireless charging, Bluetooth and other tech goodies are standard. Fuel so far is averaging 34.5 mpg, but on a couple of long journeys I have got almost 40mpg, not bad for quite a heavy car. I think the economy will gradually creep up to mid-high 30s, and of course petrol is about 5% cheaper than diesel as well as being cleaner. All in all we would heartily recommend the N Line 1.6GDi Auto.