Hyundai Tucson Elite 2021 Review

The 2021 Hyundai Tucson Elite G1.6 sits at the centre of the popular five-seat mid-size SUV range.

It is priced at $43,000 plus on-road costs, making it $8500 more expensive than the cheapest Tucson and $10,000 cheaper than the flagship of the range, the Tucson Highlander with N Line pack.

It can take a bit to navigate the fourth-generation ‘NX4’ Hyundai Tucson line-up, which is comprehensive. There are three engines, each combined with a different automatic transmission, the choice of front- and all-wheel drive and three equipment levels.

In the case of our test car we’re being motivated by the familiar 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine rated at 132kW/265Nm. That means we also get the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) and standard HTRAC on-demand all-wheel drive. Front-drive only comes with the entry-level 2.0-litre engine.

Key Tucson Elite equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, leather seat trim, heat and power for the front buckets, dual-zone climate control and a 10.25-inch touch-screen (that seems prone to smeary fingerprints) with integrated Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Funnily enough, because of compatibility issues, you need a cable to connect Apple and Android in the Elite and Highlander. In the base-model Tucson, with its 8.0-inch touch-screen, it can be done via wireless. All versions get wireless charging.

There’s also no power tailgate, which seems a bit odd at this price. But laudably, there is a full-size spare tyre on an alloy wheel.

The Tucson comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, a capped-price service plan and 10,000km service intervals. That’s shorter than naturally-aspirated and turbo-diesel 2.0 Tucson models, which have 15,000km intervals.

A 50,000km service pre-paid service plan costs $1595.

The 2021 Hyundai Tucson Elite comes with a comprehensive line-up of safety equipment including seven airbags (a front-centre airbag is a Hyundai first) and upgraded autonomous emergency braking (AEB) that uses both radar and a camera to look out for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists and provide at least partial braking to avoid them.

Hyundai claims a blind spot view monitor and collision avoidance are new to the class, along with remote smart parking assist. A safe exit warning is a Hyundai first.

New to Tucson Elite for this generation are lane follow assist, intelligent speed limit assist, multi-collision braking and rear cross traffic collision avoidance assist.

Upgraded for this Tucson generation are driver attention warning that now lets you know when a vehicle ahead of you in a queue is moving, and smart cruise control, which is now one-touch operation.

Carryover safety systems include lane keep assist and high beam assist. The Tucson Elite comes with projector beam headlights rather than the Highlander’s LEDs and they are not great, casting a dull yellow light on low beam.

The Tucson also comes with front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, outboard ISOFIX child restraint points in the rear seat and three top tether retaining hooks in the backrest.

The Hyundai Tucson is yet to be graded by ANCAP and it won’t happen until after the local independent safety gurus get to review crash tests by sister organisation Euro NCAP.

Bear in mind Hyundai sells a shorter wheelbase Tucson in Europe so a five-star result isn’t automatically transferable.

The 2021 Hyundai Tucson Elite is based on a shortened version of the Hyundai Group N3 architecture also employed by the Hyundai Santa Fe, Staria and Sonata and the Kia Sorento, Sportage and Carnival.

But it is still bigger than its predecessor at 4630mm long (+150mm), 1865mm wide (+15mm), 1665mm high (+5mm) and 85mm longer in the wheelbase at 2755mm.

The cargo area measures up at 539 litres with the second row of seats in place and 1860 litres with them split-folded. That’s a lot of space outright and outdoes the old car’s 488/1478L. Braked towing capacity is only 1650kg.

The Smartstream G1.6 DOHC 16-valve direct-injection engine makes peak power at 5500rpm, but emphasises the merit of low-blow turbocharging by producing maximum torque in a spread from 1500-4500rpm.

The successor to the Gamma engine in the previous Tucson, it adds claimed world first Continuously Variable Valve Duration (CVVD). This allows it to adjust how long its intake valves remain open independently of timing and lift, providing claimed performance, efficiency and emissions improvements.

In this case that translates to an extra two kilowatts, an unchanged torque rating and a significant claimed fuel consumption drop from 7.8 to 7.2L/100km.

The test Elite averaged consistently in the mid eights while we had it. Not bad for a bluff vehicle that clocks in over 1600kg before you start adding people and stuff.

This engine is seen in a variety of different Hyundai models and the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is its usual accomplice. Auto operation is via shift-by-wire push buttons or manually via flappy paddles on the steering wheel.

There are four drive modes that affect drivetrain settings such as throttle response and gearshift points. They are Eco, Normal, Sport and Smart. The latter chooses which of the other three modes the car should be in based on throttle and brake inputs.

Drive is distributed to the wheels via the HTRAC system, which is an electronic, variable torque-split clutch. It apportions torque front to rear and braking between left and right wheels.

The system comes with a lock function that splits drive 50:50 front to rear for off-road work. Hill descent control provides additional off-road assistance.

Underpinning the Hyundai Tucson Elite is a passive MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension. Unlike many other Hyundai models, it has not been retuned for Australian conditions. Instead, after local testing, the global tune was given the thumbs up.

The chassis tune works with an electric-assist power steering system and disc brakes front and rear.

There’s no doubt the exterior styling of the 2021 Hyundai Tucson Elite is pretty funky. That grille is certainly unusual.

Not that it’s objectionable, it’s just different. And so are the big guards, the creases in the bodyside and the fan-shaped tail-lights.

It’s a long way from the SUV styling orthodoxy that Mazda has really come to define over the past decade with its CX range.

Inside, the Tucson Elite is far less challenging. The steering wheel looks pretty funky and those gearchange buttons are unusual, but beyond that it’s all nicely presented and what you expect.

Undoubtedly the most impressive bit is the rear seat space. The long wheelbase really comes in handy here, with impressive adult-friendly legroom, plenty of elbow-room and enough height to make hats fashionable again.

Add in plenty of storage space throughout the cabin, the big boot, double USB points front and rear and adjustable air-con vents in the rear and you can see there’s been plenty of attention paid to details.

Think more big picture – or bottom as the case may be – and you’ll find the seats are also comfortable and welcoming in their size and adjustability, although the rear bench does not slide fore-aft.

The big thing for the driver to get used to is the push-button gearchange. Yep, a bit like Chrysler Valiants used to do… (look it up on your Google machine, kiddies).

There are drive, reverse, neutral and park buttons, all of which makes sense, except when you hit the reverse button and then drive forward over the gutter because it hasn’t engaged! You’ve got to listen to the chimes when you press the button; they’ll tell you if the gearchange has been accepted or not.

The gear buttons sit on top of what Hyundai calls a ‘bridge-style’ centre console. In the real world a bridge usually has a hole underneath to let stuff go through – rivers, trains, planes if the pilot is feeling daring.

But there’s no such hole in the Hyundai’s centre console, so it’s not bridge-style or bridge anything really.

The Tucson Elite drive experience is pretty solid. The combination of the turbocharged engine and dual-clutch transmission does produce a touch of hesitancy at tip-in throttle and occasional lag further up the range, but this combination is mostly responsive, energetic, clean-revving and clean-shifting.

Manual mode is fun, but rarely required.

The handling, ride and steering balance of the Tucson Elite feels very close to the fine balance achieved by the Mazda CX-5.

It just doesn’t quite manage the same level of ride absorbency and handling clarity. Very close though. It could just be down to the tyres.

No question the Tucson does as good a job as any mainstream SUV when it comes to refinement. It’s quiet in almost all circumstances including gravel roads, where its HTRAC system handles the low grip levels nicely.

What impresses most about the 2021 Hyundai Tucson Elite is its completeness. It does everything at least competently, many things well and a few things brilliantly.

Even the exterior styling is a win because it is so original and interesting without being repulsive (see BMW 4 Series).

It’s very easy to see why the Tucson has been declared the carsales best mid-size SUV of 2021. If you’re shopping in this segment and it’s on your list well done.

If it’s not, it should be.

How much does the 2021 Hyundai Tucson Elite G1.6 cost?
Price: $43,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 132kW/265Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 7.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 164g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested