The Hyundai Tucson, which arrived in Ireland in December, has been one of the biggest selling cars in Ireland this year. In January during Lockdown, Hyundai managed to sell an impressive 1,588 versions of the fourth generation of their Tucson.
Stephen Gleeson, Irish MD of the South Korean company was very happy that the company were back in the top spot.
He said: “We are delighted to see the Tucson back at number one in the Irish market. Key to its success is its striking new design, but also the ability of our dealer network to give honest advice to consumers as to the correct engine type for them.”
At the end of July according to SIMI figures, Toyota were the overall brand leader with 12.7% of the market, VW second on 12.1% and Hyundai third with 10.6%.
But in the figures for individual car sales, Tucson is still number one, with Toyota in second third and fourth place with their Corolla, Yaris and Rav4; in fifth place was the VW Tiguan.
Hyundai, who had been flitting between the names Tucson and IX35 for their neat SUV, made a decision a few years back that it’s going to be Tucson from now on. Incidentally in Japan the car was originally called ‘J.M.’ which meant Joyful Mover.
I drove the revamped fourth generation last week and it was very impressive. I loved the high driving position. The exterior colour was black, but inside it was so bright you could probably wear sun glasses. And the reason for the interior brightness are the gorgeous cream-coloured seats and a white roof also helps to brighten the interior décor.
A 10.25” touch screen display dominates the dash and there is a small instrument display behind the steering wheel, where the background colour changes depending on the driving mode. Incidentally grey is the best-selling colour this year, with black second and blue in third place.
When the third generation of the Tucson was launched in Ireland six years ago. Stephen Gleeson said they changed the name from IX35 back to Tucson because the company wanted a ‘world car.’ And they certainly have that.
Now this totally revised fourth generation of the Tucson is better in every way and externally it looks very attractive. Inside it’s very spacious and there is plenty of leg and head room; the boot has 616 litres of luggage space.
The car looks and feels bigger than the previous model and the figures prove it, if only in millimetres. The new car is 20mm longer, 15mm wider, 5mm taller and has a 10mm longer wheelbase.
In the past the Tucson would have been popular with lovers of diesel and while farmers will still like diesel, Hyundai now offer their first-ever petrol hybrid version.
Prices start at €32,845 for the 1.6 diesel, while the starting price of the 1.6 petrol hybrid is €36,345. Road tax is €210. As with most new cars the more luxury you want the higher the price.
No spare wheel and you have to close the boot by hand, which I didn’t find a problem. I’m always worried that those electronic closing rear doors will catch a child’s hand.
