- suv 134,752
- 1,748 below average
- 4,999 great
- Bridgeport, CT
-
- autoshopper.com
- 1,748 below average suv 134,752
2008 hyundai tucson review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Versatile, economical alternative to cr-v. introductionthe hyundai tucson is the korean automaker's smallest, entry-level suv. Its most obvious competitor is the honda cr-v. Like the cr-v, the hyundai tucson is strictly a five-seater, with no third-row-seating option. It's easy to get in and out of the front and back seats, and the rear seatbacks flip down easily. There's a decent amount of cargo space available. we like its looks. It's nicely proportioned, with clean lines and short overhangs front and rear. On wet pavement, 4wd tucsons don't spin their front tires the way the front-drive models do when accelerating from a stop. In snow, they benefit from an all-wheel-drive system that directs power to the rear wheels as road conditions change. A switch allows the driver to lock in a 50/50 torque split when creeping through drifting snow. Though not intended to be a highly capable off-road vehicle, the tucson can certainly manage rocky dirt two-tracks and other light off-highway duties. for the 2008 model year, hyundai has made a six-disc cd changer standard with limited trim, and replaced the gray leather interior with black. Late-production 2008 tucson models come standard with xm satellite radio (including three months of free service), an auxiliary audio input jack, active front head restraints, and a tire-pressure monitor. Power and associates initial quality study named tucson the industry's highest quality all-new model when it was launched in 2005; and rated it highest in initial quality in the compact multi-activity vehicle segment in 2006. a comprehensive list of active and passive safety features are standard equipment, including six airbags and electronic stability control. Tucson is aggressively priced and it comes with hyundai's five-year/60,000-mile warranty. Tucson earned a five-star safety rating from the u. Government (nhtsa) in front and side impacts. The insurance institute for highway safety, which conducts crash tests differently than the government, has rated the tucson 'acceptable' in its frontal offset and side-impact crash tests. Their system rates vehicles good, acceptable, marginal or poor. lineupthe 2008 hyundai tucson is offered in three trim levels. Optional on limited and standard on se is a 173-horsepower 2. 7-liter v6. Air conditioning is optional 900) on the manual-shift version, but standard on the gls automatic 19,335). Mirrors and door handles are body color instead of black, and fender moldings and lower bodyside cladding is gray. A preferred equipment package 1,200) adds a power tilt-and-slide sunroof and heated front seats. limited v6 fwd 22,885) and 4wd 24,585) feature leather seats, 200-watt am/fm/cd/xm audio with six-disc in-dash changer plus six speakers and subwoofer, automatic temperature control with outside temperature display, auto-dimming inside rearview mirror with compass, and a rear cargo mat. Exterior trim is monochromatic. Side-impact airbags for torso protection and side curtain airbags designed to provide head protection for passengers in both rows come standard. New for 2008 are active front head restraints and a tire-pressure monitor. walkaroundfor its first two model years, the hyundai tucson looked like a shorter version of bigger-sibling santa fe, which to an extent it was. The comparison was not necessarily in the santa fe's favor; if tucson was a bit stubby, it was not nearly so quirky, with taut sides and business-like fender flares in place of santa fe's oddly undulating flanks. then, for 2007, santa fe went all sleek and sophisticated, chasing after the same up-level crossover look recently adopted by the toyota rav4 and honda cr-v. That leaves tucson, by default, more distinctive-looking; the last of the cute-utes. the size difference between the two siblings has grown as well. Where before tucson was just about 7 inches shorter overall than santa fe, on a wheelbase that was actually a half-inch longer; now tucson is shorter by almost 3 inches in wheelbase and close to 14 inches overall. But remember that's because santa fe has grown, while tucson remains the same size it always was. the tucson has clean lines with a relatively big grille up front and headlamps that blend in well with the hood line and edges of the fenders. The front bumper is a large one-piece molding that begins just below the grille, houses three large air openings and two fog lights (on models that have them) and then forms a spoiler at the bottom. Yet in profile this impressive piece of plastic barely protrudes in front of the grille opening. At the back, the outer edges of the rear bumper reaches up to the tail lights; this bumper sticks out a few inches, adding protection. tucson's rear tailgate slopes forward, avoiding the van-like vertical look of many other small suvs. The rear window can be opened separately from the main tailgate, although it is not very big, making it ineffective for loading much more than small light stuff. the se comes with lower body cladding that runs from the front bumper, around the fenders and along the lower edges of the doors, to the rear bumper. Finished in gray, the cladding is not too obtrusive. Limited features a monochromatic look, with body-color cladding as well as the same body-color mirrors and door handles as the se. all models come with 16-inch alloy wheels; although the wheels on se and limited are more intricately styled. Roof rack side rails and tinted windows are also standard on all models. even though tucson is not intended for serious off-road driving, it does have relatively short front and rear overhangs for clearance through gulleys and over obstacles. This is largely thanks to the tucson's long wheelbase, fractionally longer than that of the honda cr-v or ford escape, even though both of those vehicles are several inches longer overall. Tucson's longer wheelbase and shorter overhangs is a sign of superior design. The tucson also has a relatively wide track, which helps improve its stability. interiorthere's nothing cheap or spartan about the interior of the hyundai tucson, although it won't be mistaken for a luxury vehicle. Trim accents are matte black in the gls and metalgrain in se and limited. This feature is highly recommended by safety organizations such as the iihs. big radio and climate controls are mounted reasonably high for easy reach, as is the shift lever. The instrument pod contains three gauges with a decent-sized speedometer in the center and a smaller tachometer and fuel gauge off to the sides. In addition there are a couple of cupholders in the center console. It's also nice to see a proper parking brake lever in the center instead of a pedal-operated parking brake. There are no fewer than three 12-volt power outlets; apart from the usual one at the front there is one in the rear cargo area and one at the back of the center console for use by the rear seat passengers. The rear armrest also includes a cupholder that can accommodate a juice box. thanks again to tucson's long wheelbase, ingress to and egress from the rear seats is good. Once inside, rear-seat passeng. Cruise Control✔ AM/FM✔ Power Windows✔ Tachometer✔ CD Changer✔ Air Conditioning✔ Bluetooth✔ Leather Seats✔ Sunroof/Moonroof✔ Alloy Wheels
4,999 Bridgeport, CTBridgeport, CT at autoshopper.com