The weather has gone back to its normal sunny and warm here in southern California and I want to be out enjoying the sunshine. I love driving along the coast and through the mountains watching the sun glisten over the ocean and the cliffs. I took a 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited for a test drive this week thanks to DriveShop and was able to utilize both its heated/ventilated seats, the camera system, its comfy interior, the hands-free liftgate, and the navigation system. Not only is it one of the nicest looking SUVs in its class, but it drove as well as it looks. Here’s a quick review of the 2016 Hyundai Tucson.
2016 Hyundai Tucson Review
She’s Got Style
Normally, I focus on the performance of a vehicle rather than the look. I want something safe because I’m usually driving with my family, including Athena who is only 3 years old. It’s my responsibility to keep her safe. When a provides quality safety and looks good, it’s a huge added bonus. The 2016 Hyundai Tucson looks great. Even the color of it was a plus for me. I hate when I walk out into a parking lot and I can’t find my vehicle because it looks like every other vehicle in eye-sight. The bold color of the Tucson was easy to spot. It didn’t look dirty either even after driving through the mountains and along the ocean. The wheels and chrome-tipped duel exhaust really stand out as well. Even the trim is such a great match for the orange color.
Show Me the Features
Admittedly, I drive a minivan. I like the room and the sliding doors but my van is lacking several fantastic features. I didn’t realize how much I’d love the liftgate. I don’t need to put everything in my hands down to open the gate and with the push of a button it goes back down. No muscle needed. The technology exists; it should be on all vehicles. I was spoiled with the Tucson. Then, I felt more spoiled by the heated/ventilated seats. When we were in the snow in the mountains, I turned on the heated seats and warmed my buns. Then, the same day, we were on the beach and the sun was beaming down. I turned on the ventilated seats. What a treat. My minivan was looking grim after having a cooled behind. My van is also lacking a navigation system and a rearview camera. The navigation system in the Tucson can be voice activated. Driving in heavy traffic on the highways in southern California can be a struggle. Voice activation is particularly helpful if you decide to turn on the navigation system while driving. The rearview camera is the one feature that I wish I had the most. My biggest fear is hitting a small child because I can’t see them behind my vehicle. The camera allows you to see everything behind your vehicle. It decreases my stress substantially while parking and backing up.
Safety
My favorite safety feature, the rearview camera, was mentioned above but I also love the blind spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert and lane change assist. The system helps detect when a vehicle is in the driver’s blind spot and provides both an audible and a visual alert to help keep you aware as you move down the road. Rear Cross-traffic Alert helps identify and warn the driver of vehicles approaching from the side. Lane Change Assist measures the closing speed of an approaching vehicle in the adjacent lane to determine if changing lanes is safe and if it’s not, gives the driver an audible and visual warning. Have you ever driven in California? If so, you know traffic is crazy even on the side streets. It only takes a split second to miss someone in your blind spot. I still look and check my blind spots, but the added safety gives me peace of mind.
The visibility in the Tucson is worth noting as well. In most SUVs, I find it difficult to see out the side and back windows. The blind spots are increased because of window frames and shorter windows. The visibility in the Tucson is the best I’ve experienced.
So What’s Missing?
The Tucson looks great and provides all of the safety features a mom like me looks for. The only downside to the Tucson is it’s size. I’d prefer to have the third row of seating option. We pick up our friends on a regular basis to go out to dinner. Four adults and one child can’t sit comfortably in the Tucson. We had no problem carrying all of our gear and fitting the three of us as a family, but when it came time for a dinner date, we had to be picked up in a larger vehicle.
Overall, that’s not much of a complaint.
Thanks to DriveShop for the opportunity to test drive the 2016 Hyundai Tucson. As always, all options are my own.
