Hyundai South Africa have added another variant to the popular Tucson SUV range. The newcomer and seventh derivative is known as the Hyundai Tucson 1.6 TGDI Executive Sport.
This front-wheel drive Tucson is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 150kW of power and 295Nm of torque, mated with a six-speed manual transmission.
[We took the model that delivers 130kW of power and 265Nm of torque on a road trip and found it to be a rather sporty SUV, so the Executive Sport looks promising in that department.]
The new variant rides on 19-inch black alloy wheels with low-profile tyres that according to Hyundai take, “the outstanding handling dynamics of the Tucson to an even higher level”. To help the Executive Sport model look the part, Hyundai SA have imported a body kit – front, rear and side skirts – from Korea. The company also added a different exhaust system with more of an audible growl and four chrome pipes at the rear.
As the name indicates, the 1.6 TGDI Executive Sport carries the executive level trim and as such is adorned with the corresponding standard features. These include an 8-inch screen infotainment system with sat nav, Bluetooth, CD player, radio, USB and AUX music input. It also displays a rear view from the park assist camera when reversing the vehicle.
There are also optional features such as cruise control, electrically adjusted leather seats and multifunction controls on the steering wheel, rain sensors for the automatic windscreen wipers and an automatic air-conditioning system.
The Tucson was awarded a full 5-star safety rating in the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP) and comes with a comprehensive safety suite.
Price
Hyundai Tucson 1.6 TGDI Executive Sport R499 900
This includes Hyundai’s 7-year/200 000 km warranty, roadside assistance for 5 years or 150 000 km, and a 5-year/90 000 km service plan. The service interval is 15 000 km.