Hyundai Tucson (04-09) - Review

Thanks to a spacious cabin the Tucson is comfortable on the move, although the firm ride takes the edge off overall refinement. The seats are wide and soft, but don't offer much support, however passengers in the back get decent head and legroom. All models come with air conditioning as standard along with electric windows in the front and back.

Boot space in the Tucson is fairly good with 540 litres available with the rear seats in place - although that's smaller than other offroaders like the Toyota RAV4. The tailgate opening is wide though and there's no boot lip, so loading and unloading is easy. The rear seats split and fold 60/40 and when down create a flat load space which can swallow large and boxy objects. In the front there's plenty of stowage with a deep cubby between the front seats and a useful tray underneath the front passenger seat.

The cabin of the Tucson is drab and dominated by grey plastics that are scratchy and feel cheap. The thin leather seats feel low rent too as does the aftermarket stereo - there's also no reach adjustment on the steering column. On the plus side the layout is simple and easy to get in with while the climate control is straightforward to operate and the instrument dials clear. The high mounted gear lever is well placed but unfortunately the Tucson feels distinctly budget inside.