While the summer road trip has passed, the end of the year brings two major traveling events for a considerable group of American families. With sport utility and crossover vehicles existing as the most trusted form of private transportation, budgeting for the expense of everyday driving, let alone long distance travels, could have new car motorists looking to the revised 2012 Hyundai Tucson.
Hyundai’s continuing intent to convince the motoring public the auto company stands for building good cars for a price less than competitors, the 2012 Tucson is the latest reflection of how the South Korean auto manufacturer is attracting the tight pocketbooks of North Americans. Possessing a manufacturer suggested price starting at $19,045 for the front-wheel drive, 5-speed manual GL version, the top-ranked 2012 Tucson Limited with all-wheel drive is obtainable at $26,395.
Buyers of the 2012 Hyundai Tucson compact utility vehicle will be able to take five passengers further than ever before thanks to some crucial technical changes. The majority of the 2012 Tucson’s mechanical changes set off to improve the fuel economy of the compact crossover. On the Hyundai Tucson GLS and Limited models for he 2012 model year mating the 2.4 liter Theta II engine with the six-speed automatic Shiftronic gearbox, highway fuel mileage adds an extra mile per gallon traveling distance. The 2012 GLS and Limited models of the Hyundai Tucson achieves 23 miles per gallon city and 32 miles per gallon highway. Owing the additional mileage to low-rolling resistance tires and a cabin climate control setup designed to minimize energy consumption, the 2012 Hyundai Tucson has the leading fuel economy of vehicles in its market segment. Despite the engine being up to 11 horsepower more powerful than the Tucson GL’s 2-liter powerplant, the Hyundai compact crossover vehicle with the larger 2.4 liter engine preserves high fuel efficiency.
A departure of thinking from the all-utility persona the crossover vehicles, the 2012 Hyundai Tucson adheres to fuel economy awareness. The traditional allure of designing sport utility and crossover vehicles consisted of rather sinister motivation. In 2004, it was determined that over 52 percent of vehicles produced were classified as light trucks (up from just under 10 percent in 1979). As abuse of the light truck category became apparent entering into the last decade, revisions to fuel economy were made to reduce the more relaxed light truck regulation process compared to cars. While the utility/crossover popularity continued to grow, auto engineers and designers were required to improve the efficiency of a less than efficient vehicle configuration. Bringing civility to the class known primarily for tough and tumble utilitarian duties, smaller but taller vehicles with all-wheel drive has redefined roadways.
Along with steps to improve the efficiency of the 2012 Hyundai Tucson, South Korean-badged compact crossover will also feature a larger fuel supply. Able to hold 0.8 gallons more than the 2011 model, the 2012 Tucson’s 15.3-gallon fuel tank matches the size of the outgoing Honda CR-V. Combined with the improved highway fuel economy, the 2012 Hyundai Tucson can roll for up to 489 miles on a single tank of gasoline (almost exactly 40 miles farther than the 2011 model‘s best range).
Better disc brakes and the availability of premium suspension as standard on the GLS model are other touches making the value-leading 2012 Hyundai Tucson a worthwhile consideration as a new crossover vehicle.
Information and photo source: Hyundai Motor America
