Cape Town - Following the success of its Tucson 1.6 TGDI Executive Sport, with its eye-catching body skirts, black 19" rims and bold exhaust pipes, Hyundai South Africa has given its top-of-the-range All-Wheel Drive Tucson 1.6 TGDI Elite the same treatment
The AWD variant will also carry the Sport moniker.
Why add a second Sport version? Stanley Anderson, sales and operations director of Hyundai Automotive South Africa, said: "Since the launch of the Tucson Sport with the Executive specification level at the beginning of June 2017, customers have indicated that there is a definite appetite for the bold and beautiful looks that the special body treatment has given this top-selling SUV model in Hyundai’s local range.
"We have sold more than 50 Tucson 1.6 TGDI Executive Sport models in July, within little more than a month after its launch. These figures vindicated our decision to offer a derivative with sporty overtones and a body kit that made the good-looking Tucson even more attractive."
Image: Quickpic
Anderson said: "Some of our customers requested this same body kit and engine power upgrade to be applied to our top-of-range Tucson 1.6 TGDI Elite All-Wheel Drive derivative with its Dual Clutch Transmission. It convinced us to add another Tucson Sport derivative to our range."
New Tucson Elite Sport AWD
This new derivative is known as the Tucson 1.6 TGDI Elite Sport AWD, powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine capable of 150kW/295Nm. Power is transferred to all four-wheels via a Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT).
The 19" black alloys are also exclusive to the Tucson Sport derivatives, Hyundai says: "Nobody can buy them off the shelf to fit to their own car."
Image: QuickpicStandard features include an 8" touchscreen with satnav, Bluetooth, CD player, USB and AUX connectivity. It's also fitted with a reversing camera.
Additional convenience features include cruise control, rain sensors for the automatic windscreen wipers, an automatic air-conditioning system, electrically adjusted leather seats and multifunction controls on the steering wheel.
Image: QuickpicAmong the safety features in the Tucson Sport are an Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), an Advanced Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) and a full set of driver, front passenger, side and curtain airbags.
The Tucson was awarded a full 5-star safety rating in the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP).
The new model is sold with Hyundai’s 7-year or 200 000km warranty, roadside assistance for 5 years or 150 000km, and a 5-year or 90 000 km service plan. Its service interval is 15 000km.
Image: Quickpic