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By Jonathan Crouch

Hyundai's fourth generation Tucson mid-sized SUV has a smarter look and feel - and a very clever Hybrid engine. Jonathan Crouch drives the improved version.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 48

Hyundai has almost fully electrified the engine line-up used with its fourth generation Tucson mid-sized SUV, but you'll need a full-Hybrid powerplant of some kind to see a real efficiency benefit. Probably the one used in this front-driven Hybrid HEV variant. Here, we look at the revised model.

Backgroundword count: 139

For some time now, the established brands have been unable to ignore Hyundai - and they certainly won't be able to ignore the improved fourth generation version of its Tucson mid-sized SUV. The Tucson has yet to break into the top five sellers in its class, where cars like Nissan's Qashqai, Volkswagen Tiguan and Ford's Kuga tend to dominate, and it isn't going to unless it dresses itself in a form that's going to make people really sit up and take notice. Well the enhanced version of this 'NX4'-series MK4 model certainly does that. This fourth generation model still offers a token conventionally powered unit at the foot of the range, but otherwise everything on offer is in some way electrified: mild hybrid, full hybrid, plug-in hybrid - take your pick. It's the full-Hybrid HEV version we try here.

Driving Experienceword count: 313

For electrified engine technology that'll really make a difference to your Tucson, you'll need some sort of full-Hybrid powertrain, your options for that beginning with the HEV Hybrid model we look at here, which has no engineering or handling changes in this lightly improved form - though can now be ordered with the option of 4WD. With all versions of this HEV variant, a 'Prius'-style self-charging petrol/electric engine working with a 6-speed auto gearbox is mated to a 60PS electric motor powered by a 1.49kWh battery, which provides sufficient extra urge to this powertrain's combined power output to 215PS. Enough to deliver a 62mph sprint stat of 8.2s and a top speed of 116mph. Although the battery on offer in a Tucson HEV isn't very big, it's very good at constantly replenishing itself with regenerative energy, so that much of the time in town travel, you'll be able to cruise through the urban sprawl in a dignified silence. You can leave the powertrain to do its own thing, or use the centre console HEV/EV button to make your own choice between full-Hybrid or full-Electric motion - though the latter won't last for very long. You might not be quite so impressed out of town. The self-charging full-Hybrid system adds 73kgs of weight, enough to see a well equipped Tucson HEV model tipping the scales at nearly 1.7-tonnes. Combining that with the electric motor's relatively feeble output can only have only one result: a frequent propensity for the 1.6 T-GDi petrol unit to kick in (sometimes quite vocally) virtually all the time in usual driving. Once it has, should there be a need for more urgent forward thrust, then a prod of the throttle is accompanied by a pleasing initial stab of electrified torque, but this doesn't last for long because torque is more restricted than it would be with a comparably-powerful diesel-engined rival.

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