2011 Hyundai Tucson Sticks to the Recipe

SEE ALSO: Hyundai Buyers Guide 2011-1997

Washington DC August 16, 2010; The AIADA newsletter reported that Ezra Dyer at the New York Times writes that you won’t find much mechanical difference between the Hyundai Tucson and its rivals, except among those that offer upgraded power options.

So the Tucson’s main standout feature is a subjective one: its styling. This is one good-looking little wagon. Hyundai calls the Tucson’s design “fluidic sculpture.” Note that fluidic sculpture is not to be confused with Druidic sculpture, the design language that informed the late Kia Amanti. /p>

As Dyer understands it, Hyundai’s goal is to create a small wagon that avoids the damning label of “cute.” The Tucson isn’t cute, which Dyer says he means as a compliment. Its headlights are pulled back in a sneering visage, crisp creases define the fenders, and the side glass spears down to a sharp point at the rear of the vehicle, a visual inference of motion. /p>

This Tucson was designed at a Hyundai studio in Frankfurt, and it does evince a certain European tautness of line. The interior is handsome, too, especially in the fully equipped Limited version that he tested. /p>

The two-tone color scheme includes leather seats in a caramel hue that reminded him of recent BMW and Infiniti interiors. /p>

CLICK HERE For Dyer’s review of the highs and lows of Hyundai’s newest version of its Tucson, click here.