Hyundai Tucson Ultimate 1.6 T-GDi 2021 UK review

All-wheel-drive version of the new, sharp-suited best-seller gets a 48V helping hand Hyundai’s family-sized Tucson SUV is its best-selling model to date, now in its fourth generation since its 2004 debut, so you’d expect it to come in plenty of versions. Most are two-wheel drive, but there are basic petrol and diesel powertrains, lots of mild hybrids, several levels of full hybrid, and a plug-in hybrid a few months away.However, there’s less choice if you want a four-wheel-drive Tucson. You’re restricted to the spec of our test car, a 178bhp mild hybrid whose smooth and efficient transverse 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine is assisted by a 48V integrated starter-generator driving through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. It’s fulltime four-wheel drive, like its many rivals, bristling with traction controls and a selectable hill descent function.The all-new Tucson is a little bigger than the outgoing model (20mm longer, all of which appears to go into rear leg room) and it has a new, rakish design style that lifts it out of the crowd. Its 4.5m overall length fits neatly between a Nissan Qashqai and Volvo XC40.