Topic: Long-Term Test Arrival: 2016 Hyundai Tucson

[PJ]

Can you get a car (other than a subcompact and MX-5) with 16" rims?

probably not, which is a shame...i remember when 15" wheels were a big deal...and only the expensive stuff had alloys...the plebes got the steelies with wheel covers.

The Tiguan comes with 16"......P215/65R16 on the lower trim models. Sensible car.

We are talking about vehicles designed this decade...

Oh......hmm now that I think of it, I guess 17" is the new standard. The new VW Tiguan, Renault Kadjar, Merc GLA, and BMW X1 all have 17" as standard. Probably with the ever larger/heavier vehicles, larger brakes are ideal for optimum performance and thus, nudging up wheel sizes as well.

Only exception I find today is the Citroën C4 Cactus with 16" but that's a light, entry-level vehicle.

It's a styling feature, nothing to do with the weight and except for ultra high performance cars nothing to do with the brakes either.

My Expediton weighs nearly 3 tons and it only has 17" rims.

[Benhaze]

Fail to see why some Hyundai in top, top trim should cost the same as the Mazda CX-5 GT with Tech package. Pretty easy choice if $40K is the new standard price for fully-optioned compact SUVs. Hit or miss suspension/steering, never been in an H/K that was fully sorted, plus not very powerful engines - where's the supposed value? They're charging the same as the main brand names, but aren't quite there overall.

And the CX-5 has probably a better AWD system then Hyundai/Magna's one which I just had the opportunity to experience (on a Sorento) and it is pretty sucky. Will post some details eventually on a Sorento thread.

It seems that $40k with all the toys is becoming the norm...

[safristi]

This one will be lost in the shuffle of Overpriced,Overloaded.Overhyped me too CUV ZZZZZZZZzzzzz's

[dirtyjeffer]

Fail to see why some Hyundai in top, top trim should cost the same as the Mazda CX-5 GT with Tech package. Pretty easy choice if $40K is the new standard price for fully-optioned compact SUVs. Hit or miss suspension/steering, never been in an H/K that was fully sorted, plus not very powerful engines - where's the supposed value? They're charging the same as the main brand names, but aren't quite there overall.

And the CX-5 has probably a better AWD system then Hyundai/Magna's one which I just had the opportunity to experience (on a Sorento) and it is pretty sucky. Will post some details eventually on a Sorento thread.

It seems that $40k with all the toys is becoming the norm...

??

the Magna AWD system is actually quite good (we have it on ours obviously).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahr-6CTZ7wg&list=FLFZoU3TKVBLzCjj1FjV97QQ&index=4

[conwelpic]

it will be interesting to see how this compares to its corporate cousin the 2017 Kia Sportage, as they both use the same platform (same wheelbase and length), however they will not be using the same engines as the Sportage will come with the 2.4L GDI for the LX & EX models and the 2.0L turbo for the SX model.  The LX will have 17" alloys, the EX 18" and the SX 19".

They certainly don't look the same and dramatically different on the inside.

[Solstice2006]

^ your right the difference is night and day!

EDIT:  The differences are most evident with the front end. 

The Hyundai will outsell the Sportage easily. 

[EV-Light]

Golf still comes with 15 inch wheels.

I'm flabbergasted!

ugggg my eyes:


now this is a proper rim for the Golf:

[Sir Osis of Liver]

^Why? More weight. More inertia. Slower acceleration. More expensive. For fashion? No thanks.

[mlin32]

15" on the Golf look fine. I'm pleased that VW offers alloys as standard in North America actually; extra charge on the Trendline in Germany. The Golf uses a more compact brake caliper design so there's flexibility to downsize the wheels instead of going with 16" or above.

[dirtyjeffer]

^ your right the difference is night and day!

EDIT:  The differences are most evident with the front end. 

The Hyundai will outsell the Sportage easily.

the Hyundai will likely outsell it as more people associate the Hyundai with better quality than Kia (just customer perception)...personally, i think the Kia looks better, but the Tuscon looks good too...if i were in the market for a small ute now, the new Sportage would likely be high on my list (but i'd need to drive it)...that 2.0T is sweet in the larger Sorento, i think it would be quite nice in the lighter Sportage.

[Solstice2006]

^ your right the difference is night and day!

EDIT:  The differences are most evident with the front end. 

The Hyundai will outsell the Sportage easily.

the Hyundai will likely outsell it as more people associate the Hyundai with better quality than Kia (just customer perception)...personally, i think the Kia looks better, but the Tuscon looks good too...if i were in the market for a small ute now, the new Sportage would likely be high on my list (but i'd need to drive it)...that 2.0T is sweet in the larger Sorento, i think it would be quite nice in the lighter Sportage.

Had no idea, peoples perceptions thought Hyundai has better quality than Kia...

[aquadorhj]

^ your right the difference is night and day!

EDIT:  The differences are most evident with the front end. 

The Hyundai will outsell the Sportage easily.

the Hyundai will likely outsell it as more people associate the Hyundai with better quality than Kia (just customer perception)...personally, i think the Kia looks better, but the Tuscon looks good too...if i were in the market for a small ute now, the new Sportage would likely be high on my list (but i'd need to drive it)...that 2.0T is sweet in the larger Sorento, i think it would be quite nice in the lighter Sportage.

Had no idea, peoples perceptions thought Hyundai has better quality than Kia...

just back 7~8 years ago, Hyundai interiors were orders of magnitude better finished than Kias.  less plastic "Flashing" marks on parts, better fitted panels, etc.

now it's about the same, but harder to change perception.

[Ex-airbalancer]

Most KIA dealerships that I have seen are in second rate buildings , and Hyundai are much nicer buildings
That would also bearing in amount of cars sold

[dirtyjeffer]

Had no idea, peoples perceptions thought Hyundai has better quality than Kia...

Hyundai, being the larger company, has spent more money marketing their products and making people more aware of their brand, hence the larger sales...i see TONS of ads on TV for Hyundai...rarely see one for Kia...Hyundai also had the Genesis and Equus vehicles, so some may associate more of the "premium" to that nameplate as well.

[dirtyjeffer]

Most KIA dealerships that I have seen are in second rate buildings , and Hyundai are much nicer buildings
That would also bearing in amount of cars sold

yea, that depends on the location...keep in mind, 5-10 years ago, these were used car alternatives, so the dealership owner may have been reluctant to spend a lot of money on low volume cheap cars...of course, that is changing.

the dealership we bought ours from is bright, modern and new:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.0108246,-81.1534077,3a,75y,324.62h,73.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1suQTOaD0X58e3JXVQbXUfSw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

[dirtyjeffer]

And the CX-5 has probably a better AWD system then Hyundai/Magna's one which I just had the opportunity to experience (on a Sorento) and it is pretty sucky. Will post some details eventually on a Sorento thread.

It seems that $40k with all the toys is becoming the norm...

??

the Magna AWD system is actually quite good (we have it on ours obviously).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahr-6CTZ7wg&list=FLFZoU3TKVBLzCjj1FjV97QQ&index=4

ok, so we've been having plenty of snow here today, so the subdivision roads have a few inches of snow on them...i decided to venture outside and go pick up a pizza, for two reasons...one, i love pizza...two, i wanted to see how the Sorento handles in the snow (now that we finally have enough to call "snow")...we have Michelin X-Ice 3 tires on it and with a few inches of snow covering the asphalt, i turned off the traction control to allow some wheel spin in the fluffy stuff...the first few blocks were very uneventful (as in, the system was working very well to make driving in the crappy road conditions a non-issue)...even if i gave it a fair amount of throttle, the stability control system would ensure your "line" was kept in check, all the while the system was applying power to the varying wheels to maximize acceleration.

on the way home, i wanted to see what the 4 wheel lock feature was like...while stopped at an intersection (no other cars around), i activated it, then "gave 'er"...you could really feel all 4 wheels bite in and it took off with a level of alacrity i wasn't expecting...minimal wheel spin (i couldn't really feel it, but i'm sure there was some), and very brisk acceleration...seemed unnatural considering the road conditions.

i can personally attest to the fact the AWD is not "pretty sucky".

[Benhaze]

I will explain a little later on why I made that statement. I agree the Sorento is doing well in the circumstance you are describing but any AWD cars would be just as good. The way you tested the "4 wheel lock"  (because this way to describe the system is very misleading and inaccurate, -not your fault but Hyundai/Kia Marketing's) is not indicative of its short comings.

[dirtyjeffer]

I will explain a little later on why I made that statement. I agree the Sorento is doing well in the circumstance you are describing but any AWD cars would be just as good. The way you tested the "4 wheel lock"  (because this way to describe the system is very misleading and inaccurate, -not your fault but Hyundai/Kia Marketing's) is not indicative of its short comings.

sooo, they're lying?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpQeXnMRO-8

http://articles.sae.org/8707/

[Solstice2006]

nah, couldn't be, an automotive manufacturer lie?  It just can't be! :-)

[Benhaze]

I will explain a little later on why I made that statement. I agree the Sorento is doing well in the circumstance you are describing but any AWD cars would be just as good. The way you tested the "4 wheel lock"  (because this way to describe the system is very misleading and inaccurate, -not your fault but Hyundai/Kia Marketing's) is not indicative of its short comings.

sooo, they're lying?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpQeXnMRO-8

http://articles.sae.org/8707/

First please don't take it as a personal attack on your decision to buy a Sorento. It is a fine vehicle.

I said "misleading and inaccurate" but you could reach to that conclusion if you wish. I gave the benefit of the doubt to the Product Marketing folks because: 1. they need to spin their products and 2. the vast majority of them are non-technical people that does not fully understand the technical details of their products.

I am familiar with the Magna system as I was very interested in it when it came out and did my share of research on it. But it you take the time to search youtube you will find example of the Hyundai/Kia's "shortcomings". Still I was hoping to find out my concerns were unfounded and my expectations may have been higher because of the Magna system promise.

Now back to your challenge. The two examples you provided are actually supporting my point.

First the word "lock": the only way you can get a locking system is with a positive locking mechanism which requires gears and will never be fully achieved with a clutch pack (like Magna's system) or viscous couplings. Second there are only a handful of vehicles with a 4-wheel lock system: the Jeep Wrangler and not any Wrangler, just the Rubicon. Other examples are the Ram Power Wagon and Mercedes G-Wagen.

To get 4-wheel lock you need 3 locking axles: center, front and rear.

Magna tries to emulate only a center locking axle with limited success. The problem is that it overheats extremely quickly; it happened to me after trying to rock the Sorento forward-backward 2-3 times trying to get out of my parking spot. Another surprising fact was that some torque steer is noticeable accelerating from a stop in the snow even with the center "locker" on.

The main issue is with the AWD system not very capable of controlling wheel spin once it splits the torque between the front and rear axle. The instant one wheel start spinning you lose completely the contribution of that axle.