Monday, March 24, 2008

Hyundai Tucson





The Hyundai Tucson is a compact crossover SUV launched in 2005 by the Korean automaker Hyundai. It shares its Elantra-based platform with the redesigned 2005 Kia Sportage. The Tucson is slotted below the Santa Fe in the lineup. Tucson is known as a worldwide success in most countries because of its balance between comfort, space, and price.

Powertrains are a 2.0 L I4 with a five-speed, front-wheel drive manual transmission or optional four-speed automatic transmission with "sport shift" manual shifting capability or a 2.7 L V6 available with the automatic only. Four wheel drive is optional with a Borg-Warner torque controller system. In some markets, the Tucson is also available with a 2.0 L diesel engine equipped with common rail technology. The earlier diesels had 113 bhp, and the later ones 140 bhp and a 6 speed manual gearbox. These later models are capable of returning over 45 mpg with almost the same performance as the 2.7L petrol engined models.