How do you like your Hyundai Tucson

2000 Sonata 6 cyl. A decent car. Seems well built. Mfr used good rubber for door seals, etc. Very little stands out as stupid, unlike my recent Ford. I especially appreciate the fact that they (unlike a lot of cars these days) put a drain plug on the transmission so you don't have to spend $100 to have it pumped out by a special machine.

Oh yeah; the console between the front seats is stupidly contoured so everything slides off it, like hamburgers and drinks. I wish that the trunk wasn't shaped to look expensive rather than holding more stuff. As with so many cars, including American, the lumbar supports are worthless, being designed for little children. Seat adjustability is good, but there's no way that I can be comfortable and still see the speedometer -- the steering wheel blocks it. I'm about 5'11", and my hair scrapes the sunroof housing. It's OK. Body sheet metal seems really thin, almost as bad as a Whirlpool washing machine (which I've dented with my thumb). However, the quality of the metal that I found when I looked *underneath* the car was impressive.

I hate the damn plastic headlights (they're all scuffed) and I hate the damn worthless deco "bumpers." But you'll get that crap with all cars now. It doesn't have much personality -- not like my '62 SAAB or a Citroen. Maybe I'm just getting too old -- old cars had character; now they're just stuff to drive. Some parts are surprisingly expensive. The drive cycles have been almost impossible to obtain from Hyundai; I did get my hands on them, and they're totally insane -- I don't think anyone could actually perform them without getting the cops on their case or killed.

The service literature is all on the web (!!), but what I've looked at is very spotty -- they need to hire a whole documentation department, hopefully good American technical writers. They farmed out their manuals to Helm, who charge blood money for them. If I actually bought what I've downloaded, I'd be very angry at how poor they are.

As Consumer Reports said, the shifting is strange; you get used to it. When the air conditioner cycles in my driveway, it can feel like I've got a loose nut in the transmission. I'm getting used to these quirks.

Gas mileage is surprisingly poor, corroborated by others on this board

-- about 18-19 MPG for my 6, not much better than my big Ford Aerostar. I drive on hills a lot. Handling is quite decent and neutral. I slogged it hard on the windy California Coast Highway and was pleased. Power is quite adequate. Now, I just can't understand where all those miles-per-gallon are going.

I've only had it since February, so that's all I can say. Overall, it seems like a good investment. I wish that it were made here by American union workers, but a long time has passed since there was any US car that I'd want to buy. The issue isn't price so much as sensibility. American car makers are doing stuff like putting the clutch slave cylinder *inside* the transmission, where you just don't want to think about the whopping cost of a diaphram change. What a turnoff! Hyundai is making a car more like what I'd want to own.

My Hyundai is high-mileage and I think it's weathered the miles well. The quantity of miles indicate that the first owner tore up the freeway with this car: easy miles. After 108,000, the car feels nice and tight. I'd say that it's not a Toyota, but it's most of the way to a Toyota -- and that's saying a lot.

Is this what you want to know?

Uh was the above write up for a sonata or a tucson.

If you are interested in the tucson check out

There is a large group of online owners there.

Personally I think it is nice. (I have one as a loaner while my santa fe is getting checked out) I wouldn't trade it for my Santa fe though becuase the tucson has a smaller cargo area. As a plus though the tucson definately has more passenger room than the Santa fe IMO

The engine in Richard's Sonata is almost identical to the one in the Tucson.

Uh, (he hits his forehead with his palm): I didn't read one of the OP's words. Well, hell: it's a good write up, isn't it? I mean, even if it's the wrong car.

Richard

'I especially appreciate the fact that they (unlike a lot of cars these days) put a drain plug on the transmission so you don't have to spend $100 to have it pumped out by a special machine.'

Reply: You still that machine if you want to get all the fluid out . Theres alot left in there even after the fluid is drained via the drain plug.

Sure Go ahead and drain out the fluid without changing the filter Sounds like a really intelligent move to me No doubt from someone like Oil Changers

(perhaps they should also consider having a drain plug on the torque convertor like on my Mercedes)

Sorry. That's what I meant. I believe that's what I caught in one of the manuals -- the Hyundai has a drain plug on the converter (please correct me if you know that I'm wrong).

The typical "fluid change" is only of the fluid in the transmission itself, done messy-style by loosening the bolts that hold on the cover and filter; the fluid seeps out around the edges. Most of the dirty fluid remains in the torque converter for want of a cheap steel plug.

Richard

Unfortunately Hyundai is one of the multitude of manufacturers who doesn't put a drain plug in the torque converter. You do have a drain plug in the pan or on the bottom of the trans, however.

So far, Ford is the only manufacturer of vehicles I've actually seen put a drain plug on the converter.