Hyundai Tucson, car review: Latest SUV keenly priced and comes with a five-year warranty

But look beyond the balance sheet and you’ll find there’s plenty more going for it too

Let’s start with the headlines. If you buy a Hyundai Tucson, you get an SUV with an appealing price and a very appealing five-year warranty.

The former is helped by dealers who’ll deal to get your custom. And the latter means the Tucson should hold its value quite firmly.

But there’s more to this vehicle than just a good ownership proposition. All models are heaped with safety kit, and higher-spec versions get more besides. It’s easy to get comfortable and the interior has a good, sturdy feel to it – though there’s too much in the way of scratchy plastics for the cabin to pass muster.

Elsewhere on board, all five seats are spacious enough to take a tall adult and the boot is excellent. It’s big when the seats are in use, and once they fold down it becomes a nice big cargo bay with a floor that’s almost completely flat.

So this is a good, practical family car, and that’s all most buyers will ever want of it. But they’ll get more than they realise – particualrly in terms of refinement, as this is one of the quietest, smoothest running small SUVs.

The 1.7 CRDi diesel is particularly hushed, though the turbocharged petrol engine is a bit raucous when worked hard. That’s particularly the case in auto form, as the dual-clutch unit hangs in gear for too long before changing up, but the standard manual box is lovely and smooth.

Talking of smooth things, that same 1.7 diesel hauls the Tucson up to speed from down in the depths of its rev range without any fuss. And that’s just the entry-level oil-burner, too – there’s a coupe of 2.0-litre options if you want more guts, and the aforementioned 1.6 T-GDi petrol engine has plenty of zest.

The good news keeps on coming when you hit the open road. It’s not the very most entertaining car in its class, but the Tucson is pleasing to steer and well poised in corners. There’s plenty of grip, even in models without four-wheel drive, and it’s comfortable to ride in.

Equally comfortable are the running costs you’ll face, especially if you do what we would and go with the 1.7 CRDi. We’d take it in mid-range SE Nav spec, which adds cruise, climate, heated seats and rear park assist to the toy box – but with all models getting air-con, DAB, USB and Bluetooth, you can’t really go wrong.