I was looking for comfort and performance, so I also shortlisted the Mercedes-Benz GLC and Toyota Fortuner.
BHPian sethu.murali recently shared with other enthusiasts.
I am pleased to announce that today we received our Starry Night Tucson from the Advaith Hyundai showroom at the Billekahalli branch. This is the first time I have received a car that I have not test driven but have been impressed by the capabilities and performance of this international car. The short drive today did not disappoint and everything went smoothly.
select car
Since my Duster was around 8 years old, it was time to identify the next workhorse. Up until late last year the Duster was so lovely to drive, very planted, has nice power when you’re cruising the Autobahn and is very confident in any situation. But alas, things started to go south with back-to-back injector failures (in the middle of a family freeway trip) over a 2,000km span. Mine was an AWD model with 110hp. Many owners report this problem and Renault had a casual response stating that the quality of the fuel is prudent. Very bad way of responding to customers when they are still a growing brand in India and their stand doesn’t help at all in these situations.
For my next it was clear I didn’t need complex tech in the form of AWD and wanted a basic 2WD as my off-road capability is almost nil even with my Duster’s 8 years (bought the AWD as the ride quality was significantly better during that time). ).
I was looking for better comfort and performance, more modern looks with all the bells and whistles. Shortlisted were Merc GLC, Fortuner, and then Hyundai Tucson. GLC was well over budget, although the car’s looks and drive are fantastic. Fortuner started to lose interest as Toyota is clearly trying to overtake its diesels by stopping booking several diesel models. Fortuner is fun to drive and offers boss mode while driving. With so many videos popping up on YT about the new Tucson, we started looking at this vehicle seriously. Tucson absolutely appealed to my senses, the trim was to my liking, and my family loved the look of the car and its location.
booking experience
First it went ahead and booked a Creta (since Tucscon was not launched). Creta had a 6 month wait when I booked in January 2022. However, I knew the Tucson launch is in the second half of 2022 (thanks to NDTV Car&bike) and asked my SA to switch booking to Tucson once bookings are announced. Waited patiently for the start and the announcement of the bookings. My SA mentioned that the merchant needed an additional amount to transfer the booking to Tucson, which I complied with.
Once bookings have started, the allocation basis is a gray area and no one has control over the vehicle allocation process. There are so many different forces at play – dealers, Hyundai factory, Hyundai distribution. When I received a message from the dealership that the vehicle could take 6 to 8 months longer to be delivered as a standard reply, I lost hope of receiving it sooner. I then had an opportunity to explain my case to the HMIL team of having to wait in line from the pre-booking time for Tucson and asked for their help. Thanks are due to the HMIL team and they took my case as a priority to allocate vehicles – either from factory production or by cancellation around allocation time. My second choice was the Starry Night color that was assigned.
PDI and delivery
The dealer called and confirmed that the car was allocated. Common proforma for the 2WD Signature Diesel model. Payment request for release of the vehicle for delivery by Hyundai. Although the dealer mentioned that the insurance may be on my side, he cited the benefits of the Hyundai Assurance Program with the insurance. With my bad experience with Duster in mind, I opted for the Hyundai insurance program. Added 5 year warranty.
Once payment was completed the PDI was arranged in 2 days – at the camp site and saw the beautiful Starry Night color and knew immediately the vehicle was the perfect choice for my needs. Thanks to Team-BHP for the ongoing details with the changing times around PDI, the whole event ran smoothly.
After agreement, the trader started the RTO process and finished it in one day. I wanted delivery on Sunday 10/02. and committed to the dealer. After a nice celebration at the dealership, we received our new car. Went with boxes of candy to be given out to everyone at the merchant. Only bought the floor mat and some pillows as accessories. Completed Fastag installation with Kotak at dealer.
First drive
The dealer had a person familiar with Tucson to explain the features and get acquainted with the myriad of tech support inside. It is not easy to learn how to use functions at this age. Decided to study on the go, picked up the delivery and headed home. Initial surprises with active ADAS assistance and beeps, steering feels heavy the moment the vehicle traverses 40km and struggles to figure out where and how to use the car’s functions. It will take a while to get used to the change, but I liked the ride quality. Off to the puja at a nearby Anjenaya Swami temple and brought the car to my parking lot.
What now
I want to do PPF for this color as it’s very easy to get scratches, master the controls and report back to my extended team here on the car and its performance.
I just have to thank everyone here in this thread who helped with their experiences and input, Team BHP for the fantastic car collaboration website. I am happy to report that this is the third car I have purchased with their input and factual reviews.
Thanks guys and keep the thread going. Enjoy the celebrations and my best wishes to everyone.
Here’s what BHPian Stuttgart had to say about the matter:
Congratulations on the new car! This is a nice looking shade.
I visited another dealership here in Mumbai that had a Petrol TD vehicle available. The TD experience was truly overwhelming (no offense to all the Delhi NCR folks who are forced to choose petrol powertrains). A car of this size definitely deserves at least one turbo petrol engine. It’s a shame we don’t get the engine options (including hybrids) that the rest of the world is so happy about.
One surprising thing I noticed was that all of the Tucsons that were ready for delivery at this dealership contained genuine Hyundai mats. I remember reading posts on this forum about these mats not being available from retailers yet. My SA said these mats are the only accessories Hyundai offers for Tucson so far.
Here’s what BHPian KrishKallapur had to say about the matter:
Congratulations and many happy kilometers.
As you mentioned, this car takes a while to get used to. It chats a lot.
Here’s what BHPian neel911 had to say about the matter:
Congratulations and many more kilometers of driving pleasure. A beautiful color and goes well with the car. Hoping to see more Tucson on the road as deliveries ramp up. I saw White Tucson (not a TD vehicle) on the road 2 days ago.
For more insight and information, read the comments from BHPians.
