We’ve been waiting for the new Hyundai Tucson ever since it was first unveiled in global markets, and now that the SUV is here on our shores, we have to admit that the Volkswagen Tiguan and Jeep Compass rival is keen to leapfrog ahead of the competition at least in terms of the kit it offers. As with any new Hyundai, the features list is quite lengthy, and in addition to all those bells and whistles, the Tucson now comes with an ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) for the first time, and we headed over to the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) testing facility in Manesar to find out just how good is it.
The Hyundai Tucson’s ADAS system, dubbed SmartSense, gets Level 2 ADAS capability and it makes use of the cameras mounted around the SUV (for the 360-degree parking camera) and radar sensors to detect cars, pedestrians or cyclists on the road. What will stagger is the number of ADAS functions on offer – 19 in total – and to make sense of how these will be of benefit to a prospective Tucson buyer, let me break down the capabilities of the system into three parts – driving convenience features, driving safety features and parking safety functions.
These are the functions that you are likely to rely on when you’re on the open road. Not that we had an open road at our disposal to test out the ADAS system of the two brand spanking new Tucsons at our disposal, but rather we would be checking out how the system works at the oval track of the ICAT testing facility in Manesar near Gurugram.
First up was the Smart Cruise Control, aka adaptive cruise control in Hyundai-speak. Monish from Hyundai’s R&D team took me around the ICAT’s oval test track and explained that the system, once activated via a button on the steering wheel, helps maintain a predetermined distance from the car driving ahead of you. With the Tucson’s cruise control set at 70kmph, our SUV did maintain a consistent gap from the Tucson driving ahead of us. Another cool trick of the system is the ability to work in stop start conditions as well. So should the car ahead of you reduce its speed and even come to a halt, the Hyundai Tucson will match its speed accordingly and even set off from a standstill, without you needing to brake or accelerate by yourself. I think this function could be quite useful for those who do frequent trips on highways such as the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, which have bottlenecks on certain stretches, thanks to the never-ending roadworks, with the Tucson maintaining its speed according to the vehicles ahead. And it might potentially help you avoid an eye-watering speeding fine!
The next part of our demonstration involved the Lane Follow Assist (LFA) and Lane Keep Assist (LKA) functions. Press the button on the steering wheel once to engage LFA and after the green icon pops up on the digital instrument cluster, the system keeps the Tucson in the centre of the lane. Long press the same button on the ’wheel and the capabilities are levelled-up when we talk about LKA. Now unlike LFA, which works from 0kmph, LKA works from 60kmph onwards and using the front camera the system can detect lane drift and provide you with audio visual warnings too. And should you not pay heed to those, the system also corrects the steering wheel for you. Now obviously this test was conducted on the well-marked lanes of the ICAT track, so the system’s effectiveness in real-world conditions will vary, but what a cool feature to have – Look ma, no hands!
Safety is a highly-stressed topic when it comes to car buying these days, more so with the proliferation of the #SaferCarsforIndia campaign, and in addition to the ‘regular’ safety kit that the Tucson offers, which includes 6 airbags, the ADAS system also does its bit to ensure each drive in the Tucson is a safe one.
Let's get the smaller features out of the way first. There’s a blind-spot view monitor, which is similar to the lane change camera in the Hyundai Alcazar, flick your indicator stalk and you get a good view of the lane you want to merge in. In addition to that, should you not pay heed to the vehicle in your blind-spot, the Tucson is also capable of braking itself to avoid a collision. A cool feature is the driver attention warning that detects if you’re tired or distracted when behind the ’wheel and it even suggests that you take a break. I personally think it's a great feature to have, along with the safe exit warning, which warns you of cars coming from behind when you’re opening the doors.
Then there’s the forward collision avoidance system. Let’s say if there is a stationary car ahead of you in your lane (or a pedestrian or cyclist for that matter), the Tucson’s ADAS system first warns you of it with an audible warning, and if you don’t reduce your speed or take cognisance of the warning for any reason, the Tucson brakes itself. If your speed is under 60kmph, the Tucson engages full braking while if you’re going faster than 60kmph, the system only brakes partially to avoid the driver losing control. The avoidance system worked effectively on the test track, stopping the Tucson short of the obstacle in the nick of time.
Parking in India can be a stressful task at times, especially with our preference for larger SUVs, but luckily the Tucson makes it easier with its tech. There’s a 360-degree camera and the clarity of the view it offers for the reverse camera is quite good, similar to that of a competent smartphone! We tried it out in sunny conditions so we cannot attest if the results would be the same in the darkness however. Another big plus is the rear cross traffic collision warning, which basically alerts you of vehicles coming past when you’re reversing out of a parking spot and the Tucson also applies the brakes for you if required.
If I had to issue a final verdict on the Tucson’s ADAS system, I would say that it competently does go about the functions it intends to perform, though I need to reiterate these tests were performed in controlled conditions. That said, the ADAS Level 2 capability does give it an edge over the competition in terms of sheer features. Another important observation, especially in the Indian context is that disengaging the system is relatively easy, compared to other SUVs like the Mahindra XUV700 which also gets ADAS. And while we haven’t driven the new Tucson yet, the ADAS experience coupled with our initial impressions of the SUV do make the Hyundai one to watch out for!