G'day. I am a diehard Hyundai enthusiast. With that said, let me
compare the two vehicles based on what I know about the Tucson (I have
never owned one personally) and what I know about the Forrester (my
Mother owns one that I have had the chance to drive on many occasions -
a 2006 model):
- The Subaru gets better mileage irregardless of what the window
stickers say. My Mother AVERAGES 27 MPG in her Forrester. From what I
have read about the Tucson, most people get about 19-21 MPG on average.
- Build quality and reliability are about equal from where I sit.
- Warranty is Hyundai's hands down.
- Subaru service is a rip-off, but many would say the same about
Hyundai.
- I have never driven a Tucson, but the ride on the Subaru is excellent.
I suspect the same for the Tucson.
- The Tucson will give you more options and creature comforts for your
dollar.
- Subaru parts are expensive, but as I am learning about Hyundai, due to
a recent accident in my Entourage, so are the Hyundai parts (in fact,
the body shop CLAIMS that the body parts are as expensive as most
Mercedes).
That's about as objective as I can be, and I hope it helps.
Good luck.
Eric
Eric,
Thanks for the info.
> G'day. I am a diehard Hyundai enthusiast. With that said, let me
> compare the two vehicles based on what I know about the Tucson (I have
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> I have read about the Tucson, most people get about 19-21 MPG on
> average.
The 21mpg (US I assume) works out to about the 11 litres/100km quoted
down here in Australia so I can handle that.
> - Build quality and reliability are about equal from where I sit.
>
> - Warranty is Hyundai's hands down.
>
> - Subaru service is a rip-off, but many would say the same about
> Hyundai.
Without checking the manufacturers specs on service I have been told that
the Hyundai's first major service is at 90,000km (55,000 mile) whereas
the Subaru is 50,000km. Here in Australia the dealer can't force you to
have a vehicle serviced at a Hyundai dealership but as long as the
service is carried out by a licenced mechanic it doesn't void your
warranty.
> - I have never driven a Tucson, but the ride on the Subaru is
> excellent. I suspect the same for the Tucson.
>
> - The Tucson will give you more options and creature comforts for your
> dollar.
I'm looking at the SX Tucson (V6 auto) and about the only option is a
sunroof which I'm not interested in. It comes with all the gizmos I, as
a senior citizen, would ever want.
> - Subaru parts are expensive, but as I am learning about Hyundai, due
> to a recent accident in my Entourage, so are the Hyundai parts (in
> fact, the body shop CLAIMS that the body parts are as expensive as
> most Mercedes).
My insurance compay's problem but I'll probably pay through increased
premiums.
> That's about as objective as I can be, and I hope it helps.
>
[quoted text clipped - 21 lines]
>> Cootamundra NSW
>> Australia
Eric G. - 26 Jul 2007 11:53 GMT
> Eric,
>
> Thanks for the info.
You're welcome. Even with the G'day I typed I lost track of you coming
from "Down Under" :-)
>> G'day. I am a diehard Hyundai enthusiast. With that said, let me
>> compare the two vehicles based on what I know about the Tucson (I
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> The 21mpg (US I assume) works out to about the 11 litres/100km quoted
> down here in Australia so I can handle that.
Yes, those were US gallons. Sorry. My math puts it just about right as
well.
>> - Build quality and reliability are about equal from where I sit.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> long as the service is carried out by a licenced mechanic it doesn't
> void your warranty.
I was completely comparing the dealers here in the States, having no
knowledge of the "rules" in Australia. But things do sound similar. We
have the manufacturer requirements in the manual. Then we have what the
dealer will try to perform at the regular mileage intervals. I've heard
of people paying as much as $600 for a 30,000 mile service. That is
just ridiculous considering only about 10% of that service is actually
recommended by the manufacturer. But you know they need to make a buck
to keep the lights on :-)
Here in the states, we don't need to use the dealer either. Heck, we
don't even need a licensed mechanic. We can do it ourselves too if we
want, as long as we have some type of proof that the work was performed
the warranty stays intact.
>> - I have never driven a Tucson, but the ride on the Subaru is
>> excellent. I suspect the same for the Tucson.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> sunroof which I'm not interested in. It comes with all the gizmos I,
> as a senior citizen, would ever want.
That's what I mean. The Tucson is loaded by default. You pay for every
little thing on the Subaru, and sometimes you can't even buy an option
that you might want without getting a "package" with other useless or
non-desirable options as well.
>> - Subaru parts are expensive, but as I am learning about Hyundai, due
>> to a recent accident in my Entourage, so are the Hyundai parts (in
>> fact, the body shop CLAIMS that the body parts are as expensive as
>> most Mercedes).
> My insurance compay's problem but I'll probably pay through increased
> premiums.
True about the insurance company, and hopefully you'll never need their
services anyway, just something to factor into the purchase decision.
I don't think you'll be disappointed either way. You need to drive both
and see which one you like better (duh!). My Mom loves her Subie and my
Sonata and she is almost 70.
Eric