2022 Hyundai Tucson petrol vs diesel engine: Which to buy?

The turbo-diesel has more BHP, torque, better fuel efficiency and performance. The refinement is also top class.

Hyundai launched the 4th generation iteration of its premium Tucson SUV in the Indian market earlier this month. The new Hyundai Tucson features a completely new design, in line with the brand’s latest ‘Parametric Design’ philosophy.

The 4th-generation Tucson is offered in two variants: Platinum and Signature, both of which are offered with a choice of petrol and diesel engine options. The Tucson is also available with an optional 4WD with the diesel engine.

So, if you were to buy the 4th-gen Hyundai Tucson, which engine option would you pick & why?

Starting off with the petrol unit, the new es with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder naturally-aspirated engine. It produces 154 BHP @ 6300 rpm and 192 Nm @ 4500 rpm and is paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission as standard.

Coming to the diesel version, the 4th-gen Hyundai es with a 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel unit producing 183 BHP @ 4000 rpm and 416 Nm @ 2000-2750 rpm. The engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission as standard.

Slot the gear lever into D, lift your foot off the brake pedal, and the car gets off the line smoothly. Throttle response is good and power is delivered in a linear manner with a gentle foot on the accelerator. Since the Tucson has a very urban feel to it, we made sure that we spent enough time driving the car in the city traffic. And despite the Bangalore ring road traffic being excessively unpleasant, the Tucson wasn’t.

Driving in D, the engine was calm and provided power smoothly. Going on and off the throttle was also a smooth affair, which means that your passengers also won’t have to worry about a jerky drive. The gearbox goes up the ratios pretty quickly. You won’t feel the upshifts as the transition is very smooth. Put your right foot down and you will experience some lag as the torque converter does take a second to respond. But after that, you get a strong surge of power that will help you make those quick overtakes and close those gaps in traffic. Overall, the tall seating position, good all-around visibility, light controls and smooth gearbox make the Tucson very easy to drive in the city.

On the open road, where you can stretch the car’s legs, the Tucson is impressive. It accelerates quickly, and with the good insulation, you may not even realize the speeds you are doing. Put your foot down and the AT downshifts to get you going. Overtaking on the highways is a breeze, but it’s better if you anticipate and prepare for the slight delay in downshifting. Even with foot hard down, the AT doesn’t let the engine rev beyond the 4,500 rpm redline (in manual mode too). The engine feels quite relaxed cruising for long distances. In 8th gear, at 100 km/h, the engine spins at a comfortable 1,500 rpm, while at 120 km/h the tachometer reads 1,750 rpm.

Read the full official review here.

Here’s what GTO had to say on the matter:

In this era of turbo-charging, I find most NA petrol to be boring. The Tucson’s 2.0 Petrol is “nice”, but that’s it. Not to forget, it’s the same motor you get in the cheaper Alcazar too.

The turbo-diesel has more BHP, torque, better fuel economy and performance. The refinement is also top class. The diesel here is the no-brainer choice for me. The only reason to pick the petrol is if you live in Delhi-NCR & want to keep the car for 15 years, are a very sedate driver, don’t want to stretch your budget by another 2.5 – 3.0 lakhs or have very low running.

Voted for the impressive 2.0 diesel.

Here’s what BHPian anjan_c2007 had to say on the matter:

Going by precedents and by the recent illogical decisions emanating from the judicial forums and also from the corridors of power during these times, a petrol engine is always to be preferred by all who prefer to keep the SUV for at least 15 years. The lower on performance petrol engine with its reported 154 BHP @ 6300 rpm, 192 Nm @ 4500 rpm and its 6-speed automatic transmission will be the choice.

Diesel as fuel is under harsh criticism by all those who matter in the decision-making hierarchy but do not understand the A, B or C of ICE technology. Hence, in the near to distant future, diesel engines could face severe bottlenecks for their seamless sailing and their longevity is unpredictable.

But those who do not bother for the life of their machine and also prefer the more powerful and punch-packed 183 BHP @ 4000 rpm, 416 Nm @ 2000-2750 rpm engine with the 8-speed automatic transmission, could always prefer such a variant .

The petrol variants cost about Rs 3.5 L less than the diesel variants.

Here’s what BHPian sunikkat had to say on the matter:

This is the easiest poll. More than being impressed with the diesel engine, I am disappointed with the petrol. A 2-litre NA engine has no business in a car costing 40 lakhs. And then you compare the competition. Even cheaper Creta has a much better engine than Tucson petrol. So diesel all the way.

Here’s what BHPian vijaykr had to say on the matter:

I had a chance to drive the previous gen, both Diesel and Petrol cars and test drove the 4th gen recently.

In my opinion, if the usage is mainly intended for city driving (80% or 90%), then the Petrol car seems to be adequate. I didn’t find too much issue with it in some rush hour and some small stretches of free-flowing traffic.

The diesel was (is) another story altogether. It is far more eager to push forward with enough power on tap to keep moving briskly through traffic. And on the open road, it builds up speed really well and overtakes don’t require much effort.

Even though there is a possibility of restrictions on diesel coming in future, personally I’d go for diesel only.

Voted for diesel.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

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