We spent several hours as pilot and passenger inside a 2005 Hyundai Tucson GLS 4WD equipped with the power sunroof and upgraded audio system. With good power off the line, the 2.7-liter V6 engine is fine for bopping around town, and we found the Tucson to be neither under or overpowered with two adults and a couple of bags on board when passing on two lane roads. The spry little sport-ute could effortlessly cruise at highway speeds, and crested the Cascade Mountains without breaking a sweat as we made our way from Portland to the Pacific. Under hard acceleration, the Tucson seemed to deliver more thrash than thrust, but since most people won’t drive it with the pedal to metal, this is unlikely to cause irritation. Based on our initial drive, the 2.7-liter V6 is exactly right for the Tucson; we’d guess buyers of the GL model might wish they’d spent a little extra to get the bigger engine.

Supporting the engine’s adequate performance is an automatic transmission that shifts smoothly in automatic mode and responsively in manual mode. Shifting manually is easy, with a separate gate that allows a tap of the gear selector up for the next higher gear and a tap down for the next lower gear. Again, under hard acceleration, the transmission upshifts slowly and softly, which underscores the obvious fact that you shouldn’t buy a Tucson for drag racing.