Neither should you buy a Tucson for serious off-roading. Without a low-range transfer case, the Tucson is meant to travel only well worn trails through the woods, like the utility access road Hyundai had us drive in the forest just east of Tillamook, Ore. With lots of mudholes but few significant bumps, dips, hills, or ruts, this trail posed little challenge for the Tucson, which bounded through without bottoming thanks to 7.8 inches of ground clearance. We did detect a delay in power transfer when the front wheels slipped in the muck, but Hyundai never claimed that the 4WD system would operate transparently to the driver. Besides, there’s a way to lock the driveline into a 50/50 split by using a simple button on the dashboard if you’re not interested in leaving power transfer to the system’s electronic brain. Later, on a wet dirt road, we sawed at the Tucson’s steering wheel to engage the stability control system. It exhibited a high threshold of slip before engagement, working effectively and unobtrusively to get the Tucson under control once activated.

On pavement, the 2005 Hyundai Tucson’s power rack-and-pinion steering has a bit of play on center and requires more muscle to twist than expected, but offers a decent feel for the road. With MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link arrangement in back, the four-wheel-independent suspension provides an impressive ride and handling mix. Driving harder than most people might, we found that the Tucson’s weight transitions well between corners, and that it’s easy to drive this SUV with spirit, if not verve. Even the brakes work well, with a pedal that’s easy to modulate for squeezing just the right amount of pressure to the calipers. They aren’t touchy or grabby, and there’s no excessive pedal travel.