Ashton
Newbie
While Serenity is dry docked getting worked on (that's our 1994 Dodge 2500 5.2 adventure rig), we recently picked up this compact SUV to help satisfy the adventure spirit. Spring has sprung, and as most of you know, the itch to get out and explore is strong. She's a capable little vessel. With her 2.0l engine, all wheel drive, push-button center locking differential and down hill assist, I was more than curious to see how a well priced, low mileage outsider would do in the overlanding/adventure rig category.
We live in a lovely bit of country here in Northern California, and finding dirt roads to test the capabilities of this, our shuttle craft, was not hard. Just over yonder we were able to find a gently rutted and rained out road that took us for a handful of miles through the foothills. Taking it easy on this initial foray was the only mission parameter, and the better half was sure to watch all sides of the craft for land debris that might scuff Firefly's new paint. There wasn't much of that to worry about, so we focused on use of the downhill assist and the locking center differential buttons on our helm control. In these conditions, the center dif was only needed to make sure that these small water crossings did not end up in a stuck craft (we are still on street tires here). The downhill assist works wonderfully, if not a bit noisy. To me, this seems a high dollar function, on a fully affordable platform. The system works, and will get much use in the higher back country we love to explore.
The roads were gentle, and a little rutted out from the rains. This vessel has some stiff springs and little suspension travel, making it much more noticeable when you run over holes and rocks. She suffered no ill effects from this journey, but care will have to be taken for future trips to be sure the road intended suspension holds up to off-road travel. While upgrades can, and potentially will be made, we intend to leave this as a daily driving, therefore stock, vehicle. The downhill assist kept us slowly moving down decent grades, which allowed the navigator and helmsman (one in the same today) to move through rocks, slightly broken up road, and mud puddles with ease. Again, this wasn't a big test for the locking differential, which will be put to its paces later.
All in all, this 2014 Hyundai Tucson is well equipped for it's main use as a daily driver (with eco mode, which nets us about 25mpg, comfortable interior and cockpit and features like heated seats) and tastefully uses some extra gadgets to satisfy this Captains need for off road adventure (push-button locking center dif, downhill assist, AWD and traction control). She clearly needs more stretching of the legs and testing of the capabilities before she becomes a fully trusted member of the fleet, but a finer craft in this category cannot be had.
Stay ∩northodx my friends.
We live in a lovely bit of country here in Northern California, and finding dirt roads to test the capabilities of this, our shuttle craft, was not hard. Just over yonder we were able to find a gently rutted and rained out road that took us for a handful of miles through the foothills. Taking it easy on this initial foray was the only mission parameter, and the better half was sure to watch all sides of the craft for land debris that might scuff Firefly's new paint. There wasn't much of that to worry about, so we focused on use of the downhill assist and the locking center differential buttons on our helm control. In these conditions, the center dif was only needed to make sure that these small water crossings did not end up in a stuck craft (we are still on street tires here). The downhill assist works wonderfully, if not a bit noisy. To me, this seems a high dollar function, on a fully affordable platform. The system works, and will get much use in the higher back country we love to explore.
The roads were gentle, and a little rutted out from the rains. This vessel has some stiff springs and little suspension travel, making it much more noticeable when you run over holes and rocks. She suffered no ill effects from this journey, but care will have to be taken for future trips to be sure the road intended suspension holds up to off-road travel. While upgrades can, and potentially will be made, we intend to leave this as a daily driving, therefore stock, vehicle. The downhill assist kept us slowly moving down decent grades, which allowed the navigator and helmsman (one in the same today) to move through rocks, slightly broken up road, and mud puddles with ease. Again, this wasn't a big test for the locking differential, which will be put to its paces later.
All in all, this 2014 Hyundai Tucson is well equipped for it's main use as a daily driver (with eco mode, which nets us about 25mpg, comfortable interior and cockpit and features like heated seats) and tastefully uses some extra gadgets to satisfy this Captains need for off road adventure (push-button locking center dif, downhill assist, AWD and traction control). She clearly needs more stretching of the legs and testing of the capabilities before she becomes a fully trusted member of the fleet, but a finer craft in this category cannot be had.
Stay ∩northodx my friends.
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