Rent Hyundai Tucson 2021 in Dubai

Book a Hyundai Tucson 2021 in Dubai and you're renting the outgoing Tucson, the third-generation shape Hyundai sold across the Gulf before the newer model reached local showrooms the following year. That's not a knock on the car. This generation spent years proving itself as a mid-size family SUV before Hyundai replaced it, and the mechanicals underneath, from the automatic gearbox to the boot, still do exactly what a week in Dubai asks of them: an airport run with cases, a string of mall trips, a calm cruise down Sheikh Zayed Road. We hand it over at your door in one to two hours, and because it's the older body, the rate reflects that rather than the newer Tucson's premium.

What's under the bonnet, and how it drives

This Tucson runs the 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four Hyundai fitted across the third-generation range, an MPI unit rather than anything turbocharged, paired with a six-speed torque-converter automatic and front-wheel drive. Output lands at 150 hp and around 192 Nm, enough to keep pace with city traffic and merge onto Sheikh Zayed Road without drama, though overtaking with a full load on a long uphill grade asks for a bit more planning than a turbo rival would need. There's no AWD grade on this car. Treat it as a tarmac SUV and nothing more.

Space, boot and the family week

The boot holds around 500 litres with the rear seats up, enough for two large suitcases and a couple of soft bags on a DXB or DWC run without folding anything down, and the bench drops flat for a bigger haul like flatpack furniture or a full grocery run. The back seat fits two adults properly, or three kids across without elbows fighting, which is where a compact crossover or a hatch starts to struggle. At 4.48 metres long and 1.85 wide, it's a size up from a Creta but not a large SUV, so a tight Marina tower ramp or a narrow JLT basement bay is manageable with the reversing camera rather than something to worry about. Ground clearance of 172mm shrugs off speed bumps and mall ramps without drama. It won't do more than that. This is a front-wheel-drive Tucson on road tyres, so Hatta tracks and dune runs are off the table.

Cooling the cabin, and running it

Left in the sun on a July afternoon, the cabin takes a few minutes longer to cool than a small hatchback simply because there's more volume to shift, but the front vents pull hard once you're moving and get it comfortable quickly. Rear vents on the back of the centre console keep kids in the second row from waiting on cold air that has to drift back from the front, a detail that matters more than it sounds once everyone's climbing back in from 45-degree heat.

Official combined economy for the 2.0 MPI is about 7.9 litres per 100km, though Dubai's stop-start traffic with the AC running full pushes real-world driving closer to 9 or 10. The 62-litre tank still gives a decent range, roughly 600 to 650km in city use, so a week of ordinary driving means one or two stops at the pump. This rental includes 2,500km across the whole booking rather than a daily allowance, and every kilometre past that is AED 1. That's generous for a week of city errands, but keep an eye on it over a longer trip. A weekend run to Abu Dhabi and back alone can eat a meaningful chunk of the allowance. Salik tolls and any RTA fines are the renter's responsibility, standard across the fleet, and you'll need to be 25 to take the keys.

Who should rent it, and who should size down

Rent this Tucson if the badge year doesn't matter to you and you want a proper mid-size SUV, not a compact crossover, for a family of four doing school runs, mall trips and the odd airport pickup. It's also the right call if you've compared it against a newer Tucson listing and decided the extra rate isn't worth it for a car that still does the job.

Size down to a Creta or a hatchback if it's just you or a couple running errands on a budget. The smaller footprint parks easier, and the lower rent is hard to argue with when you don't need the extra room. Size up if your group is six or seven, since this is a five-seater regardless of generation, or if the plan includes Hatta or the dunes, because the front-wheel-drive setup here isn't built for sand.