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Hyundai Smart Sense: What Makes It So Special?

Hyundai has finally brought the new generation Tucson to our shores and it sure looks promising. The Tucson brings in a lot of firsts with it including a very radical design for the interior and exterior which truly sets it apart from its rivals like the Volkswagen Tiguan which features an understated design. Speaking of firsts, Tucson is the first Hyundai in India to feature Level 2 ADAS technology. So what makes this technology so special? Let’s find out!

Also read: Hyundai Tucson Variants Explained

Hyundai Smart Sense: What is it?

The Hyundai Smart Sense suite offers as many as 19 functions! These Level 2 ADAS functions use the cameras and radar sensors mounted around the SUV to detect cars, pedestrians, and cyclists on the road. These functions have varying levels of application such as driving assistance, audible warnings and even taking the control of the car when needed! We got to experience these features firsthand at the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) testing facility in Manesar to understand how they work.

How does it work?

Let’s talk about the smaller assistance features first which you could find yourself using on your daily commute. The Tucson features a 360-degree parking camera with a crisp quality to help you get in and out of tricky situations. It also gets a Blind View Monitor which gets activated at the touch of the indicators. This feature essentially displays the blind spot in the instrument cluster for as long as the turn indicator is on to ensure that you turn or change lanes safely. There’s also a rear cross-traffic alert wherein the Tucson alerts you if you have a vehicle coming past you while you’re reversing out of a spot.

If you don’t pay attention to the warning, the car will brake automatically. There’s also a safe exit warning which alerts the passenger while opening the door if a car is approaching them. Other than this, Tucson also features Driver Attention Warning which monitors the driver’s responsiveness and driving style and asks the driver to take a break if he/she is too tired. Of course, the Tucson also features all of the basic safety features and driving aids such as 6 airbags, ESC, ABS, TPMS, Hill Descent Control, and ISOFIX child mounts. Now that we have covered the smaller functions and features, let’s take a look at the more advanced ones.

The Smart Cruise Control aka adaptive cruise control can be activated via the touch of a button on the steering wheel. This system essentially maintains a predetermined distance from the car driving in front of you. All you need to do is set a speed limit and the Tucson will effortlessly cruise while maintaining a good distance from the car driving in front of you. If the car in front of you slows down, Tucson will slow down as well while maintaining the distance. In fact, it can completely stop as well and even take off without the driver needing to do anything.

The next features are Lane Follow Assist and Lane Keep Assist. The Lane Follow Assist function helps the car to stay in the center of the lane. The feature works right from 0 km/h. The next level of this function is Lane Keep Assist. This feature works from 60 km/h onwards and the system detects if the car veers off the lane. If the car detects a lane drift, it provides you with audio-visual warnings. Should you not pay heed to those, the system will correct the steering wheel for you.

There’s also a Forward Collison Warning system. With the help of radar in front, Tucson can detect a stationary pedestrian, a car, or a cyclist and give an audible warning to reduce your speed or come to a halt. If you don’t react to the situation, Tucson will automatically brake if the speed is under 60 km/h. If the speed is above 60 km/h, the car will partially brake to avoid losing control. This system works well and we got a first-hand experience of it at the test track. There’s also a Blind Spot Monitoring system that warns you if there’s a vehicle in your blind spot. The car will also apply the brakes to avoid a collision.

Conclusion

The Hyundai Smart Sense works like a charm and it’s great to see Hyundai bring this feature to the premium SUV segment. Of course, the system is subject to conditions like proper lane markings for it to work. However, it is a step in the right direction and we expect Hyundai to bring this feature to more cars in the future.

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