Quite unexpectedly I reached the top the other day. It's taken me 39 years of driving, but at long last I've taken a car to the top of a Scottish mountain. It may not have been a Munro, and sure there was a perfectly reasonable track in place, but scrambling to the summit of 2539ft high Sgurr a' Chaorachain on the Applecross peninsula was an achievement both for me and for Hyundai's two-litre CRTD turbodiesel Tucson.The tough Korean SUV had already beaten Scotland's most spectacular road - the stunning 2000ft climb from Loch Kishorn to the top of the Bealach na Ba - when I was offered a chance to go higher still. But this final 550ft climb was no cakewalk. The Tucson had to tackle a transmitter access track hewn from solid rock and surfaced with large, loose and very sharp stones. I had to pick my way carefully along the rough surface. In places it was steep and just wide enough, but the Tucson's turbo diesel didn't miss a beat. From just over 2500ft the view over Skye to the west was magnificent.It says a lot for this modest five-door SUV that it took the Sgurr in its stride. At 4000rpm there's only 111bhp on tap and I was forced to use plenty of revs to make the summit. But with 181lb/ft of torque kicking in between 1800 and 2500rpm the climb was straightforward. The engine is a willing common-rail two-litre which revs easily and delivers as much pulling power as some competitors' 2.5-litre V6 petrol engines.The Tucson has been around for more than two years and is available in two-litre and 2.7-litre V6 petrol forms in addition to the turbo diesel. The oil burner's refinement is not particularly good and there's a cheap and cheerful feel about the vehicle. But as a dependable workhorse with good value pricing it is hard to beat, particularly in diesel form.The cheapest petrol version, a 140bhp two-litre GSI, costs just £14,395 on the road. But this is two-wheel drive only and a pointless choice for any off-road work. The cheapest 4x4 petrol GSI costs £15,395 but if you are looking for all-round ability you need the diesel option.The entry-level GSI CRTD costs £16,395 with the £17,745 CDX I'm testing here an expensive but well-equipped five-door 4x4 diesel range leader. Standard transmission is a five-speed manual with a four-speed Hi-matic auto offered in both GSI and CDX trims for £1000 more. The Tucson is best suited to manual. It makes the roomy SUV easy to drive on tarmac and delivers good flexibility when you venture into the rough stuff.In CRTD form the Tucson is able, but by no means quick. Acceleration is sluggish with rest to 60mph taking 14 seconds and top speed just over 100mph. In the cruise it performs well enough, and when you have to head off-road the manual transmission's ratios are perfectly suited to sticky or steep conditions. My mountain climb was a tough job for any 4x4 but the Tucson never lost power or grip on the ascent and, just as importantly, held firm on the way down. The 4x4 system is a torque-on-demand design which saves fuel and wear and tear by putting the power where it's needed to get maximum traction.Standard features included electric windows, powered and heated door mirrors, full leather, climate control, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror with a pointless and wildly inaccurate built-in compass, electric tilt and slide sunroof, cruise control and a trip computer which does its calculations only in US gallons. The Hyundai also comes with full front, side and curtain airbags, ABS braking with electronic brake force distribution and traction control.The CDX also gets handy roof rails as part of the standard package and a pair of useful 12v sockets to power the kind of accessories the 4x4 outdoor types like to carry.Ground clearance is average for the sector and as I grazed a boulder on my mountain climb I was impressed to find all Tucsons come with underbody skid plates - vital practical protection for anyone contemplating getting into the rough and tumble of off-roading and something not appreciated by many "soft-roader" buyers until it's too late.As a towing tool the Tucson CRTD fares well. It can cope with a 1.6-tonne braked trailer or three-quarters of a tonne unbraked. But if you are lugging a trailer don't expect to get great economy. The two-litre works hard to turn in a reasonable performance without a tow-hook load. My overall figure of 37mpg would drop significantly with a tonne or so hanging on the rear.The options list includes a useful Smartnav satellite navigation pack and 12 months subscription for a reasonable £695, privacy glass which makes it look like a van at £300, and metallic paint for £295.Build quality is good but the interior has a cheap plasticky feel. Heating and ventilation is superb and surprisingly road noise was never an issue.Dynamically impressive it's not. But the Tucson is tough and fit for hard work. Comfort levels are reasonable and the interior is flexible with plenty of luggage capacity - some 504 litres - in the big boot area. The driving experience is spoiled by a raucous engine note and firm ride but the overall package is practical, able and comes with a industry-beating free five-year warranty. Engine 1991cc, 4 cylinders Power 111bhp Transmission 5-speed manual Fuel/CO2 39.8mpg / 187g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 13.8 seconds Top speed 104mph Price £17,395 Details correct at publication date
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