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Break Free; Live with Intensity

2016 Hyundai Tucson
Photo: Hyundai
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Miranda Lightstone
Trekking the Sunshine Coast in the Tucson

Live life to the fullest. Seize moments. Don’t waste time. Make memories not regrets. 

I think we all try and live by the above “rules.” These little mottos we give ourselves to take life by the horns and do what makes us happy is what I’d say often keeps us from sinking into a deep despair (as the responsibilities and adultness of life are apt to take over and make things a bit more taxing). However, as we all know, it’s not always easy to live in the moment or even to take time to smell the roses (before you inevitably take a photo of them for IG). 

Well, while traversing the Sunshine Coast behind the wheel of the brand new 2016 Hyundai Tucson, I was reminded that taking those moments, seizing the day, and really living life are so very, very important. With an advertising slogan that reads: “Break Free; Live with Intensity” it seemed only natural that I’d do that behind the wheel of the new Tucson. 

Crossovers have been all the rage for nearly a decade now, and with good reason. They are compact, drive more like cars, but offer features such as larger trunks and available AWD. What’s not to love? Branded, more often than not, as the “adventure” vehicles in a manufacturer’s lineup, the Tucson proved itself just that: adventurous. 

It’s not like we took it off-roading or even off tarmac, but it was the vehicle’s ease of use and willingness to put up with countless stops, parking, roadside attractions, slamming on the brakes to stare at deer in the woods, and even an Austin-Power’s like parking job on a pier for photos… 

The 2016 Hyundai Tucson took it all in stride, and my driving buddy and I thoroughly enjoyed our time riding the coastal highway, the Pacific Ocean to one side, gigantic west-coast conifers to the other. 

Of course, you could technically seize the day in any vehicle you choose (life’s all in what you make of it, right?), but there was something about the Tucson. Maybe it was the new 1.6L turbo that was such a pleasure to drive or the updated and perfect-for-road-trip-karoake sound system that really solidified the revamped crossover from Hyundai as the one to take when you decide you do want to live with intensity. 

My last morning on the Sunshine Coast, after already spending the previous day behind the wheel of the adventurous Hyundai Tucson, I met a bear in the woods; an honest to goodness black bear traipsing through the underbrush on his way to breakfast, no doubt (as I was, too). We stared at each other for a few seconds, both transfixed. It was a moment in time I’ll not forget, a moment I chose to take and savour and not waste. I wasn’t afraid nor concerned. I felt very much alive.

When the black bear decided he’d had enough of his “moment” with me he continued on his way, and so did I. As I turned towards the path my gaze fell on the 2016 Hyundai Tucson parked on the edge of a rocky cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and I smiled: In those few days I’d broken free a bit and managed to live intensely, thanks in no small part to the Tucson. 

 

 

Miranda Lightstone
Miranda Lightstone
Automotive expert
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