Hyundai's Tucson is a compact crossover that's offered with front- or all-wheel drive. It's available only as a 4-door wagon with seating for 5 passengers. Hyundai offers gas-only, gas-electric hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. Tucson shares chassis and engines with the Kia Sportage with competitors including the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-50, Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4 and Volkswagen Tiguan. Most recently overhauled in 2022, the Tucson gets a facelift for 2025 with freshened front and rear fascias, upgraded technology, and a redesigned interior.
Powertrain options vary depending on the trim level. The SE, SEL, XRT and Limited trim levels are offered with front- or all-wheel drive and come with a 187-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. The N Line, Blue Hybrid, SEL Convenience Hybrid and Limited Hybrid trims get hybrid powertrain that pairs a turbocharged 1.6-liter gas engine with an electric motor for a total of 231 horsepower. The hybrid comes standard with a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Hyundai also offers a plug-in version of the Tucson that gets a more powerful 261 horsepower hybrid powertrain and a 13.8 kWh battery that provides up to 33 miles of all-electric range. Like the hybrid, it comes with a 6-speed automatic transmission and is offered only with all-wheel drive.
Prices start at $30,000 and go up to more than $48,000 for a top trim plug-in hybrid. Standard features include LED headlights, wireless integration of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Safety features include driver attention warning, forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic warning. Optional on SEL and Hybrid Blue trims and standard on the N Line and Limited trims is a new combined instrument cluster/infotainment display that houses a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and a 12.3-inch touchscreen. Other changes this year include a new steering wheel, revised interior storage spaces and a new driver drowsiness monitoring system.
Tucson's base engine is somewhat of a dud. It provides merely adequate around-town acceleration and modest passing punch on the highway. With a 0 to 60 MPH time of about 10 seconds, the base Tucson might be slowest vehicle in the class. Add a few passengers or a load of cargo and things really slow down. In addition, the engine trashes in hard acceleration, making more noise than power. Thankfully, there's a hybrid option that's not all that much more money.
The hybrid model offers snapper all-around performance, albeit somewhat docile with a 0 to 60 MPH time of about 8 seconds. Still, the 6-speed automatic provides a much more natural feeling as compared to the continuously variable automatics in other hybrids. Overall, the Tucson hybrid is about a second slower than CR-V and RAV4. The plug-in hybrid is the performance champ and provides about 33 miles of all-electric range when the battery is fully charged.
Like most vehicles in this class, the Tucson is a soft roader, meaning it's not intended to venture far off paved surfaces. Its all-wheel-drive system does not have a low range and there's not much ground clearance or even available off-road goodies for the adventurous set.
Tucson fuel economy numbers fall into the middle of the class, with EPA ratings of 25/33 MPG for front-drive and 24/30 MPG for all-wheel drive. Step up to the hybrid and you'll find an EPA rating of 35/35 MPG, impressive, but a few MPGs behind CR-V and RAV4 hybrids. In routine driving expect to average about 28 MPG with the gas-only model, perhaps 33 MG with the hybrid. The 14.3-gallon gas tank provides about 380 miles of range on the gas-only model between fill ups.
On the road, Tucson feels nimble but not athletic. No, it's not a sport sedan, but it's competitive with others in the class from a ride-and-handling perspective. One drawback is somewhat underwhelming brakes. While the pedal modulation is good, overall stopping power is a modest 129 feet from 60 MPH, which is average for the class. That is somewhat offset by precise steering and modest body lean. Throw the Tucson around a bit and you'll be rewarded with quick and managed responses from the suspension that make it feel smaller than it really is.
From a ride quality standpoint, buyers are surely going to like the easy-going nature of Tucson. The suspension does an excellent job of filtering out the big stuff while still maintaining enough control to quell unwanted body motions. There is more interior noise than you might expect, however, especially at highway speeds.
Tucson gets a modest exterior facelift for 2025, but a revamped interior that features bigger screens and more tech. The design is fairly de-facto for Hyundai these days with a digital gauge cluster and a formal upright center stack loaded with a large touch screen and lots of buttons. Materials seem appropriate for the class and the build quality was excellent for an early production model.
The front seats are somewhat narrow, but well cushioned and provide good long-haul support. Head and leg room are ample. The center console is thick, but at least it is the right height to provide a comfortable armrest. There's also some small storage underneath. Rear seats are spacious and provide ample room for two large adults, regardless of the front-seat position. There's even enough width for three in back. With modest ride height and wide-opening doors it is easy to get in and out.
From a driver's perspective, there is good visibility forward, but thick rear pillars can create blind spots at times. The gauge cluster is easy to read, day or night, but should be more customizable since it is fully digital. The center-stack touch screen is large and integrates with Android Auto and Apple Car Play wirelessly. Still, Hyundai's infotainment system feels a bit cumbersome when moving around from screen to screen, forcing you to return to the home screen each time you want to make a change. In addition, the radio display could be more elegantly designed.
Cargo capacity tops out at about 75 cubic feet -- exceptional for the compact class. Even with the rear seats in use, there's about 40 cubic feet of cargo space. Interior storage is modest, but at least there is an available wireless charging dock.
Bottom Line -- Tucson is an excellent choice for compact crossover buyers. Strong points include a roomy cabin, pleasing driving nature and lots of safety and technology features. However, the bland base engine holds it back against class leaders like the CR-V and Mazda CX-5. The addition of a hybrid model is welcome and brings a welcome upgrade in both performance and economy. Hyundai also offers one of the best warranties in the business and has strong resale value.
