Hyundai Tucson Review & Prices

The Hyundai Tucson is a mid-size SUV that competes in an ever-more popular area of the market against alternatives such as the Nissan Qashqai, Seat Ateca and Volkswagen Tiguan.

Take a look at the Hyundai Tucson and it might remind you a little bit of a 1990s rock variety tribute band, probably named along the lines of Green Mild Chili Pipers or Craze Against the Spleen. It takes the greatest hit design elements of pretty much everything else on the market, and brings them into one package.

At the front, the huge cascading grille makes it look a bit like a Mercedes EQC, with front quarter panel strakes either side that seem to have been lifted straight from a Bentley Flying Spur. 

The rear lights seem to be a combination of the straked elements from a Peugeot 3008 and a thin full-width bar as seen on a Seat Leon. As a result, the Hyundai Tucson can to some eyes be a little incohesive, and rather jarring to look at. 

Fortunately, things improve inside. It feels a lot nicer and posher than the old car, largely thanks to an abundance of soft-touch and good-quality materials throughout. It’s easy to find a comfy seating position, too, thanks to plenty of adjustment in both the seat and steering wheel.

Group Test: Honda HR-V v Hyundai Tucson v Kia Sportage v Nissan Qashqai

Smack in the middle of the centre console is a new infotainment system, displayed on a 10.3-inch touchscreen. It’s sharp and bright, but it can be a bit sluggish to use. Fortunately, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay come as standard across the range if you’d prefer to mirror your smartphone. 

Also standard on all versions of the Hyundai Tucson is a digital driver’s display that replaces dials and gauges with a crisp screen. It looks great, and there are plenty of customisation options as well.

Space in the back row of the Tucson is decent, with good legroom and excellent headroom — even with the optional glass sunroof in place. The rear seats themselves have an odd dip to them though, and it means stretching your legs out is a bit more difficult than it needs to be, plus you have bolsters pressing into the sides of your thighs. ISOFIX points are a fuss to get to as well. 

Boot space is seriously impressive in the Hyundai Tucson. Standard petrol versions of the car and the hybrid have a remarkable 620 litres on offer, which is about enough space for seven carry-on suitcases. 

That puts it just ahead of the Volkswagen Tiguan’s 615 litres while leaving the Skoda Karoq and its 521 litre boot for dust. Although beware that the mild-hybrid version of the car only has 577 litres on offer as a result of its battery placement.

Speaking of engines, there’s a reasonable choice for the Tucson. There are two 150hp 1.6-litre petrols, one of which is a mild hybrid for minor efficiency improvements. Then there’s a full hybrid, 230hp option and a 265hp plug-in hybrid version topping the range.

The Hyundai Tucson is good for running around town. Visibility is excellent thanks to large side windows and a decent view out of the back, with a pretty adequate turning circle as well. The suspension is somewhat on the firm side for this kind of car, but it’s not overly harsh.

At speed it does settle down a bit though, so you’re not going to feel crashes and bumps while travelling along the motorway. Just don’t expect it to be much fun on a back road — the steering is overly-light and feels disconnected, and you’d be better served by a Seat Ateca if you’re after a more engaging driving SUV. 

Much like that tribute rock band you’ve decided to go see for a bit of a fun evening, the Hyundai Tucson will just about tick all the boxes to keep you satisfied. It doesn’t do anything unique to stand out, though.

Make sure to check carwow for deals on the Hyundai Tucson or other Hyundai models, and there's plenty of used deals on the Tucson too. You can also sell your car through carwow. It's really easy - just upload some pictures of your car, put in its details and dealers will bid on it. You then pick the best offer for you and the dealer will collect it with the money going straight into your account.

Scan the prices of the Hyundai Tucson and compare them with those closest to it, like the Seat Ateca and Volkswagen Tiguan, and the Hyundai can appear a touch pricey. However, look at all the standard kit the Tucson has and it’s very good value, plus you get a five-year warranty as standard.

The range starts with the SE Connect trim and to move up from here to the Premium costs £1,700. It’s a smaller step from there to N Line of £700, but jumping up to the N Line S needs a further £1,700 of your hard-earned cash. If you fancy the Ultimate trim, it commands a less daunting £300 extra over the N Line S.

The Hyundai Tucson covers all of the bases for comfort and refinement, but it’s not quite as much fun to drive as a Ford Kuga

In town

First things first, the Tucson provides that all-important raised driving position that so many people love about SUVs. It gives a good all-round view, though there is a small blind spot where the front windscreen pillar meets the mirror. You might have to move your head a little when pulling out of junctions, but the large mirrors give a clear picture of what’s behind.

In every Tucson, there are rear parking sensors and a reversing camera, so it’s a doddle to back into even narrow spaces in a multi-storey bay. You’ll also find the steering is light and the turning circle just tight enough to negotiate mini roundabouts without running out of road on the outside.

The only Tucson with a manual gearbox is the entry-point 1.6-litre turbo petrol motor with 150hp. It has a light action and feels fine to use for gadding about town. With the 180hp mild hybrid, which also come with four-wheel drive, the dual-clutch automatic transmission is smooth. Or there’s the more traditional type of automatic ’box in the 230hp hybrid and 265hp plug-in hybrid models that’s seamless.

With the plug-in hybrid version, you can travel for up to 35 miles on battery power before the petrol engine is required. That’s ideal for most urban commutes and journeys, and charging up is as simple as with any other electric car.

The only demerit for the Tucson when driving around the city is the ride feels a little on the firm side. It’s not crashy or noisy or uncomfortable, it just picks up on ridges and ruts that a Skoda Karoq brushes over.

On the motorway

If the ride of the Hyundai Tucson feels too firm in town, it quickly smooths out on faster roads to give the car excellent composure. When you meet big dips or ridges, the Hyundai is unfazed and it gets on with the job of taking you where you want to go with minimal fuss.

The steering is less impressive as it’s too light on the open road. Where it’s great around town, you will find it doesn’t give you quite the connected feel of a Seat Ateca.

Nor is the Tucson quite as quiet at higher speeds as a Volvo XC40, though it’s still more than refined enough to carry on a conversation with passengers in a normal voice.

The engines are happy on the motorway, pulling smoothly to get you up to the national limit. At a cruise, they’re quiet and decently efficient. There’s also cruise control and a speed limiter to avoid the risk of wandering above the maximum allowed.

On a twisty road

Just like on the motorway, the Hyundai Tucson’s steering is the fly in the ointment when it comes to driving on country roads. You just don’t have the same high level of confidence turning into corners that you get in a Ford Kuga.

The Tucson much prefers a laid-back approach, which suits the car’s overall demeanour anyway. However, the suspension does a good job of preventing too much body roll and loses that firmness you get in town to become quite supple.

The all-wheel drive fitted to the 180hp and 265hp versions of the Tucson will give added traction in bad weather, but don’t expect to go off-roading. Every Tucson’s engine is willing on country roads, but the 230hp hybrid is the best bet if you like your cars with strong acceleration.

Everyone will find a comfortable driving position in the Hyundai Tucson’s well-made cabin, but three abreast in the back is a tight fit

Finding the ideal driving position in the Hyundai Tucson is straightforward as all models have height adjustment for the driver’s seat. In the Ultimate model, this is done electrically, and all but the base SE Connect come with heated seats for those in the front. However, even the SE Connect has electrically operated lumbar support for your lower back.

Moving the steering wheel to suit your preferred seating position is easy and the wheel moves up and down, and in and out. In the N Line S, Premium and Ultimate trims, you also enjoy a heated steering wheel for those chilly winter mornings.

You’ll also find two large cupholders in the centre console to keep your morning coffee safely upright. In front of this, there’s a big tray where you can keep your phone, and only the SE Connect trim does without a wireless charging pad in this spot. However, there are two USB ports and a 12-volt charging point.

Behind the gear selector, there’s a very storage bin with a lid that doubles as an armrest, and there’s some added pockets down the side of the transmission tunnel.

There’s also a big glovebox in the Tucson, and the door pockets are broad enough to hold the usual size of water bottle.

Space in the back seats

Access to the back seats of the Hyundai Tucson is good, so no problems lifting kids into their seats here. However, the ISOFIX mounting points on the two outer seats are stuffed between the upper and lower cushions, so you end up prodding and hoping when trying to secure a child seat in place.

Room for kids and adults is very good in the Tucson, though three grown-ups will find shoulder room more than a little snug. The centre seat has a slightly raised base, but there’s still ample headroom and plenty of space for feet.

The outer two seats, which are heated in the top level Ultimate model, have a mildly scooped out base, which can see the front of the base dig into your thighs. However, it’s pretty comfy in here and vision out is fine, too.

Netted pockets and adequate door bins cover off storage, and cupholders in the fold-down armrest. There’s a pair of USB ports to charge up the kids’ devices.

Boot space

The size of the Hyundai Tucson’s boot depends on which engine you choose. With the 150hp 1.6-litre motor, you get a whopping 620 litres of space. However, in the full hybrid model it dips to 577 litres and the 265hp plug-in version has 558 litres because of the need to package those big batteries. This is still very generous, but if you need the maximum load capacity, the base engine is the one to have.

It's the same story with the 40-20-40 split and tip rear seats folded down. There’s as much as 1,799 litres in the 150hp model, dropping to 1,737 litres for the plug-in Tucson.

Compared to alternatives, the Tucson comes out on top more often than not. The Kia Sportage offers up to 591 litres, Seat's Ateca is far off at 510 litres and the Peugeot 3008 is in a similar place at 520 litres. Only the Volkswagen Tiguan is on a different level at 977 litres, while Volvo's XC40 is on a similar level at 586 litres.

Folding the seats is very easy thanks to levers in the boot’s side walls and the floor is almost flat with the rear chairs lowered.

Another neat Hyundai solution is a handy space under the boot floor to store the load cover, so it’s not left rattling around the boot when removed.

Lots of high quality materials mix with a slick modern style to make the Tucson feel very classy inside, it’s just a shame that connecting Android Auto or Apple CarPlay cuts the screen size

The Hyundai Tucson might well be a family sized SUV, but when you take a first look at its interior you could be forgiven for thinking it’s a much posher car. The mix of materials and the way they are put together is top notch and gives the Tucson the look and sense of a car that costs a lot more.

Hyundai doesn’t waste this initial good impression either, as every model comes with a 10.25-inch ‘Supervision Cluster’. Or what you and I call the main dash screen. This digital display shows the usual speedo plus a second round dial to tell you how much power is being used or fed back into the battery by brake regeneration.

The display is clear and easy to read, even in bright sunlight, and it can also be configured using the steering wheel controls to show all of the driving info you want or need.

In the centre of the dash, there’s another 10.25-inch screen for the infotainment. This broad touchscreen display seems even bigger than it is because the buttons for the heating and ventilation are incorporated into the same panel just underneath.

Hyundai sticks with separate buttons for the heater, though they are electronic ones that sit flush with the dash panel. As a result, they are not quite as intuitive to use as normal physical buttons, but it’s still a lot better than the fiddly set-up in the Peugeot 3008, for example.

The Tucson's infotainment screen is much more integrated than the previous generations, and it’s simple to use. Its menus are arranged in a logical order and the screen is reasonably quick to respond to a tap from your finger.

Screen resolution is good on the 10.25-inch monitor and it doesn’t show up finger marks the way some can in direct sunlight.

It’s easy to pair your phone to the Hyundai’s infotainment, which is done through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. However, when using these systems, part of the screen’s width is taken up with a pointless logo, so you get a reduced amount of screen for the sat-nav or other functions.

With most Hyundai Tucsons using hybrid power of some sort, you’d be right to expect some decent economy and emissions figures. The non-hybrid 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine with six-speed manual gearbox offers an official economy figure of 41.5mpg and 151g/km of CO2 emissions. Choose the mild hybrid version with this engine and the dual-clutch automatic gearbox and you’ll see an improvement to 43.5mpg and 149g/km. That means this hybrid currently costs £220 in first year road tax compared to the non-hybrid’s hefty £585 payment. The 230hp version manages 49.6mpg and 127g/km.

Best of the lot is the plug-in hybrid Tucson with its 265hp combined of petrol and electric motors. It delivers an impressive official 201.8mpg along with 31g/km of CO2 output. It qualifies for free road tax, too.

The Hyundai Tucson comes with the usual front, side and curtain airbags as most other SUVs in its class. However, the Tucson also has a central front airbag to prevent the driver and front passenger banging into each other in an accident.

Every Tucson has lane keeping assistance, lane follow assist, and intelligent speed limiting. You also get a driver fatigue warning and automatic emergency braking.

The N Line gains a safe exit warning to help when pulling out of space, while the upper three trims have junction turning assistance.

In these three trims, there’s a blind spot collision warning, as well as rear cross traffic alert that’s also shared with the N Line model.

Only the Ultimate version of the Tucson has Highway Drive Assist that offers a small degree of self-driving ability, though you have to keep your hands on the steering wheel and it won’t work in trickier driving situations.

There’s been a single recall for this generation of Hyundai Tucson. It concerns the rear brakes, where the brake caliper could fail. All cars affected should have been dealt with by now.

Hyundai provides a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty as standard with its cars, which is only beaten by Kia and Toyota.