2022 Hyundai Tucson in-depth review – best hybrid SUV? | What Car?

normally when a manufacturer makes a car that becomes a huge sales success the temptation when it comes to update it is to stay on the cautious side when it comes to any changes in the exterior styling think of the vw goal for the nissan qashqai but that hasn't been hyundai's approach with the new tucson for the fourth generation model of hyundai's global best seller the korean manufacturer has thrown away the style template of its predecessor and given a huge makeover outside inside and under the bonnet the question is have these radical changes transformed the tucson from a worthy but unremarkable family suv into a class-leading one we're going to find out in this review and we're also going to tell you everything else you need to know about the car including what trims you should go for and what engine options are the best as well but before we start you can save 2 000 pounds off the tucson by going to whatcar.com let's show you around the outside of the car first starting with the grill at the front that you can see has this really interesting distinctive bold design here got a kind of insect eye look to the grille doesn't it it's a few nice details on the side as well and moving around here you can see it's very angular with lots of creases on the side of the car and the alloys also fairly distinctive you've got a choice of 17 18 or these 19-inch alloy wheels you can also have some two-tone color combinations and there's this satin chrome accent line that runs from the front of the car to the back where you can see you've got a roof mounted rear spoiler back here which does also quite neatly hide the rear windscreen wiper so you can't see that at all from the back you can also see the hyundai badge set into this rear windscreen and down here a light bar that runs all the way along the back again giving it quite a distinctive look from the rear so this is a family suv that's up against quite conservatively styled rivals like the attacker volkswagen tiguan volvo xc40 even so how do you think this looks make sure you let us know in the comments below whether you like this kind of out-there hyundai design or whether you prefer some of the rivals that this is up against so now let's have a look inside to see if there's also an interesting design there well it is very different in here from before with this new minimalist layout and it has a relatively upmarket feel as well certainly compared to other family suvs in this class so you've got tactile materials that feel pretty nice and some well-damped buttons that have a good feel of quality to them as well plus there's some nice details on the ends of these stalks coming out the steering wheel so compared to a say a tech or a vw tiguan this does feel a little more special but it's missing that final layer of panache that you get with a volvo xc40 because some of the materials like the leather around this steering wheel and if you go for leather seats especially they've got a plasticky sheen to them and also there's a bit of flex in this center console here so some rivals at the more expensive end of this family suv class have a slightly higher level of quality but still this is an impressive interior and the tech is very good as well all tucson's got a 10.3 inch touchscreen infotainment system that's as crisp as the best systems out there and comes with smart graphics as well you also get apple carplay and android auto as standard the menus are pretty straightforward and the software is generally more responsive than the peugeot or volvo systems the screens you get in the skoda korok and tiguan are a little snappier though and of course it would be better if there were physical controls to use it because then it would be less distracting to use on the road it also has some quirky features in it like these slightly random ambient noises you have another 10.3 inch screen for the digital driver display which itself is very good impressive bright nice graphics and it shows everything that you need to see within an easy glance down here right in front of you and the driving position generally is very good you've got quite a high suv driving position which is missing in quite a lot of other family suvs because something like the attacker sits you noticeably lower and closer to the floor than this tucson the view out is also pretty good although the one weak point there is over the shoulder you can see those huge rear pillars which does block your over the shoulder view a little bit but you get rear parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard and you can also go for the optional tech pack which gives you a 360 degree camera as well as something called blind spot view monitor which essentially means when you turn the indicator on you get a live camera feed on the driver display of your blind spot which is pretty handy but inside the tucson it's space where this car really excels because there's tons of it up front and in the back you'll fit a couple of six footers in here very easily indeed so loads of headroom i'm just under six foot and you can see plenty of headroom there no problems and also lots of leg room to stretch out in and even loads of space under the seats in front as well for your feet to go so if you're wanting a family suv for ferrying around children and adults then this should definitely be towards the top of your shopping list now this car is slightly bigger than before and also there's going to be two different versions of this car made but only in other markets so elsewhere you'll be able to choose from a long wheelbase version of this car or a shorter wheelbase version of this car but in the uk we're only getting the smaller version but still even though it's supposedly the smaller of the two versions it's very generous for space so that is very good other things to show you back here you get your pretty standard armrest with a couple of cup holders and you can also fold down this middle seat to give you easy access to the boot or just use it as a ski hatch of course the seats can't move forwards or backwards like they can in the tiguan but you are able to recline them you can fold those rear seats individually as well but even with them upright in place this is one of the biggest boots in the class it's properly massive you can fit eight carry-on sized suitcases under the parcel shelf here which compared to a volvo xc40 that can get seven and a voxel groundline x that can fit six so it is very big and you can see it's a nice easy usable shape as well there is a bit of wheel arch intrusion but it isn't too bad because you also have some underfloor storage plus there's actually a height adjustable boot floor but as you can see once you've taken it out and put it back in it doesn't lie completely flat it does kind of slope up at the back so it's not the best adjustable boot floor but it's still useful to have so the tucson is pretty impressive inside but what's it like on the road well we'll start by telling you about the engines now there's no diesels at all instead you have a 1.6 liter turbocharged petrol engine which is available in various different power outputs and levels of hybridiness so it starts with a 148 brake horsepower version of that engine which you can have with mild hybrid technology or without mild hybrid technology above that you've got a 178 brake horsepower version which is only available as a mild hybrid but it's only available with an automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive so it's quite a bit more expensive and then above that you've got this 227 brake horsepower hybrid version not a mild hybrid this gets a tiny battery which enables the car to travel on electric power alone for very very short bursts so if you're parking or if you're just starting a journey or if you're in stop start traffic this isn't a plug-in hybrid plug-in hybrids have much bigger batteries and they can travel for maybe 20 or 30 miles on pure electric power alone before it needs to call on the engine to help it that isn't the case with this version of the tucson although in the future there will be a plug-in hybrid version of this car of the engines available we'd go for the entry level 1.6 tgdi 150 with the mild hybrid system to keep it cheap this standard hybrid we're driving is good but it's expensive and you shouldn't go into buying this car thinking that will cost peanuts to run because it's a hybrid because we did some fuel economy tests just using the trip computer on a mixed controlled route of motorway city driving urban roads we recorded a result of 36.1 miles per gallon which is okay but it isn't groundbreaking or incredible and it is quite a way off the claimed fuel economy of this car disappointingly but whichever engine you go for the bigger disappointment really is the ride on the tucson it's got a firm edge to it but the bigger problem is that it feels quite unsettled a lot of the time kind of fidgety so where a lot of other family suvs have quite a nice planted smooth ride the tucson always kind of seems to be moving around and trying to settle itself down but not quite successfully doing it you can feel a lot of the road imperfections passing beneath you up through the seat more so than you can in other cars so something like a volvo xc40 even a vauxhall grandland x they are more settled and more comfortable overall especially on long journeys not especially comfortable then but is it good to drive well no not really it's got quite light quick steering so it gives the sense initially that it's an agile thing but then it's not when you push a bit harder it leans a lot more than the attacker and the vw tig one and it's just generally a lot more movement in the car it's nowhere near as settled as those rivals so if you're driving sedately it's fine but if you're on a twisty road and you do want to push a little bit harder that's when you really notice all this movement happening that isn't there in this car's rivals but it is quiet inside the tucson and especially at those low speeds if you can make use of the electric power it's really nicely quiet and relaxing getting into a parking space but the problem is when you plant your right foot you get a really raspy rattly engine note that becomes quite droning and irritating after a while and in fact it's enough to make you wish that you just had some calming sounds of nature to listen to the driving position is very good though you do sit naturally quite high good visibility out the front and these arm rests are positioned perfectly as well pedals line up very nicely you gotta rest for your left foot in the automatic which is very important of course and yes it's annoying there aren't physical controls to control the air conditioning and the touchscreen but it's positioned really nice and close falls very easy to hand doesn't feel like it's a mile away and you've got a stretch and reach it so the tucson is nice inside but fairly ordinary on the road does it claw back some points anywhere else well not for pricing because it's pretty expensive compared to its rivals more so than it was before so now the tucson range starts from around 28 000 pounds and goes up to about 37 000 pounds with those more expensive versions getting into range rover evoke territory but you do get lots of kit for your money entry-level se connect models get dual zone climate control and cruise control we consider going for premium trim though because for a relatively small jump up in price you get a black two-tone roof adaptive cruise control and an upgraded sound system as we mentioned the fuel economy also isn't quite as impressive as you might expect given the hybrid tech on offer either but neither is it significantly worse than the mpgs on offer from rivals hyundai is one of the more reliable car brands out there and for further peace of mind every tucson comes with a five-year unlimited mileage warranty which is better than what most other rivals offer so the tucson has its strengths it's one of the most spacious cars in this family suv class and it isn't just a big interior but it's a nice interior as well it's fairly ordinary to drive though and there are more comfortable choices in the class but still all things considered this is definitely worthy of consideration and if you want to buy a tucson you can save 2 000 pounds on one right now on whatcar.com if you've enjoyed this video or found it useful it would be great if you gave it a like and please do subscribe to the channel because we've got lots of new car reviews going live every week thanks for watching [Music] you

Channel: What Car?

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Keywords: hyundai, hyundai tucson, tucson, new hyundai, new tucson, hybrid suv, hybrid car, new hybrid car, best new hybrid car, best new car review, new car review, best new suv, best suv 2021, hybrid suv 2021, seat ateca, volvo xc40 rivals, volvo xc40, range rover evoque rivals, range rover evoque, new hyundai review, 2021 tucson, new 2021 tucson review, toyota rav4 rival, toyota rav4

Id: _sdCPcpamcw

Length: 13min 24sec (804 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 17 2021