Hyundai Tucson buying guide
Why buy the Hyundai Tucson?
If you’ve decided that a mid-size SUV is the car for you, the Hyundai Tucson should be high on your list. It’s spacious enough for a family of five while offering great value and a comfortable, easy-to-understand interior. The current version of the car (sold new from 2020) has a striking exterior that really stands out.
Hyundai Tucson range and updates
The current Tucson has been sold new since 2020, when it replaced a version sold from 2015 to 2020. This latest version is completely new and you can easily tell it apart by its much smaller headlights and the LED strips between the bars of the front grille, for extra illumination and style. You can choose from petrol, mild-hybrid, full-hybrid, or plug-in-hybrid power, and a manual or automatic gearbox. The plug-in hybrid also has four-wheel drive. Trim and equipment packages include the popular SE Connect, sporty N Line and luxurious Ultimate.
The older version of the Tucson was updated in 2018 with new styling details, including a larger front grille, as well as improved tech, particularly for safety. You can find this generation of Tucson with a wide range of petrol and diesel engines, and with a manual or automatic gearbox. The 2.0 CRDi diesel model is available with four-wheel drive, which helps if you need to tow a trailer or caravan. There are lots of trim and equipment packages: SE is the most popular, Premium SE is at the top of the range and the N Line model adds a bit of sportiness to the car’s looks.
Hyundai Tucson tech and features
You’ll find lots of useful tech in all models of the current Tucson, including a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, sat nav and climate control. Every model also gives you cruise control, a digital driver’s display in place of traditional dials, and a rear-view camera. The top-spec Ultimate model gets heated and ventilated leather seats, adaptive cruise control with a full-length glass sunroof to let in extra light and a heated steering wheel for those chilly winter mornings.
If you’re looking at the older version of the Tucson, cars sold from 2018 to 2020 have most of the same features as the current version, though the infotainment system’s graphics don’t look quite as polished. Models sold from 2015 to 2018 are also well equipped and many models have sat nav and cruise control.
Hyundai Tucson running costs and value
According to official figures, the petrol version of the newest Tucson can give you a fuel economy of up to 43mpg, the mild-hybrid 44 mpg and the full-hybrid 49mpg. The plug-in hybrid can give up to 201mpg with a fully charged battery and has a zero-emission electric-only range of up to 31 miles.
Older Tucson petrol models can give you an average of 38-44mpg and diesels can return between 43mpg and 61mpg, depending on the engine and gearbox combination. For both current and older versions of the Tucson, you’ll find Vehicle Excise Duty (car tax) and insurance costs are very reasonable for this type of car.
Hyundai Tucson vs rivals
Rivals you might want to consider include the Ford Kuga, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, among many others. The Hyundai isn’t quite as spacious as the Toyota, nor as efficient as the Honda or as engaging to drive as the Ford, but it’s still a practical, well-built and generously equipped car that’s great value, comfortable and very user-friendly.
