New Hyundai Tucson Review
A smart-looking SUV with lots of equipment
The new Hyundai Tucson feels much more modern inside than the outgoing model and comes with plenty of high-tech kit, but alternatives have more practical boots
The Hyundai Tucson is a stylish family SUV with a spacious interior and a fairly roomy boot that sits between the Hyundai Kona and Sante Fe in terms of size. It comes with plenty of high-tech equipment as standard too, aimed at tempting you away from the likes of the Kia Sportage, the Skoda Karoq and the VW Tiguan.
The current Hyundai Tucson was launched in 2015 but it received a number of updates in 2018. New bumpers and upgraded headlights keep it looking fresh on the outside, while inside you get a brand-new interior design with a flashy new infotainment system.
Speaking of which, you get a 7.0-inch screen as standard in entry-level cars and a bigger 8.0-inch display in all other Hyundai Tucsons. Smartphone mirroring comes as standard too, so you can beam your phone’s navigation and music-streaming apps onto the Tucson’s big screen.
Elsewhere in the Hyundai Tucson’s interior, you’ll find lots more soft, squidgy plastics than in the old car and the front seats come with plenty of adjustment to help you get comfy – even if you’re very tall. There’s more room in the back than you get in a Qashqai, too, and the back seats recline as standard – perfect if your back-seat passengers fancy a quick nap.
Unfortunately, the Tucson’s boot isn’t quite as roomy as in most alternatives, but you’ll still have more than enough space for a giant weekly shop or a pair of large baby buggies. Flip the back seats down and you get a flat, easy-to-load area that’s big enough to carry a bike with its wheels attached.
Don’t be fooled by the Hyundai Tucson’s aggressive styling – it’s far from the sportiest SUV on sale
If you do regularly fill the Hyundai Tucson’s boot to the brim, you’ll want to consider one of the diesel engines. Available in a range of sizes and power outputs, these have more pulling power than the petrols and make great motorway cruisers.
If you spend more time driving around town, one of the petrol engines will be a better bet – they’re cheaper to buy than the comparable diesels and quieter when you accelerate hard. Only the top-spec 2.0-litre diesel Hyundai Tucson comes with four-wheel-drive, but don’t let that put you off – the standard two-wheel-drive models are plenty grippy enough to tackle a slippery leaf-ridden driveway in the rain.
Whichever model you choose, the Hyundai Tucson comes with comfortable suspension that does a decent job ironing out bumps in the road. It’s pretty quiet at motorway speeds, too, and comes with lane-departure warning and automatic emergency braking to help keep you safe. These features helped the Hyundai Tucson earn a full five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP back in 2015.
Sure, the crash tests have been made stricter since then, but the Hyundai Tucson’s still a very safe SUV that makes a great family car thanks to its spacious cabin and impressive amount of standard equipment.
You can read more in-depth info on the Hyundai Tucson in the interior, practicality, driving and specifications sections of our review over the following pages.
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