I drove Hyundai's best-selling SUV and found it's a perfect hybrid for people who don't like hybrids
- The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is a compact crossover SUV that rivals competitors from Toyota and Honda.
- I enjoyed the Tucson Hybrid's stylish looks, new tech, solid performance, and fuel efficiency.
- I was disappointed with the somewhat unrefined drivetrain and transmission.
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Compact crossover SUVs are now the most popular form of automobile on American roads, accounting for roughly one in five new vehicles sold during the first quarter of this year, according to data from Cox Automotive.
For the past 20 years, Hyundai's offering in this crucial segment has been the Tucson.
During that time, the strikingly stylish Tucson has evolved into the brand's best-selling model, with nearly 210,000 units sold in 2023. It's also one of the most popular models in the segment, with its fourth generation launching in 2021.
I recently spent a week with a 2024 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Limited AWD around the roads of suburban Atlanta to see why it's so popular with buyers.
I was impressed. The Tucson Hybrid is a great little SUV with a quiet cabin, comfortable ride, loads of tech, peppy performance, and futuristic looks. But it isn't perfect — the unrefined engine and transmission proved a bit annoying.
The SUV is available in traditional internal-combustion form, as a hybrid, and as a plug-in hybrid.
The base Tucson SE in front-wheel drive starts at $27,500, while the top-spec Tucson Plug-in Hybrid Limited with all-wheel drive starts at $45,450.
My test car, a Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Limited with AWD, starts at $39,465. With fees, the car carried a price of $41,010.
The Tucson Hybrid competes with a handful of rivals in the segment.
The Tucson Hybrid goes head-to-head with the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Honda CR-V Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, and its corporate cousin, the Kia Sportage Hybrid.
While some versions of Tucson are made at Hyundai's plant in Montgomery, Alabama, the Tucson Hybrid is assembled in Ulsan, South Korea.
What immediately stands out about the Tucson is its striking looks.
The Tucson's stylish sheet metal is the work of a team led by Hyundai's chief of global design, SangYup Lee, whose other works include the Bentley Bentayga and the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro of Bubblebee fame.
The striking design starts with the front grille's parametric jewel pattern, created using geometric algorithms instead of traditional sketches or drawings. The coolest part of the design is the LED daytime running lights embedded in the grille, which look like dark chrome when turned off.
Here's a closer look at Hyundai's parametric jewel hidden lights.
The Tucson's actual LED headlights are nestled below and to the side of the grille.
The geometric shapes continue beyond the front grille.
The overall design of the Tucson is punctuated with sharp, chiseled surfaces. According to Hyundai, the prominent angular wheel arches are styled to evoke vehicles created by Bertone, the defunct Italian design house responsible for some of the wildest supercars of the 1960s and '70s.
I'm a fan of the Tucson's optional 19-inch alloys.
Lower-trim models come with 17-inch wheels.
The rear of the Tucson features vertical LED taillights protruding from a light bar that runs across the tailgate.
Hyundai has also hidden the rear wiper under the spoiler.
The Tucson is about 1 inch longer than the Toyota RAV4 but 2.5 inches shorter than the Honda CR-V.
All-wheel-drive variants of the Tucson, including my test vehicle, offer 8.3 inches of ground clearance, which is virtually identical to that of comparable RAV4 and CR-V models. Ground clearance for front-wheel-drive variants drops to 7.1 inches.
The interior is comfortable and relaxing.
Aesthetically, the front dash and center console are designed to remind occupants of water meeting a central point before flowing down a waterfall.
I was a fan of the diffuser vents that line the entire width of the front dash. They augment the Tucson's traditional air-conditioning vents and give the occupants the feeling of a gentle, evenly distributed breeze.
The material and build quality felt good but did not convey the same solid feeling one would find in a Toyota or Honda. I like the minimalist look of the shiny black piano material on the center console, but I also found it incredibly prone to smudges and scratches.
The Tucson's overall cabin ergonomics were sound. The touch-sensitive infotainment and climate-control buttons on the dash were easy to use, though I would have preferred a physical volume knob.
The leather-trimmed front seats are heated and ventilated.
Front-seat passengers have access to a wireless phone charger, two USB-A plugs, and a 12V socket.
I also liked the push-button shifter, which frees up space above the center console.
And the novel footwell map pockets, which provide additional cabin storage.
The optional panoramic sunroof helps support the relaxing feel of the cabin.
The cabin is also equipped with 64-color ambient lighting and an ultrasonic rear-occupant alert system.
In front of the driver is a nicely molded, leather-wrapped steering wheel.
In front of the steering wheel is an optional 10.25-inch configurable digital instrumental display.
Lower-trim models get an old-school analog instrument cluster.
The instrument display is home to a blind-spot monitor.
It uses rear-view-mirror-mounted cameras to give drivers a view of their blind spots when changing lanes.
Here's a closer look at the camera.
The Tucson Hybrid Limited also uses cameras to create a 360-degree overhead view of the vehicle.
In addition, the Tucson Hybrid Limited is equipped with a complete suite of advanced driver-safety aids, including adaptive cruise control, forward-collision-avoidance assist, lane-keep and lane-following assist, rear-cross-traffic-collision avoidance, and parking-collision-avoidance assist.
It's also equipped with remote smart-parking assist, or as they called it in the commercial, "Smaht Pahk," which can pull a vehicle into and out of a parking space with the driver outside the car.
The Tucson Hybrid is powered by a 1.6 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine working in unison with an electric-drive motor.
The Tucson Hybrid's 1.6-liter engine produces 180 horsepower, while the electric motor is rated for 59 horsepower. The total output is 226 horsepower and is mated to a traditional six-speed automatic transmission.
The Tucson Hybrid is equipped with a 1.49 kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
The plug-in-hybrid version comes with a more powerful 90-horsepower electric-drive motor, a larger 13.8 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and an onboard charging port.
The internal-combustion-only version of the Tucson is powered by a 187-horsepower 2.5-liter normally aspirated four-cylinder engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
This Tucson comes with front-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive as an option.
So what's it like to drive?
The Tucson Hybrid doesn't drive like a hybrid. Much of that can be attributed to Hyundai's decision to go with a traditional six-speed automatic transmission instead of an E-CVT gearbox, found in rivals such as the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Ford Escape Hybrid.
As a result, the Tucson Hybrid feels virtually identical to a traditional vehicle, while the RAV4 and Escape hybrids feel more akin to a pure battery electric vehicle.
Under hard acceleration, the Tucson Hybrid takes a split second before the power kicks in like a traditional vehicle, unlike other hybrids where you feel the instantaneous torque of the electric motor before the internal-combustion engine takes over.
According to MotorTrend, the 2024 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid can reach 60 mph from a standstill in a respectable 7.8 seconds.
I have only two real gripes with the driving experience.
Even though the 1.6-liter engine delivers strong and smooth power when called upon, the intrusive, high-pitched noise it makes under hard acceleration can be jarring. In addition, the six-speed transmission has a tendency to hesitate during low-speed driving, leading to abrupt gear changes. Both take away from the Tucson's generally refined driving experience.
Overall, the Tucson Hybrid delivered solid acceleration and sure-footed handling with a quiet and comfortable ride.
The SUV had impressive fuel economy for a 3,800-pound all-wheel-drive SUV.
The Tucson Hybrid Limited boasts Environmental Protection Agency fuel-economy figures of 37 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and 37 mpg in combined driving.
The Tucson Hybrid isn't as efficient as the RAV4 Hybrid. However, the RAV4 doesn't have a true mechanical all-wheel drive like the Tucson. Instead, it uses 149-horsepower electric motor to power the rear wheels to create a virtual all-wheel drive.
During my time with the Tucson Hybrid, I fell a few mpg short of the EPA fuel-economy ratings. However, my numbers were negatively affected by more aggressive than normal throttle application and extended periods of idling.
For comparison, the internal-combustion-only Tucson with AWD is rated for 23 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined.
The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Limited is equipped with a touchscreen infotainment system.
The 10.25-inch screen is standard on higher-trim levels, but lower trim levels get an 8-inch touchscreen.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on all models. However, only vehicles with the smaller screen get wireless CarPlay and Android Auto.
The rear seats are trimmed in soft leather and heated.
Occupants in the roomy rear cabin get an impressive 41.3 inches of legroom, which is on par with the Honda CR-V and beats the RAV4 by 3.5 inches.
The rear-seat passengers are also treated to dedicated air vents and USB-A plugs.
The Tucson Hybrid Limited is equipped with a smart power liftgate.
The liftgate triggers if you stand within 3 feet of the rear bumper for more than three seconds while possessing the key fob. This is a departure from rival systems that require the driver to swing their leg under the back bumper.
Open the liftgate, and you'll find 38.7 cubic feet of cargo room behind the rear seats.
There's no spare tire. Instead, there's a tire-repair kit in the underfloor storage area where the spare wheel would have been.
With the rear seats folded, the Tucson Hybrid boasts 74.5 cubic feet of cargo space.
It's not perfect: The drivetrain needs further refinement, and it could use improved quality for its interior material.
With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Korean hybrid.
The Tucson Hybrid is a great choice for someone who wants the performance and feel of a pure internal-combustion vehicle but the efficiency of a hybrid.
This is something few vehicles can deliver these days.