Hyundai, like a lot of mainstream brands, is playing hybrid catch up because in terms of sales in the Aussie new-car market it’s a case of Toyota first, daylight second.
That said, Hyundai’s been on the hybrid train since 2019 and it’s all over battery electric vehicles, but it’s cars like this new Tucson Hybrid variant the South Korean giant is hoping will help it bridge the gap to the market leader.
It arrives at the same time as a cosmetic refresh as well as a safety and tech upgrade across the Tucson line-up and we slipped behind the wheel for a first local drive.
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Does this car have what it takes to take a bite out of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid that dominates the mid-size SUV category? Let’s find out.
Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with? 8/10
8 / 10
We’re focused on the new Tucson Hybrid for this review, and as with the pure internal combustion models, there are three grades to choose from, the FWD-only Tucson Hybrid kicks things off at a fraction over $45,100, before on-road costs, followed by the Elite in FWD at $50,100 and AWD for $2500 more. Then, at the top of the Tucson Hybrid pyramid, the Premium AWD comes in at $59,600.
And you can opt for an N Line package on all of them adding an extra $4100 on the entry model, $2500 on the Elite and $1500 on the Premium. More on the N Line pack shortly.
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The mainstream medium SUV segment sees more than 20 competitors cage-fighting for market share and non-plug-in hybrid options within range of the Tucson include the GWM Haval H6 (from $42,490 drive-away), Honda ZR-V e:HEV LX ($54,900), Kia Sportage SX HEV ($45,950), Nissan X-Trail e-Power (from $49,990) and, of course, the all-conquering Toyota RAV4 (From $42,260).
At the ‘around $45K’ mark it’s fair to expect a lengthy standard features list and aside from the safety and performance tech we’ll cover shortly, the base Tucson does well.
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Standard on the entry-level Tucson are a 12.3-inch multimedia screen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, six-speaker audio (with digital radio), keyless entry and start (plus ‘Remote Start’), a leather-trimmed steering wheel, a 4.0-inch central colour instrument display (with analogue gauges), 18-inch alloys, heated exterior mirrors and all LED exterior lights.
Then the Elite adds leather-appointed seats (heated in the front), a larger 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, built-in sat nav, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, auto rain-sensing wipers, rear privacy glass and a hands-free power tailgate.
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While the Premium tips in with 12-speaker Bose sound, a panoramic glass sunroof, a 12-inch head-up display, a surround view monitor, customisable ambient lighting, ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated (outboard) rear seats and 19-inch rims.
At more than $60K with the N Line Package the Premium Hybrid will be a modest, niche seller but for around 10 grand less, even without the N Line pack, the Elite Hybrid is an attractive sweet spot in the line-up.
Design – Is there anything interesting about its design? 8/10
8 / 10
Blink and you’ll miss the exterior changes to the updated Tucson which are limited to a new grille insert, revised bumper shape and tweaked LED lighting at the front as well as a similarly reworked bumper, inclusion of LED tail-lights and a fresh arrangement of the lower light clusters at the rear.
Plus the Hyundai emblem has been integrated into the rear glass which allows a larger sweep of the tailgate wiper (the rear arm is 75mm longer).
Tip for car-spotters. The entry Tucson’s grille is silver, the Elite’s is dark chrome and the Premium’s is dark chrome with ‘hidden’ DRLs.
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The big news inside is a single curved instrument and media screen display on the top of the dash and the move to a ‘shift-by-wire’ controller on the steering column which frees up space for a floating centre console with extra storage and an upgraded wireless charging pad.
The N Line option pack brings unique 19-inch alloy wheels, a specific grille, skid plates front and rear, revised bumpers, side skirts, gloss black elements, tinted tail-light lenses and twin exhaust outlets.
Inside there are leather and suede-appointed sports seats with red contrast stitching, gloss black and dark metal finishes, alloy scuff plates, alloy covered pedals and a steering wheel with perforated leather grips.
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Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside? 9/10
9 / 10
At close to 4.7m long, nearly 1.9m wide and a bit less than 1.7m tall, with a more than 2.7m wheelbase the Tucson is a ‘large’ medium SUV.
At 183cm I’ve got lots of breathing room up front with the new widescreen instrument and media display creating a spacious feel.
Big ticks for manual controls for audio and heating and ventilation on a 6.6-inch display.
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For storage up front, there’s a large lidded bin between the seats, which doubles as a centre armrest as well as a pair of cupholders and a wireless charging pad, plus a big tray underneath.
That’s supported by bins in the doors with room for bottles and a decent glove box with an open shelf in the dash above it.
And in the back, sitting behind the driver’s seat, set to my position, I’ve got lots of head and legroom as well as a backrest recline function.
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There’s also adjustable ventilation - thumbs up - and lots of storage including door bins, again with enough room for bottles, stretchy map pockets and two cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest.
Power and connectivity runs to two USB-C sockets in the front - one of them for streaming and or power - as well as the wireless charging pad with another two USB-Cs in the rear. There’s also a 12-volt outlet in the dash and another in the boot.
Speaking of which, the Tucson’s boot offers 582 litres of storage space with the second row upright and 1903L with the 60/40 split-folding rear seats lowered (able to be done via remote release handles in the cargo area).
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There are six tie-down anchors, a retractable load cover, a space-saver spare sits under the floor and braked trailer towing capacity is a useful 1900kg for front and AWD hybrids which is 250kg up on non-hybrid Tucsons. Trailer stability assist is standard.
Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its engine and transmission? 8/10
8 / 10
The Tucson Hybrid is powered by a 1.6-litre, turbo-petrol, four-cylinder engine driving the front or all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission with a 37kW/264Nm synchronous electric motor attached to it, powered by a compact 1.49kWh lithium-ion battery.
Combined outputs are 172kW (at 5600rpm) and 367Nm (at 1000-4100rpm) which means, in a significant shot across the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid’s bow, the Tucson sees off the 160kW category hero in terms of power.
The Tucson’s available AWD system uses a multi-plate wet clutch pack on the rear diff with myriad sensors allowing it to go from its default FWD-only mode to as much as a 50/50 drive split between front and rear axles.
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Efficiency – What is its fuel consumption? What is its driving range? 8/10
8 / 10
Hyundai’s official combined cycle fuel-economy figure for the Tucson Hybrid is 5.3L/100km, which is miserly but can’t quite match the RAV4 Hybrid at 4.8L/100km.
On the launch drive program covering a mix of rural B-roads and some highway running, we recorded an average of 6.1L/100km. Still pretty handy and not too far off the official number.
Worth noting the minimum fuel requirement is the cheaper 91 RON ‘standard’ unleaded and you’ll need 52 litres of it to fill the tank which translates to a theoretical range of around 980km and roughly 850km using our real-world number.
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Driving – What's it like to drive? 9/10
9 / 10
Expect 0-100km/h acceleration in around 8.0 seconds for the Tucson Hybrid, which is pretty handy.
But don’t expect a neck-snapping response as per a pure EV. This hybrid’s acceleration isn’t immediate but it still builds rapidly with 172kW and 367Nm at your disposal.
That peak torque number is on stream from 1000-4100rpm, which is just where you want it for healthy mid-range punch and easy highway overtaking. That said, ‘Sport’ mode makes a noticeable difference over ‘Normal’ and ‘Eco’ in terms of urgency.
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Even under load the 1.6 turbo four is commendably quiet and the transition between combustion and electric propulsion is seamless at speed.
The ‘shift-by-wire’ transmission controller on the steering column takes some getting used to but once you are it’s handy and the six-speed transmission is smooth.
Select Sport and the wheel-mounted paddles morph from adjusters for regenerative braking strength to manual shifters for the auto. Changes from this torque-converter unit aren’t immediate, as you might expect from a dual-clutch auto, but still help you get more involved in the whole process.
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Suspension is strut front, multi-link rear and ride comfort is excellent. Tyres on the N-Line we drove most often on the launch are 235/55 x19 Nexen Roadian GTX. Road rumble, even on coarse chip B-roads, is modest as is wind noise on the highway.
Steering is accurate with nice road feel helped by the Tucson Hybrid’s reasonable weight (around 1600kg for the 2WD and 1700kg for the AWD).
On the basis of the launch drive I couldn’t feel a significant dynamic difference between the FWD and AWD hybrid in cornering, both feeling balanced and drama free thanks in part to electric torque vectoring.
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Braking is by discs all around, ventilated at the front, and they feel strong. But the most useful day-to-day feature is smart regen braking which adjusts automatically to win back some energy when coasting using inputs from the gradient the car’s on, nav (where fitted), the forward camera and more inputs.
Under the heading of miscellaneous and ergonomic observations, the upgraded Tucson is the first current Hyundai to feature a shortcut to disable the audible ('bing-bong’) overspeed warning.
Numerous Hyundai (and Kia) models suffer from the need to work through multiple screens to turn off the intensely annoying, incessant warnings. But now a single, long press on the steering wheel-mounted audio mute button will disable the function immediately.
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That’s a blessed relief and the good news is the functionality is being progressively rolled out to other models.
Next, ‘Baby Mode’ is a hybrid-only feature that decreases initial acceleration and limits maximum acceleration, also managing torque during reverse parking to reduce things like an impact from parking blocks to help keep the peace with babies and little kids.
Has to be said the Tucson’s 11.8m turning circle is large, to the point where what you expect to be a U-turn becomes a three-pointer.
And finally, a new media system features a CPU which Hyundai says delivers four times the computing grunt and 15 times the graphical processing power of the previous ‘Gen5 Wide’ system. It is indeed quick and easy to navigate.
Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating? 9/10
9 / 10
The Hyundai Tucson scored a maximum five ANCAP stars from assessment in 2021 and on-board active, crash-avoidance tech is extensive.
Standard across the Tucson line-up are AEB (with car, pedestrian and cyclist detection, plus ‘Junction Turning’ function), ‘Blind-Spot Collision Avoidance’, driver attention warning, rear cross-traffic alert and rear AEB, ‘Safe Exit Warning’, smart cruise control (with stop and go), a reversing camera (with on-command wide view function) and tyre pressure monitoring.
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‘Highway Driving Assist’ (lane centering) features on Elite and Premium models and if a crash is unavoidable the airbag count runs to seven, front and side airbags for the driver and front passenger, full-length curtains and a front centre bag to minimise head clash injuries in a side-on impact.
On top of that, multi-collision brake minimises the chances of subsequent collisions following an initial impact and there are three top tethers and two ISOFIX anchors for baby capsules and/or child seats across the second row.
All Tucsons are also equipped with ‘Bluelink’ connected car services (transferable and free of charge for the first five years) which brings features like ‘Automatic Collision Notification’ an emergency call (SOS) function, geo-fencing, valet, speed and time alerts and more.
Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs? 7/10
7 / 10
Hyundai covers the Tucson Hybrid with a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which is still the norm in the mainstream market, although the likes of GWM, Kia, MG, Skoda and others are at seven years, unlimited km with Mitsubishi offering conditional 10-year, 200,000km cover.
The hybrid battery is covered by a separate eight-year/160,000km replacement warranty.
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The main service interval is 12 months/10,000km, which is a little shorter on distance than the more usual 12 months/15,000km period. Average cost for the first five years is $408 per workshop visit, which isn’t outrageous but well north of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid at $260 per service for the same period.
Roadside Assist is complimentary for the first year, renewed for another 12 months each time you have the car serviced at an authorised Hyundai dealer.
Verdict
At the updated Tucson’s launch Hyundai Australia boss John Kett put it simply - “The industry’s all about hybrid”.
He’s right. The hybrid Tucson is a critical addition to the brand’s local line-up. And it’s a good one.
Even though the wait time for a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has come down from two years to four months, steering this car before you sign on that dotted line is a must.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.
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