2019 Hyundai Tucson vs Nissan X-TRAIL

What's the difference?

Does the facelifted 2019 Hyundai Tucson change the game for the mid-size SUV segment? Not really.  But it does improve an already well-rounded package.

The availability of the SmartSense safety pack on lower grades is welcome, even if some competitors offer some of the kit as standard. Even so, it'd be hard to go past the value on offer in an Active X 2.0-litre FWD model with the safety pack, which is our pick of the range - even if at least some of the safety stuff should really be standard. 

Let’s start with the good things. First, visibility all around is excellent – the A-pillars are thin and bend away to give you a better view and the rear windows are large and make parking simple. The X-Trail is also an easy SUV to pilot in car parks, with light and accurate steering and also on the motorway, where it’s big enough to feel secure and planted.

Now, the not so good. The CVT makes the engine drone and the nature of these automatics means acceleration isn’t brisk. Next, the ride is good on a smooth surface, but on Sydney’s patchwork of roads the X-Trail struggled to keep us comfortable with a firm impact felt over even the smallest of bumps.

The exterior design of the updated Tucson is largely unchanged - the metalwork hasn't been altered, but there are new graphic differentiators if you take a look at the lights at either end of the SUV.

Hyundai's new cascading grille design dominates the front end, and while the shape of the headlights hasn't changed, the inlays have, and along with the new bumper there are more angular LED daytime running lights. You can tell the higher-grade versions by the horizontal slatted chrome grille, while entry models have a black honeycomb look with a silver frame.

Sadly, you can only get LED headlights on the top spec, but the appearance on lower grade models which run halogen projector lamps is really dumbed down by the mix of crisp white angular lights and a round, yellowy bulb in the middle.

The tail-lights are slightly different looking - again, with a different inlay, and again with LED only fitted to the top spec. The reflectors have moved up a bit, mirroring the i30's Euro-look back end.

As you may expect, there's no difference to the dimensions - it's the same size from nose to tail at 4480mm long, 1850mm wide and up to 1660mm tall (with roof rails).

No matter which model you get, there's not a sporty edge to the Tucson - you can forget about a body kit or rear diffuser, but there is a tailgate spoiler. A set of side steps could be fitted, but may be unnecessary, because the Tucson doesn't sit up that high. 

You guessed it, the interior dimensions are unchanged, too. But as the interior images show, there are now different options when it comes to the colour of the leather you can get. You can choose the lighter leather as part of a 'Luxury Pack'.

If minimal changes to the design of a car over the years translates to a better resale value, then the X-Trail should be a winner here, because not much has changed since the 2017 update.

That said, it’s a good-looking SUV that has aged well. I’m talking about its tough exterior, which somehow combines curvy elegance with a powerful stance.

The same can’t be said for its insides, which have dated. There’s the small screen and the analogue instrument cluster, all surrounded by a busy cabin full of buttons when we now live in a world of minimalist, cleanly designed cockpits.

Want to see how the French would design an X-Trail? The Renault Koleos is the French company’s restyled version of its Japanese partner company’s SUV, and it's very different indeed.

The Ti is the top-of-the-range petrol X-Trail and what sets it apart visually from the lower grades are the chrome strips, which skirt under the doors, a panoramic sunroof, LED headlights, 19-inch aluminium-alloy wheels... and that’s it.

The dark tinted windows you can see on our test cars also come on the ST-L grade below, and so do those roof rails and fog lights.

The Ti’s insides don’t look much different from the ST-L’s either (are you starting to get the message here?) with the black leather seats and larger touchscreen.

What are the X-Trail’s dimensions? At just under 4.7m long, 1.8m wide and 1.7m tall the X-Trail is longer than a RAV4, a CX-5 and even a Forester, which makes it a big, mid-sized SUV that’s getting into Hyundai Sant Fe territory, and that bodes well for space inside. 

The changes inside include a dashboard layout that mirrors the Santa Fe and Kona, and looks a damn sight more modern than the existing set-up.

It comprises a new tablet-style media screen, which is a 7.0-inch unit in the base model and this 8.0-inch screen in the rest of the range. The bigger screen adds digital radio and sat nav, but all models come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Some people might like the screen being up on top of the dash, so it's in your line of sight and easier to touch-control when you're driving. Others will prefer where it used to be, down where the air-vents are now.

The controls are all well placed, the seats are comfortable and offer good adjustment, and the storage is well sorted, too - there are cupholders between the front and rear seats, bottle holders in all four doors, and loose item cubbies here and there, too, plus a wireless phone charger in the high-spec model. 

There are two interior colour options on the Active X, Elite and Highlander leather-clad models, and it's tidy… but does it feel as special as a Mazda CX-5? Not quite.

The back seat is very roomy, considering the external dimensions of the Tucson aren't as big as many of its competitors. With the driver's seat set in my position (I'm 182cm tall) and myself positioned behind it, I easily have enough rear legroom to be comfortable, enough toe room to stop them from going numb, and a lot of headroom, too - even in the high-spec Highlander with the lovely panoramic glass roof.

You should be able to fit three across the back without too much hassle, and there are dual ISOFIX positions and three top-tether points. Rear air-vents are only fitted to the top two specs, which is annoying, and the top three models get a rear USB charger, but the base model misses out.

The boot space dimensions on offer in the Tucson are good - bigger than a Nissan Qashqai and Mazda CX-5, but not quite as big as an X-Trail or Honda CR-V. The luggage capacity is 488 litres with the seats up, and the storage space expands to 1478L with them folded down flat.

Every model has a full-size matching spare wheel under the boot floor and cargo liner (and you get a retractable cover to keep prying eyes away from your boot cargo), and the top-spec gets an electric boot lid. If you're a sales rep or have dogs, you might want to consider a barrier, which you can fit behind the rear seat. 

If that's not enough size, every model comes with roof rails, so fitting a roof rack system won't be too much of a problem.

Practicality has long been the X-Trail’s strength, but in recent times rivals have come out with better packaging and more modern utilities, such as wireless charging and USB ports.

Still, it does have tall, wide-opening doors, which make getting in and out easy, big front seats and great rear legroom (I’m 191cm tall and can sit behind my driving position with about 30mm to spare), plus good storage space in the form of cupholders (two up front and two in the back), door pockets and a deep centre-console storage bin.

Headroom is reduced thanks to the sunroof, which comes standard on the Ti;  it’s also partly due to the theatre-style seating in the second row, which has the passengers sitting high for better visibility. Great for kids, but not for tall adults.

The X-Trail Ti is a five-seater, so if you need seven seats I have good news and bad news, and then good news again. The first good news is that a seven-seat version of the X-Trail can be had in the form of the ST or ST-L, and both cost a lot less than the Ti. The bad news is that those grades don’t come with all the Ti’s features, but the other good news is that this means they don’t have a sunroof, and therefore headroom is great in the second row.

Back to the Ti. For charging and media you have two 12V outlets up front, along with a USB port, and a 12V in the boot.

At this price point we’d like to see more USB ports. The new RAV4 GXL has five USB ports on board, including two in the second row, along with a wireless phone charger up front.

Backseat riders do have directional air vents, though.

The X-Trail does have a big boot – we’re talking 565 litres with the second row in place and 945 litres with those seats folded flat. Keep in mind those aren’t VDA litres, which is what Volkswagen and Mazda use to calculate boot sizes.

The Ti’s list price of $45,040 makes it the second-most expensive X-Trail in the line-up, sitting under the top-of-the-range TL. The thing is, both share the same standard features. Well, the only differences, really, are to do with the engines, which we'll get to below.

Coming standard on the Ti are a seven-inch screen, digital radio, sat nav, dual-zone climate control, heated and power front seats, leather upholstery, roof rails, LED adaptive headlights, a heated steering wheel, auto tailgate with kick-open function, heated rear seats, Bose eight-speaker stereo, panoramic sun roof and 19-inch alloy wheels.

Is it good value? Nope. The X-Trail’s features list hasn’t changed since 2017,  and while there are plenty of great attributes to this SUV, keeping up in terms of in-car tech isn’t one of them. The $38,590 Touring grade of the Mazda CX-5 has an excellent head-up display, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Talking of rivals, there’s also the Renault Koleos Intens X-Tronic, which is a rebadged and restyled ‘Frenchified’ version of the same Nissan SUV, but for $45,990. Then there’s the top of the range Mazda CX-5 GT for $45,890 (it sits above the Touring), the new Toyota RAV4 Cruiser at $44,490, and the top-spec Subaru Forester at just $41,490.

The last three SUVs have especially moved the benchmark forward in terms of tech and features, leaving the X-Trail behind.

The range is pretty complex in terms of drivetrains, engine specs and ratings, but let's go through each motor in detail.

The entry-level engine is the 2.0-litre four-cylinder non-turbo petrol model, which Hyundai calls the 2.0 GDi (gasoline direct injection). It produces 122kW of power at 6200rpm and 205Nm of torque at 4000rpm, and is available with a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic transmission. It comes in FWD (4x2) only. This drivetrain has seen some tweaks for better refinement, but the changes aren't groundbreaking.

The next engine up is actually smaller in engine size, but features a turbocharger to up the horsepower - it's the 1.6 T-GDi, and it has 130kW of power (at 5500rpm) and 265Nm of torque (1500-4500rpm). It only comes with a dual-clutch automatic and AWD (the system is an on-demand unit, as opposed to a proper permanent 4WD set-up with low-range). This drivetrain is unchanged compared to the pre-facelift version.

The diesel engine on offer is the 2.0 CRDi turbo four-cylinder unit, which has 136kW (at 4000rpm) and 400Nm (1750-2750rpm). It used to be available with a six-speed auto, but now has an eight-speed automatic.

The fuel consumption of this model has dropped - more on that in the next section. The engine is Euro 5 compliant, meaning there is no AdBlue, but there is a diesel particulate filter.

So there are two petrols and a diesel, but we don't get any LPG, plug-in hybrid or EV versions of the Tucson.

No models on launch had a towbar fitted, so there's no part of this review that touches on that element of load capacity - but every model has the same towing capacity of 750kg with an un-braked trailer and 1600kg for a braked trailer. However, the towball down-weight limit differs for the front-wheel drive (120kg) and AWD models (140kg).

Gross vehicle weight, or GVM, varies depending on the model, with the base FWD Active listed at 2070kg (with a minimum kerb weight of 1497kg) and the top-spec diesel AWD Highlander listed at 2280kg (min. kerb weight: 1707kg).

Be sure to check out our Hyundai Tucson problems page for any mention of diesel problems, automatic gearbox problems, engine, clutch, battery, suspension, cruise control or transmission issues. 

You know how I said the X-Trail Ti has the same features as the TL but for less money? Well the reason is the engine – the Ti is a petrol and the TL is a diesel. Both are all-wheel drive.

Powering the Ti is a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine making 126kW and 226Nm. I found that to be only just enough oomph (kerb weight is 1.5 tonnes) out on motorways and hilly country roads when overtaking.

The continuously variable transmission (CVT) does nothing for the driving experience, either, causing the engine to ‘drone-on’ and providing lacklustre acceleration, but it is a fuel-efficient automatic (see the mileage figures below).

The X-Trail Ti comes with an intelligent all-wheel-drive system a dial on the centre console allows the driver to select from three modes: 2WD, which will send drive to the front wheels only, but will activate all-wheel drive if it detects a loss of traction; Auto, which monitors the four wheels and will distribute torque to maintain traction; while in LOCK the electronically controlled coupling splits the torque evenly between the front and back. The Lock mode works at up to 40km/h and will switch to Auto mode at higher speeds.

It’s important to remember that while the X-Trail Ti will handle a bit of mild off-roading, such as dirt and gravel roads, the vehicle isn’t equipped with High and Low range four-wheel drive, which is vital for serious off-road excursions.

The Hyundai Tucson isn't the most efficient SUV you can buy, but nor is it the thirstiest - and the numbers are largely unchanged as part of this update.

Fuel economy is rated at 7.8 litres per 100 kilometres (or 12.8 kilometres per litre, if that's how you prefer it) for the petrol 2.0-litre manual FWD, while the 2.0-litre auto FWD claims 7.9L/100km (12.6km/L).

The turbocharged petrol 1.6-litre DCT AWD model has claimed consumption of 7.7L/100km (13.0km/L)

Diesel fuel consumption is improved thanks to the eight-speed auto, now rated at 6.4L/100km (15.6km/L), where it was previously 6.8L/100km (14.7km/L) for the Highlander.

All models have fuel tank capacity of 62 litres - a good size to ensure decent mileage for long-distance driving, especially if you stick to ‘Eco mode'.

The Ti has a 2.5-litre petrol engine and Nissan says that after a combination of urban and open roads your fuel consumption should be 8.3L/100km. I took our test car on motorways, CBD peak-hour commutes and on suburban duties, too, with preschool picks ups and shopping thrown in, and when I measured mileage at the pump I calculated our test car was using 11.1L/100km.

Just to be totally clear, all my testing was done in the Auto drive mode setting,  which toggles between front wheel drive and all-wheel drive, when the system detects a wheel slipping.

There was a mix of models on offer at the launch. I drove the diesel Elite, the FWD versions of the Go and Active X, and the turbo-petrol Highlander. So I came away with a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each drivetrain - though it must be said there are no real deal breakers, here.

Let's start off with the 2.0-litre petrol drivetrain, which will account for the vast majority of Tucson sales, and has been tweaked in this iteration with peak torque coming in a little sooner. That means you don't quite need to rev it as hard to get the best out of it, but it still likes a rev.

This time around, though, the refinement has been improved, with less raucousness to it as you build revs. And while it isn't fast, it doesn't struggle to keep moving, and is more than suitable for the vast majority of peoples' needs.

If you choose the Sport drive mode the transmission seems to behave itself a bit better than it does in Eco or Comfort, holding gears a little longer - but on the steep, twisty mountain roads we were on, I chose the select gears manually (though there are no paddle shifters on any model).

There are no drive modes on the Go model, so you can't quite get the same result. It's a slightly more tedious drive experience, but only if you're attacking hilly roads. On the highway and around town, you'll find little to whine about.

What's most impressive about the Tucson is its Mazda CX-5-beating drive experience: there's a great level of connection for the driver, with the steering offering natural and rewarding response (best in the lower-grade models), and the suspension dealing with lumps and bumps extremely well. 

I also drove the Highlander with the 1.6T engine and DCT. There are some vehicles with these sorts of gearboxes that are more renowned for their automatic transmission problems than anything else, and you may have read some issues with Hyundai's ‘box, too. But from a test drive perspective, there's not a lot to complain about.

My steer was pretty much problem-free, though there is a chance you might find the low-speed manoeuvrability compromised, as the combo of the turbo engine and DCT can be a little laggy in terms of throttle response. 

I noted that the Highlander, with its bigger wheels and low-profile tyres (245/45/19) felt a little heavier on centre when turning, and there was a bit of road noise to contend with, too. The ride, though, was nicely sorted.

What about the diesel? Well, if you can justify the expense, you will be getting the best drivetrain of the lot in the Tucson range. 

It revs smoothly once the engine is warm, and is barely perceptible at highway pace. The new eight-speed auto shifts smoothly, and its hard to catch it in the wrong gear, with the torque of the engine easily allowing you to power out in higher gears without raising a sweat.

Now, if you're into stats and facts, here are some numbers for you: 172 = ground clearance mm; 11 turning radius metres; 2.51 = turns lock-to-lock (down from 2.71).

What about performance figures? Well, Hyundai doesn't offer up any claims for 0-100km/h acceleration or top speed, but it's fair to suggest either of the turbocharged drivetrains in Sport mode will reward the more enthusiastic driver more than the 2.0-litre will.

The roads we drove weren't exactly fit for an off road review, and these sorts of SUVs typically aren't the best candidates for a lift kit or all terrain tyres. But the damp gravel roads we found ourselves driving on were littered with pockmarks and potholes, and the Australian tuning team seems to have done a terrific job.

The ride compliance is largely very good, with the front suspension only occasionally jolting hard into sharper edges (especially in models riding on the larger alloys wheels), but the rear suspension was very well judged.

And if you want to push it hard in corners, you'll be surprised by how much each of these models will morph into a high-riding rally car - the Aussie engineers have done a terrific job of blending suspension control, compliance and comfort with accurate steering, and the end result is a rewarding drive, even in the entry-level models.

Let’s start with the good things. First, visibility all around is excellent – the A-pillars are thin and bend away to give you a better view and the rear windows are large and make parking simple. The X-Trail is also an easy SUV to pilot in car parks, with light and accurate steering and also on the motorway, where it’s big enough to feel secure and planted.

Now, the not so good. The CVT makes the engine drone and the nature of these automatics means acceleration isn’t brisk. Next, the ride is good on a smooth surface, but on Sydney’s patchwork of roads the X-Trail struggled to keep us comfortable with a firm impact felt over even the smallest of bumps.

The X-Trail was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2017 and the Ti comes with advanced safety equipment such as AEB, which will brake automatically to avoid a collision with another car at speeds over 5km/h, and will brake to avoid an impact (as best it can) with pedestrians from 10-60km/h. There’s also rear cross traffic alert, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assistance, plus adaptive cruise control, which worked well for me on motorways.

Hyundai's strong reputation for ownership has helped make the company one of the country's best-selling brands.

Admittedly, the five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty isn't the standard-setter it once was, with a few other brands like Ford, Holden, Mazda and Skoda moving to a similar plan. 

But not many can match Hyundai's service cost plan - it has a capped price servicing program that runs for the life of the car, which undoubtedly helps with resale value (so does making sure you get genuine dealership stamps in your owners manual/logbook - and that should also help you with wriggle room if you encounter problems or run into common faults, complains or issues).  

Maintenance requirements are determined by the drivetrain - if you choose the petrol turbo you're in for maintenance every 12 months or 10,000km, while the non-turbo petrol and the turbo-diesel require servicing every 12 months or 15,000km.

There's some variance across the pricing for the first five years of maintenance. For the 2.0-litre petrol, the average cost is $301 over 60 months/75,000km; the 1.6-litre turbo petrol works out at $317 per visit (for 60 months/50,000km); and the diesel averages $486 per visit over 60 months/75,000km.

You can do your own research into reliability ratings, but Hyundai takes care of its customers - if you service your vehicle with them, they'll give you up to 10 years' roadside assist for free, and you'll get the same duration for map updates, too, if you need them.

The X-Trail Ti is covered by Nissan’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty and five years’ roadside assistance, which is transferable to the next owner at no cost.

Servicing is recommended at 10,000km/12-month intervals and as a guide you can expect to pay $234 for the first service, $384 for the next, $244 for the third, $459 for the fourth and $254 for the fifth.