SUV Review: 2023 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Ultimate

Article content

In the crowded compact crossover segment, the 2023 Hyundai Tucson is a standout just for its styling alone. Aside from pickup trucks, smaller crossovers have supplanted sedans as the pick for family transportation, which is why you see so many Honda CR-Vs and Toyota RAV4s cluttering up every parking lot. Hyundai’s entry tries to shake off the appliance moniker with its design, while at the same time maintaining all the practicality of its rivals.

Article content

This version is the hybrid model, and it is also no slouch in the performance department. Whereas the standard Tucson comes equipped with a 2.5L four-cylinder good for a segment-competitive 187 hp, the hybrid model combines an electric motor with a turbocharged 1.6L four-cylinder for a bump to 226 hp. Perhaps even more impressive is peak torque of 258 lb-ft, 80 more than the non-hybrid Tucson.

Article content

Pitching hybridization as both performance upgrade and fuel-saving couldn’t be a better timed argument with Canadian fuel prices high and rising. With both a normal week of town driving and a long-distance, long weekend family road trip on the books, here’s how the Tucson Hybrid proved its appeal was more than sheetmetal-deep.

Interior Practicality and Ergonomics

For the type of city driving that most of us do, a fun-to-drive factor isn’t usually a top priority (but put a pin in this, because the Tucson has a few surprises). Instead, what you want for the usual school-work-piano-practice schlep is a vehicle that is comfortable and unobtrusive.

Both Honda and Toyota have dialed up the offroady look of their best-selling crossovers. Hyundai has gone in the opposite direction, inside and out, with a standout exterior treatment, and an interior that’s more sophisticated than rugged.

Article content

On the plus side, the material quality and fit and finish are excellent. The 2023 Tucson Hybrid’s interior design is deceptively simple, and polished in execution. This is a nicer car than you expect, and anyone considering a Hyundai product for the first time in years will be nicely surprised.

Article content

Cargo space is practical at 1,095L of space behind the rear seats, and had no trouble handling a weekend’s worth of gear. Rear passengers have plenty of room, but the Tucson is not exceptional in this regard. The push-button shifter takes a bit of getting used to, and it doesn’t free up much space in the centre console.

Less good, perhaps, is the infotainment, which is very screen-centric. There’s no volume-knob, just a large central touchscreen. While this is easy enough to navigate, as with most other Hyundais, you can clearly see from photos how fingerprint-covered it can get in a week’s worth of use. Anyone would think I was as covered in marmalade as Paddington Bear.

Compare the specs of similar hybrid SUVs

A quiet and comfy ride

Article content

Apart from the attractive styling, the Tucson Hybrid’s standout feature is its powertrain. You can find turbocharging elsewhere in the compact crossover segment, and you can find hybridization, but the Tucson Hybrid is one of the few places you can get both. Further, the six-speed automatic transmission that is paired with the 1.6L turbocharged-and-hybrid engine never gets confused with its gear selections.

For in-town driving, the primary benefit is quiet. Hyundai has gone for a ride quality that’s comfortable but not overly soft, and the steering and handling is likewise fairly agile. There are softer options here, but the Tucson is genuinely sportier than you’d expect from anything with a hybrid badge on the tailgate.

Article content

But it is also extremely smooth and quiet. Just as with the styling, the comfort levels here are highly polished; with no pretense at any chunky-offroad personality, Hyundai has put all the R&D dollars towards better on-tarmac performance, and it shows.

On a long drive into the Rocky Mountains, the 2023 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid was both comfortable when the traffic was heavy, and really quite fun when the traffic cleared. The combination of electric motor and turbocharged torque made quick work of passing large trucks and ate up the miles quickly. There’s a more powerful plug-in hybrid variant of this Tucson Hybrid, but I never actually wanted for more power.

Article content

How fuel efficient is the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid?

However (as usual), there’s a price for the power. If the 2023 Hyundai Tuscon Hybrid’s chief rival is the best-selling Toyota RAV4 hybrid, then the Toyota has it beat on fuel economy. Not only does the RAV4’s simpler 2.5L four-cylinder hybrid return about 10 per cent better fuel economy on paper, it also encourages a more relaxed driving style that’ll end up saving fuel.

Having said that, the 2023 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is hardly a thirsty machine. Official ratings are 6.3 L/100 km in town and 6.6 L/100 km on the highway. In town driving, observed fuel economy was around 6.5 L/100 km, but highway driving started knocking on the door of 8.0 L/100 km. Note that the combination of climbing mountain passes and the Coquihalla’s 120 km/h speed limit were bound to sap economy more than the official stats would predict.

Article content

In fact, those mountains caused a little range anxiety to creep in. With 140 km of range predicted, and 90 km to the next town, I skipped a fuel-up and headed over the Coquihalla summit. The range dropped faster than the distance, to the point that there was only 20 km of projected range to travel an estimated distance of 27 km. Happily, the hybrid system hoovered up plenty of range on the downhill section, but a reminder to never quite trust onboard range calculators.

Reliability is harder to predict, but the 2023 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is the second model year since a full refresh. The hybrid system comes with an eight-year, 160,000 km warranty, and the expectation is that the Tucson with be at least as reliable as the average.

Article content

2023 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Canadian Pricing and Competitors

One last consideration is how the 2023 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid stacks up against its competition. At $40,099 to start and $42,749 for this Ultimate trim model, the Tucson Hybrid is significantly more expensive than the entry-level Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. But then, it is far better equipped than the basic Toyota, with heated leather seats and steering wheel, a power tailgate, and a host of driver assists.

At Honda, the CR-V Hybrid comes in the top-level Touring trim at $48,890 before freight and fees. As well-equipped as it is, the Tucson Hybrid represents a better value and it drives just as well as the Honda, perhaps even better.

Summing up

With a premium look inside and out, and a driving experience that’s better than expected, the 2023 Tucson Hybrid is more than a compelling alternative to its best-selling Toyota and Honda rivals. It’s a genuine competitor, stacking up wins for its satisfying powertrain and quiet, comfortable ride. The good looks here are just icing on a well-baked cake.

Pros

✔ Polished and effective powertrain
✔ Great-looking styling
✔ Subtle, well-made interior

Cons

✘ Reliance on touchscreens
✘ Not as efficient as other hybrids
✘ Hybrid system packaged as a premium option