2022 Hyundai Tucson vs 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid

The 2022 Hyundai Tucson introduced a fresh design founded on a new platform. While globally available in both short- and long-wheelbase versions, Hyundai offered the U.S. market only the long-wheelbase model. This decision meant buyers received a two-row seating arrangement along with an expanded cargo area.

The Tucson's front end featured Hyundai's new signature look, which could also be seen on models like the Santa Cruz truck. The parametric grille was distinctive, camouflaging the standard LED daytime running lights, Bi-LED headlights, and LED front turn signals. When these lights illuminated, they created a unique shape reminiscent of the wings of the Aztec Spirit Bird.

The Tucson’s side profile borrowed its design cues from the Hyundai Elantra, highlighted by a silver D-pillar that visually connected the window surrounds to the rear, giving the vehicle a floating roof effect. The rear was no less impressive, sporting toothy taillights illuminated by LEDs—a design that set the Tucson apart from other compact SUVs.

The 2022 Tucson rode on either 17- or 19-inch wheels, contingent upon the trim level. Lower trims like the SE, SEL, and Blue came with 17-inch alloys, while the SEL trim with the Convenience Package featured 19-inch alloys. Buyers could choose from four different wheel designs, with the N-Line trim sporting a darkened, intricate variant.

High-end trims like the Tucson Limited showcased premium fascias, front and rear skid plates, gloss black pillars, and a panoramic sunroof. Other standard features included roof rails (except for the SE trim), body-color side-mirror housing, solar glass, and acoustic laminated glass. Upgrading from the base model added features such as heated outside mirrors with blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic avoidance assist, turn signals on mirrors, and the option of a sunroof.

Inside, the Tucson boasted a well-appointed cabin that stood on par with other compact SUVs. Hyundai offered standard stain- and odor-resistant cloth seats, with sport combination and leather-trimmed seats available on the N-Line and Limited trims, respectively. The placement of hard- and soft-touch surfaces ensured a relatively upscale look, especially considering the Tucson’s pricing.

The dashboard’s horizontal lines created a sense of spaciousness, contributing to an uncluttered aesthetic.

The 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid boasted a dramatic new design. It showcased sharp, angular cues along its fascia and sides, making it noticeably longer and wider than its predecessors. The new exterior styling was a bold move, ensuring shoppers wouldn’t confuse it with the previous model.

The Tucson Hybrid, like the Santa Cruz, featured a unique grille that blended seamlessly with the LED headlights, running lights, and turn signals. Turning on these lights resulted in a futuristic look, which almost disappeared when off, particularly in the Limited trim with its dark chrome finish.

While the Blue trim shared many design cues with the mid-level SEL Convenience trim, it featured 17-inch wheels instead of 19s. The SEL Convenience included upgrades like a panoramic sunroof and a hands-free smart tailgate. At the rear of the Tucson, a small cutout in the glass showcased the brand’s “H” logo—a design choice that sparked curiosity.

The interior of the Tucson Hybrid provided a rich set of features. Heated front seats, cloth upholstery, and an eight-way power driver’s seat were standard on the Blue trim level, along with a proximity key. The SEL Convenience trim added enhancements like a 10.25-inch digital driver information display, wireless device charging, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, and a 10-color ambient lighting kit. The Limited trim took it further with a 64-color ambient lighting kit, heated and ventilated front seats, and driver’s seat memory.

Across trims, the Tucson Hybrid’s interior was impressively spacious, featuring a sleek center console and an unobstructed view at and below eye level, thanks to the integrated infotainment display and hoodless driver information display.

The 2022 Hyundai Tucson came with two powertrain options: a 2.5-liter direct-injected four-cylinder engine and a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid engine. Hyundai planned to introduce a plug-in hybrid variant later.

The ICE engine delivered 187 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque, coupled with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Although these figures were unremarkable, the engine was efficient and capable. This powertrain achieved 28 mpg combined, a three-mpg improvement over the previous 2.4-liter engine.

The star was undoubtedly the hybrid powertrain, providing a combined 226 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. This setup made the Tucson Hybrid significantly more powerful than the Ford Escape Hybrid, Honda CR-V Hybrid, and Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. During testing, the hybrid engine proved reliable even during a 7,000-foot elevation change drive from Tucson to Mount Lemmon.

The Tucson Hybrid's AWD system, standard on the hybrid and optional on ICE models, stood out during off-road testing, performing similarly to Subaru’s well-regarded AWD system.

Front-wheel drive Tucsons achieved an EPA-estimated 26 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg combined. The AWD variants saw slightly lower figures of 24 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 26 mpg combined. The Tucson Hybrid models, however, delivered superior fuel economy—37 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and 37 mpg combined—with the most efficient Blue trim reaching 38 mpg city/highway/combined.

The upcoming Tucson PHEV, powered by a similar engine as the Hybrid but with a 13.8-kilowatt-hour battery, was set to deliver an estimated 261 horsepower and 224 pound-feet of torque, making it the most powerful in the lineup, with an expected electric range of about 25 miles and around two hours of charging time.

The Tucson Hybrid, with its AWD and 1.6-liter turbo-four engine, combined 180 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque from the engine alone. Coupled with the electric motor, it offered a combined 226 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, making it noticeably quicker than the gas-powered Tucson.

The steering was notably responsive and direct, with a six-speed automatic transmission managing the power deftly. Despite the competition’s trend towards more gears, the Tucson Hybrid’s transmission performed admirably. Paddle shifters were also included, though they didn't significantly enhance the driving experience.

The suspension on the Tucson Hybrid was impressive, smoothing out road imperfections without feeling bouncy and maintaining balance through corners.

In terms of fuel efficiency, the Tucson Hybrid was competitive, achieving 37 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and 37 mpg combined. The Blue trim level even managed 38 mpg across the board. The upcoming plug-in hybrid promised even better efficiency, with an EPA rating of 80 MPGe and 33 miles of all-electric range.

The Tucson was a compact SUV that married affordability with a well-appointed interior. Competing with big names like the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, and Ford Escape, the Tucson held its ground in terms of quality and features.

Standard seating included a six-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, with an eight-way variant available on most trims, alongside lumbar support. Higher trims offered three-stage heated front seats, ventilated front seats, driver’s seat memory, and an eight-way power-adjustable passenger seat. The four-spoke steering wheel was tilt and telescoping, standard in all trims and leather-wrapped and heated in higher trims.

The redesigned platform of the Tucson made it more spacious for both passengers and cargo. While offering slightly less front legroom than the Subaru Forester, the Tucson provided more rear legroom than the RAV4, with headroom being typical for the segment.

The cabin could comfortably accommodate a family of four for long trips, with more passenger volume than the CR-V, RAV4, and Escape. The cargo space offered 74.8 cubic feet, competitive with rivals like the Forester, RAV4, and CR-V, and significantly better than the Escape.

In the rear, a 60-40 split-folding bench seat provided seating for two adults, with a dual-level cargo floor (exclusive to ICE models) and standard remote release for the rear seats from the cargo area. Mid-grade models and above featured a hands-free liftgate.

Despite its larger footprint, the Tucson Hybrid did not appear oversized. It boasted excellent cargo capacity, with 38.8 cubic feet behind the seats and 74.5 cubic feet with the rear seats down. To compare, the Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4 offered 30.9 and 37.6 cubic feet in the trunk, and 59.6 and 69.8 cubic feet with the seats folded down, respectively. Additionally, the Tucson Hybrid provided over 41 inches of front and rear legroom, with rear seats featuring a reclining option.

The cargo floor offered a dual-level system, allowing for a flat load floor when raised and maximized space when lowered. Decent bottle holders were available in all the doors, with two cupholders in the center console for the front seats and a fold-down center armrest with two additional cupholders for the rear seats.

The Limited trim added flair with its ambient lighting systems, enhancing the cabin’s appeal.

The Tucson came with a robust set of standard tech features, including an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, a six-speaker audio system, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, HD Radio, and two USB ports. A 4.2-inch multi-information display was present in front of the driver.

Upgrading to the SEL/Blue trims added satellite radio, Blue Link mobile app compatibility, rear air conditioning vents, and dual-zone automatic climate control with ionizer functionality. Higher trims offered a fully digital instrument cluster.

A 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen was available, but opting for it required plugging in for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This screen was part of a larger black plastic head unit that included climate control and media functions on a flat surface, making it challenging to locate the right touchpoints while driving. The system was responsive, though the steering wheel controls could have been more user-friendly.

Hyundai's tech across their vehicles was generally good but sometimes frustrating. The 10.25-inch touchscreen in the Limited trim looked impressive running native software. However, it only utilized about 8 inches for Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, which required a wired connection. In contrast, the smaller 8-inch screen in the Blue and SEL Convenience trims offered wireless connectivity for these features.

The infotainment and HVAC controls were touch-capacitive buttons, which could be frustrating to use while driving. Fortunately, many commands could be managed via steering-wheel controls.

The Tucson Hybrid offered ample USB ports, a visually appealing touchscreen, and a Bose premium stereo system in the test vehicle.

The 2022 Tucson had yet to be tested by IIHS or NHTSA. However, it came with the Hyundai SmartSense Safety Feature suite, offering a comprehensive array of standard and optional driver-assist and safety technologies. Standard features included forward collision-avoidance with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, driver attention monitor, rear occupant alert, speed limit assist, and leading vehicle departure alert.

Additional available features were blind-spot warning with collision avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic alert with collision avoidance, safe exit warning, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, a surround-view camera system, blind-spot monitoring, forward and reverse park distance warning, parking collision avoidance assist (rear), ultrasonic rear occupant alert, and remote parking assist—comparable to features found in luxury SUVs.

Hyundai also backed the Tucson with a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty, a 5-year/60,000-mile new vehicle limited warranty, a 7-year anti-perforation warranty, and 3 years/36,000 miles of complimentary normal maintenance.

The Tucson Hybrid was the top choice for safety out of the box, featuring standard automatic emergency braking, pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot collision avoidance, rear cross-traffic alert, driver-attention monitor, lane-keeping and lane-following assist, safe-exit warning, and rear occupant alert.

The Limited trim added a surround-view monitor, highway-driving assist with adaptive cruise control, navigation, blind-spot view monitor, and remote smart park assist. The blind-spot view monitor displayed a video feed on the driver information display, offering enhanced visibility, especially useful for avoiding cyclists. Remote smart park assist was a more niche feature, allowing for remote parking via the key fob.

IIHS awarded the 2022 Tucson a Top Safety Pick+, though NHTSA had yet to test it.