[Editor's Note: The Tuscon provided to us to test is from the 2023 model year. Unless otherwise stated, all information and pricing are for the 2023 model.]
Wanna ride shotgun with GRM?
Welcome to this week’s test vehicle, a Hyundai Tucson PHEV Limited.
In plug-in hybrid form (the Tuscon can also be had with hybrid or gas-only power), the Tuscon makes a combined 261 …
Interested to hear your impressions. Both the hybrid and plug-in Tucsons are on my list of potential next family car.
I'm sorry, I fell asleep reading the headline. At least it's not grey.
I’m going to compare this Tucson against the Mazda3 turbo that we recently drove.
Wait, what?
Let me explain.
On paper, the Mazda3 had everything that you’d want, yet it was boring. General impression: kinda meh.
The Tuscon comes in promising little excitement yet excels at its desired mission. General impression: rather competent.
It’s a family car that does family car things rather well. It’s quiet, it’s comfortable, the controls make sense. It even looks good.
An unexpected bonus: really tight, responsive steering.
More to come.
I'm biased as we have a 22 Tucson hybrid.
I agree about the steering response, it is surprisingly nice. Also, I LOVE that you can turn on/off pretty much every feature of the car. Don't like lane keep? Press the button again. Front collision warning? Go into the me u to turn it off. However, some of the features are nice to have.
One annoying thing: the backup beep.
In reply to Hoppps :
That's good to know it's not difficult to turn off the assists, and good to hear you enjoy the hybrid.
If there's anything else you think someone should know before they buy one–good and bad–I'm all ears.
In reply to Hoppps :
It’s a good regular car, right? It’s not your next track car, it’s not a replacement for a Miata, but if you need a good car to do car stuff, it’s a very solid answer.
I had it long enough to top off the battery and drive it over to David's, but I totally forgot to check the electric range when it was full. How far on a full charge for this thing?
In the five miles I drove it I'd say i definitely agree with the assessment that it's a nice regular car. Hyundai is still doing one of the best button/switch/dial packages out there at the moment. And even the stuff you have to go into the touchscreen for isn;t buried and it's intuitively organized.
A question for anyone who has driven it thus far: Would anyone recommend this over the standard hybrid model? I do like the idea of being able to tootle around town without using gas.
The fact that it has a traditional automatic and not a CVT is a plus.
In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
Agreed. I'll admit that's a big part of the appeal for me (even as someone who owns a car with a CVT).
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:The fact that it has a traditional automatic and not a CVT is a plus.
Yes. It’s a bit like Hyundai said, “What makes so many family cars annoying?” and then removed those items.
Colin Wood said:A question for anyone who has driven it thus far: Would anyone recommend this over the standard hybrid model? I do like the idea of being able to tootle around town without using gas.
I'm curious as well. I know it'll be hard to compare with out having both. If any part of the testing includes highway driving above 70mph I'd like to compare! I see around 24-27mph from 70-80.
On my commute home (9 miles stop and go of 35-55mph) I see around 38-42mpg based on the dash calculations
Small update as I took it out during lunch: It currently has a nearly full battery charge, so no ICE mpg numbers at the moment.
Syncing with CarPlay took like zero seconds.
Check it out: I made a Tuscon Oreo.
Today’s drive: an hour each way to Orlando and back with stops at Beefy King (so, so yummy), two camera shops, and the best record store in town, Park Ave CDs.
The Tuscon was perfect: quiet, comfortable, easy to park, supportive seats, plenty of room for the four of us, including a 6-footer in the back. Easy to get in/out of. And then add in nothing annoying: logical controls and responsive steering.
No, not the most exciting car but, still, I’d give it a solid A for today’s performance.
I followed one the other day. It looks good out there. Somehow it’s both crisp yet fluid.
Still competent at nearly everything.
And maybe that’s the hook: This thing just serves as a nearly perfect example of a car. (Well, SUV, maybe.)
David S. Wallens said:This thing just serves as a nearly perfect example of a car. (Well, SUV, maybe.)
It's kind of funny that cars succeeding in this capacity aren't as common as you'd think.
An SUV designed to be an SUV and succeeding at being an SUV? Shocker.
You would think, right?
So, the one thing I brought up earlier but we didn’t really discuss: Beefy King.
I’d been meaning to go for years. A friend who lived in Orlando would regularly mention it on his Facebook.
The location wasn’t bad for us–right across the street from The Plaza Live–but the hours weren’t exactly convenient–like basically lunch and very early dinner. Closed on Sunday.
Just a few weeks ago, I mentioned it to a friend and shared the menu.
In, he replied.
My weekend plans fell through, so I pinged him on like Friday: Beefy King?
In.
Did I have a cool car to drive? he asked.
A Hyundai Tuscon, I offered.
He said okay.
It’s a hybrid, I added.
Our wives joined us, and his brother met us there.
Oddly, I think we all ordered the same thing: the Reuben.
It might have looked modest but OMG. It melted in your mouth. You could taste the love.
Everyone was comfortable on the ride over. Plenty of legroom. Easy entry and exit. Quiet.
We’re already discussing our return visit.
PS: Sorry, no photos of the Tuscon at Beefy King. The lot was full so I parked behind the yoga studio next-door.
So, Sport mode.
On many cars, especially an SUV, it can disappoint.
“Okay, that’s great, now you’re just going to hang up in a low gear all day.”
Not so with the Tuscon hybrid. It just makes the car angrier–and I mean that in a good way. Quicker response, quicker shifts yet no real trade-off. It might stay in a lower gear, but that just happens to be a suitable gear at the moment. (Lower but not too low, if you catch my drift.)
Is there a way to make this the default setting?
Also, props to the cooling seats.
And a little Orlando/Beefy King history:
My friend’s surf band played its first gig ever in the Beefy King drive-thru. They were paid in sandwiches. I believe it was three sets of seven songs because that’s all they knew at the time.
You'll need to log in to post.
