If you had asked me what needed to be changed from the last Hyundai Tucson I reviewed (a 2019 Limited on the old TireKicker site), I'm not sure I could have given you an answer. Good thing I'm not on Hyundai's product planning team. I couldn't keep up.
The Tucson competes in the hottest segment of the industry right now, small crossover SUVs, against major players like the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V. And increasingly, hybrids are a serious factor in this field.
The 2022 Hyundai Tucson Limited Hybrid AWD has a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an electric motor. The combined power output is 226 horsepower, a healthy 15 more than the Honda and seven more than the Toyota (we're talking the RAV4 Hybrid, which we haven't driven, and not the hot-rod RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid, which packs 302 horses).
Zero to 60 happens in about seven seconds flat, which shaves half a second off the Honda and a tenth of a second off the Toyota. The penalty comes in fuel economy---the EPA estimate for the Tucson Hybrid is 37 mpg city/36 highway, as compared to the CRV Hybrid's 40/35 and the RAV4 Hybrid's 41/38.
Materials and fit-and-finish are excellent for the class and the design, new this year both inside and out, is fresh and modern.
There are three trim levels for the 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, starting at $29,050 for the base "Blue" model, moving up to $31,650 for the SEL Convenience trim and then a big leap to $37,350 for the Limited, which is our tester.
Why such a big jump in price? Because the Limited comes with literally everything standard. There's nothing left on the Hyundai Tucson option sheet. Every option, every upgrade, it's all there. So, with $1,195 destination charge, the as-tested price of the 2022 Hyundai Tucson Limited Hybrid AWD is $38,704.
Yes, that's nudging $40,000 and Hyundai's reputation as the more content-lower price brand starts to look a bit thinner in that territory, but still. The 2022 Hyundai Tucson Limited Hybrid AWD is more than competitive, and absolutely worth your consideration.
