The compact Hyundai Tucson is the Korean company's most popular vehicle; more than 7 million have now rolled off the line since its inception in 2004. The small but mighty Tucson, is now in its fourth generation, which arrived in 2020.
The five-passenger Tucson has spent the last two decades competing for sales with some of the hottest-selling vehicles in the industry including the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Chevrolet Equinox and Nissan Rogue. Pricewise they all start around $30,000 but many, including this Tucson, can easily go into the $40,000 range.
For 2025 there are several powertrain options available on the Tucson including a gas-powered version, a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid, with the latter being the most expensive starting at $39,630 before options. All come with an eight-speed automatic transmission and getting all-wheel drive adds $1,500 to the price.
Newsweek tested the 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Limited AWD for a week in the freezing Michigan weather, which taught us what it can and can't do, and why it's a great option for a family of four.
Keep: All-wheel drive
Over the week with the efficiently sized SUV in the frigid Midwest it snowed, rained, froze, melted and froze meaning the roads were a slippery mess at all times of the day and night. In Normal driving mode the 2025 Tucson's traction-sensing system was flawless, finding the one or two wheels with grip and sending power to them in an instant. While other cars were sliding in place at stop signs I was off and running in the Hyundai.
Not all vehicles of this size and price point are available with all-wheel drive. And, some perform better than others.
Change: Touch controls
The Tucson has a hard panel with capacitive heating and cooling buttons, and the heated seats and wheel controls. It always takes more taps than expected to archive the desired result and there's no real feedback for the user. On the plus side, they do work with thin winter gloves on.
Keep: Wireless charging, convenient location
This may seem like a small thing, but the wireless phone charger right on the armrest is an ergonomic blessing. It can be tossed in the little rectangle indentation and not thought about until it rings or beeps or vibrates. It's easy to quickly glance down see who texted or called, even when it's not connected wirelessly to the infotainment system.
It also charged every time it was put down. Some wireless pads are finicky, with the phone needing to be in a perfect spot to catch a charge. Here it was much easier to deal navigate those parameters.
Change: Pricing
The Tucson Limited Hybrid tested here started at $42,550 with destination and handling, and it's not even the most expensive one available. While the features list is good, the Tucson does not aesthetically stand out as a vehicle worthy of that price tag.
When optioned to the hilt buyers are looking at a vehicle that's nearly $50,000. My advice would be to stick to a less expensive model and add all-wheel drive for piece of mind.
Keep: Massive cargo space
When I look at the 2025 Tucson's near-40-cubic-foot cargo space it makes me wonder why any average person could need more space than this. It can easily fit four large suitcases and extra bags. I didn't test this explicitly, but I bet it would fit six coolers when stacked right. If your family is more than four people then maybe more space is needed, but most never will fill the Tucson to its full capacity.
About the writer
Jake Lingeman is a Newsweek Autos managing editor based in Detroit. His focus is reporting on the auto industry. He has covered ... Read more