2023 Hyundai Tucson

The base Tucson comes standard with the following features:

• 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
• 4.2-inch instrument cluster display screen
• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter
• Autonomous emergency braking with junction assist
• Tyre-pressure monitoring
• Halogen headlights with LED daytime running lights
• Automatic headlights
• Grey/black cloth upholstery
• Full-size spare wheel
• Remote folding second-row seats
• Driver’s seat power lumbar

The Tucson Elite adds:

• 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and satellite navigation
• 18-inch alloy wheels
• 10-way power driver’s seat
• Heated front seats
• Dual-zone climate control
• Front parking sensors
• Keyless entry and start
• Black leather upholstery
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Rear privacy glass
• Paddle shifters (excludes 2.0-litre petrol)
• Rear seat radar occupant alert

The Tucson Highlander adds:

• 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Remote smart parking assist (diesel only)
• Bose premium sound system
• Surround-view camera
• Blind-spot view monitor
• Power tailgate
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Heated rear seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Eight-way power passenger seat
• LED headlights and tail lights
• Ambient lighting
• Electro-chromatic rear-view mirror
• Passenger walk-in device
• Silver-painted skid plate
• Choice of black, brown or light grey interior colours

The N Line package adds:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster (Tucson, Elite)
• Sports seats
• LED headlights and tail lights (Tucson, Elite)
• Leather and suede upholstery
• N Line steering wheel
• Black interior with black headliner
• Metal pedals

White Cream is the standard paint colour, with all other finishes costing an extra $595. The palette comprises:

• Titan Grey
• Shimmering Silver
• Phantom Black
• Deep Sea
• Amazon Grey (excludes base model)
• Silky Bronze (Highlander only)

N Line models are available only in:

• Crimson Red
• White Cream
• Phantom Black
• Titan Grey

The Tucson is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. The exception is 1.6T models, for which intervals are 12 months/10,000km.

The first five services are capped at $319 each in petrol models and $375 each in the diesel.

While the Tucson doesn’t have a local ride and handling tune, its combination of pliant ride and neutral handling mean it stacks up well, dynamically, against key rivals.

The suspension is quiet and there’s not much tyre or wind noise out on the open road. In terms of overall polish, it’s the sort of quality you pay handsomely for in premium-badged machinery. The steering is also crisp, light and direct – it’s an easy thing to commute about in.

The cabin is nicely insulated from the outside world, the new platform from the larger Santa Fe brings a big-car feel to a more compact package, and the driver controls are light and fluid without lacking too much in feedback.

The combination of Lane Following Assist and adaptive cruise control makes the Tucson a breeze to drive on the highway. Such is the cleverness of these systems, you’d be forgiven for thinking the car could just drive itself for hundreds of kilometres.

However, take your hands off the wheel for more than a few seconds and the system will quickly chide you. The lane-keep assist, which defaults to ‘on’ upon startup, is less assertive but still makes its presence felt, which mightn’t be to your tastes.

The available all-wheel drive system is a bit more reactive than proactive, and you can encounter some wheelspin when you’re too eager to turn at a junction from a standstill.

The three powertrains are very different from each other. Let’s start with the least impressive: the base naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder.

Outputs are nothing to write home about and it feels lacking in verve on the road, while it sounds gruff when accelerating. The six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission also isn’t anything to write home about, with some slurring shifts.

The turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol uses a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission but it’s one of the smoother dual-clutch units out there with little in the way of hesitation from a standing start.

This engine also has a more pleasant soundtrack than most Hyundais with a four-banger, which often sound coarse. However, it’s no match for a turbo-petrol CX-5 or a Volkswagen Tiguan 162TSI – while this engine feels punchy in smaller Hyundais, it’s less exciting in the heavier Tucson.

The diesel is arguably the best.

There’s virtually no diesel rattle, and the engine is extremely smooth and refined with oodles of torque. It’s also mated with a well-calibrated eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.

The only option on the Tucson range is the N Line package, which costs between $1500 and $4000 depending on the variant.

N Line option pack

• Tucson: $4000
• Elite: $2500
• Highlander: $1500

It adds:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster (Tucson, Elite)
• Sports seats
• LED headlights and tail lights (Tucson, Elite)
• Leather and suede upholstery
• N Line steering wheel
• Black interior with black headliner
• Metal pedals

The 2023 Hyundai Tucson is covered by a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty with five years of capped-price servicing.

Hyundai said there's constant supply of the Tucson and stock on the ground, though it said waiting times will vary from model to model.

The Tucson and its corporate cousin, the Sportage, long ago entered the mainstream much as the rest of their brands' models did.

A new set of budget-brand challengers has emerged, with the Haval H6, MG HS and SsangYong Korando undercutting the Tucson.

As part of the establishment, the Tucson battles the likes of the Mazda CX-5, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan X-Trail, Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4 directly.

During 2022 Hyundai sold a total of 17,870 Tucson models. It was outsold by the Toyota RAV4 (34,845 sales), Mazda CX-5 (27,062 sales), Mitsubishi Outlander (19,546 sales), and Kia Sportage (18,792 sales).

The Tucson did, however, outsell models such as the Subaru Forester (10,637 sales), Honda CR-V (8123 sales), and GWM Haval H6 (7009 sales).

With its spacious cabin, nicely-appointed interior and long list of standard safety equipment, the Tucson should be on your shortlist if you're after a mid-sized SUV.

We'd recommend, however, you steer away from the base engine which feels underdone. The turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel engines are vastly superior.

The Tucson has one of the widest ranges in this segment. In addition to offering a diesel, an option that's disappeared from some rivals, you can specify the N Line package on every single variant. The Elite and Highlander are also available with all three powertrains.