Hyundai Tucson Review (2015-2020)

What is the Hyundai Tucson?

So you’ve decided you want to buy a medium-sized, family-friendly SUV. You’re not the only one; this type and size of car has become one of the most hotly sought-after in the country in recent years, and consequently, the market has become saturated with such a huge choice of options from so many different manufacturers, it’s hard to know where to start.

On paper, the Hyundai Tucson looks like a very good place. Its biggest draw as a new car was the five-year warranty, and although that will have now expired on used examples of this generation, it still indicates that Hyundai was confident enough in the reliability of its cars to put its money where its mouth is. You also get a spacious, solidly built cabin and plenty of equipment for a very attainable price, making the Tucson excellent value for money.

How practical is it?

Clamber aboard – the Tucson sits slightly higher off the ground than rivals like the Nissan Qashqai, Volkswagen Tiguan, Ford Kuga and Seat Ateca – and you’re greeted by a dashboard that’s topped off by a responsive, easy-to-use touchscreen. The cabin is maturely styled, if a little dour, with a busy-looking steering wheel and monotone dark grey plastics everywhere, some of which feel a little on the cheap side. It feels robustly built, though, and if you opt for the racy-looking N-Line version, you get red contrast stitching, which adds some much-needed interest.

In the front seats, space isn’t quite as plentiful as in some of the best SUVs, but you’re unlikely to feel short-changed as there’s still more than enough room for both driver and passenger. In the back, meanwhile, there’s even more room, so nobody will feel cramped.

You can’t slide the rear seats fore and aft like you can in some rivals, and they only fold in the standard 60/40 configuration – the middle seat can’t fold independently – but the seat backs can be reclined to improve comfort, or placed in a more upright position to improve practicality and create more boot space.

Not that you’ll need it, mind you; while the Skoda Karoq offers more luggage space, the Tucson’s is still one of the larger boots compared with its rivals, and it’s a good, square shape, which means you can use all the space underneath the tailgate efficiently.

What's it like to drive?

The diesels were the most popular versions of the Tucson. Initially, there were four: 1.7-litre units with either 114bhp and a manual gearbox or 138bhp and a dual-clutch automatic, or a 2.0-litre with either 134bhp or 182bhp. The 134bhp version could be had with manual or automatic transmissions, and front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. The 182bhp version, meanwhile, could be had with either transmission type, but were four-wheel-drive only. A little while later, the 1.7s were replaced by 1.6-litre units with very similar power outputs. A little while later still, these 1.6s were themselves upgraded to feature mild hybrid technology. Whichever of the diesel engines you choose, they’re a little more noisy than those in their rivals, and never really feel as strong as their power figures suggest.

Two petrol engines were offered throughout, both 1.6-litres, one with a turbo and one without. The 130bhp non-turbo engine, which came exclusively with a manual gearbox, feels rather strained unless you really thrash it. The 175bhp turbocharged version, which can be had with manual or automatic, gives gutsy mid-range performance that’s much more useful. It’s relatively smooth, too, and while it isn’t all that economical compared with rivals, it’s barely any less so than the non-turbo 1.6-litre.

Few Tucson buyers will ever drive their cars rapidly down a back road, and that’s probably for the best, because it’s a mixed bag if you try. Vague steering means you never really have full confidence in where the front end is going, but at least there’s plenty of grip, and the suspension keeps the body from leaning over too much if you enter a corner a bit too quickly, and as a result the Tucson feels safe and predictable, if not really much fun.

The payoff for that good body control is a ride that’s stiffer than would be ideal, which means the Tucson feels just a little too unsettled on the road for comfort, a characteristic that’s exacerbated if you choose the big 19-inch wheels with their bone-shakingly slim tyres. It calms down a little on the motorway, but there’s always a background fidgetiness that grows tiresome on longer journeys.

Technology, equipment and infotainment

All the Tucson's trim levels are pretty well equipped compared with rivals. Even the most basic S Connect version gets dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth, automatic lights, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on the infotainment system, and a reversing camera. And while it doesn’t come with satnav, you do get smartphone integration so that you can use your favourite navigation app instead.

If you want integrated satnav however, you’ll have to upgrade to the SE Nav model, although this also brings a better choice of engines and smarter looks, with 17-inch alloy wheels as standard. N-Line adds sporty looks, while the top-flight Premium and Premium SE bring niceties like automatic wipers, front- and rear parking sensors, leather seats and – in the case of the Premium SE – adaptive cruise control.

Hyundai Tucson running costs

The most economical Tucson of all in the real world is the 114bhp 1.6 CRDI diesel engine, which should be able to achieve somewhere in the region of 50mpg. However, you’ll have to put up with glacial performance, and given that the gutsier 134bhp version should be barely any less economical in the real world, we’d recommend that instead.

The most economical petrol model, meanwhile, is actually the turbocharged 175bhp version. With a manual gearbox, it should be no less economical in the real world than the 130bhp manual, and when equipped with the DCT automatic version, it should actually get a couple of mpg more; expect around 35mpg.

Tax on late-run diesel-powered Tucsons will cost you slightly less than on most of their rivals, because their mild hybrid tech means they’re classified as an alternative fuel vehicle by the Government. That means you’ll pay £10 less each year than the equivalent conventional diesel rival. Petrol-powered Tucsons will still have to pay the normal rate.

You’ll need to get your petrol Tucson serviced every year or 10,000 miles, whichever comes soonest, though for diesel models that interval changes to every year or 20,000 miles. Hyundai’s servicing costs are usually pretty good value compared with those of rival manufacturers, so maintenance should be pretty cheap, What's more, Tucsons over five years old qualify for Hyundai’s Essentials servicing programme, which offers very good deals on servicing for older cars. You can also opt for a service plan if you wish to, which will spread the cost of your annual servicing out over a series of monthly payments.

Rather than the older-style rubber timing belts, which have to be changed after a certain amount of time, all Tucsons are now fitted with metal timing chains, which should last the lifetime of the car.

Hyundai Tucson reliability

An impressive score of 96.6% landed this generation of the Tucson in fifth place out of the 21 SUVs of its size included in the 2019 What Car? Reliability Survey. Even in the latest version of the study, this generation of Tucson still ranks 8th out of the 15 cars in its class, despite its more advanced years. That same study placed Hyundai in 10th place (out of 31) in the list of the UK's most reliable manufacturers.

One of the biggest draws for buyers when this generation of the Tucson was sold as a new car was its generous five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty. The car is now sufficiently old that the warranty will no longer be valid, but the fact that Hyundai has the continued confidence in the reliability of its cars to invest in providing such generous cover is a really good sign for long-term reliability.