Overview & Reviews

A compact crossover SUV, the Hyundai Tucson is aimed at buyers seeking the tall ride height and cargo convenience of a utility vehicle in a small, affordable package. Introduced for the 2005 model year, the Tucson has always offered a generous list of standard equipment and a lengthy warranty.

Although early versions of this Hyundai crossover have a decidedly budget feel, 2010 and later Tucsons have distinctive exterior styling and a slick interior to match. Acceleration and handling are also much better on the newer models, and fuel economy is significantly improved. Recent Tucson models are worth consideration if you're shopping for a used small crossover.

User Reviews:

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  Spunky and easy-handling, economical SUV! - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Tucson mom1 - October 22 - 10:04 am

  That front seats are stiff, not for large people. That while spunky, it is not a race car. My mileage has always been great when I do not go by car door inflation, but rather by the tires. I get 24 in city average, and 30 on highway. KOREAN tires wore fast, I replaced with Michelin Harmony and now General Altimax........wonderful ride. Does have some road noise but I always play radio. Great handling in all weather. No major repairs of late, just replaced radiator hose and had to use double clamp to hold as hose is thicker than original. Maintain oil and filter and transmission as dictated for city. Takes semi synthetic oil. I replace all filters myself, further savings. Dealer replaced engine bushings, worn, which he noticed, and was under warranty. Has never let me down, runs smoothly still in 2016. Bought new with 8 miles on it. Cargo hold is excellent, seats down, holds garden and groceries and building materials well. My back has not hurt at all since buying this, as you sit higher than in a car and at better angle. Recommend it highly.

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  JUST A NICE SUV - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By aokmike - October 21 - 4:56 pm

  Every about it is a value for the money

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  My 1st brand new car! - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By ronda h. - October 19 - 1:12 am

  scary about purchasing a new car, been many years since I purchased a car. wanted to make sure the chose I made was the right one. my brother and sis-in-law were a deciding factor. over 20 years they have either both or one have owned a Hyundai. now the three of us all own 2016 Hyundai Tucsons, in different colors. happy with my chose. mine is in Caribbean blue. makes me smile.

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  Dangerous - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Unhappy - October 15 - 8:27 am

  Like other reviews the DCT is dangerous and this car should not be on the road. Had 3 occasions when the car has completely failed to accelerate, luckily in each case no one behind me and not crossing a road. After the first occasion took it into the dealership they "updated" the software but did not inform me this is a known issue. Next day happened twice within a few minutes, plus overrevved when changing from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3. Took the car back to the dealership and they admitted this was a know issue and the software update does not work. Hyundai are meant to be working on a new version, timeline unknown. I have requested a buyback from Hyundai and filed complaint with NHTSA, where there are hundreds of similar complaints. Hyundai and their dealerships should be getting this car off the road. Based on my customer service to date I will never buy another Hyundai or use this dealership chain. Even if they provide an update will almost certainly sell immediately.

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  Ruby is Her Name - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By R.A.H. - October 11 - 8:34 am

  As a 30-year (two Accords) Honda owner, my natural tendency when it came time to acquire a more compact vehicle which was also easier for us (ages 73 and 79) to get in and out of, was just to go out and buy a CRV. To be honest, we did test drive a couple of them - as well as Hondas smaller HRV - before "discovering" the Tucson, almost on a whim, since my impressions regarding earlier Hyundais had not been all that great. I did do extensive research on the internet, at least becoming aware of almost every compact SUV offered. With the Tucson it was a case of lust at first sight. The new sheet metal looks really good. My wife and I both had a hard time with the bulbous rear of the CRV combined with its non-matching upper window lines, giving the distinct appearance that the designers/stylists were not all on the same page. From some angles the CRV can look downright bizarre. Not so with the Tucson which, to our eyes at least, simply does not have a bad view. The Tucson interior is also really nice (we did get the Limited with the Ultimate package) giving the impression of a far more expensive car. Drivers seating position (Im 5-10") is excellent, and the cooled seats are the greatest in our 100 degree+ summers. There is ample seating room in the rear, which is also extremely comfortable. Cargo area is not huge, but we are empty nesters. The car is very quiet. Instrumentation (we especially like the simple, classic, white-on-black tach and speedo) and controls are just great, and fall readily to hand. Much of the design work was done in Germany which I think is a major plus. The 8" screen navigation system is crystal clear, and easy to use. Were not that big on the current music transmission (Sirius, etc.) capabilities, but we will learn. I do think they made a mistake by not providing a CD/DVD player in the Limited (lower trim levels do). A lot of people have a lot of music on CDs, and all of the "high-tech" music options seem to require a subscription. In addition to the three Hondas, we also test drove the Toyota RAV4 and the Mazda CX-5, and looked at the Nissan Rogue. We completely passed on the Ford Escape since it was not recommended by Consumer Reports this year, and because it did not fare well in the crash-safety tests. Im sure Ford will fix this, but we were in the market now. The Tucson, on the other hand, received the coveted IIHS "Superior" rating. Ive not yet really pushed it, but the spunky little 1.6 liter turbo and 7-speed DCT seem like they will be more than up to the task. The car is (at least from published test data) considerably quicker to 60, and in the 1/4 mile, than was my 1962 Austin-Healy 3000 (considered a fairly powerful sports car in its day). We do live in relatively flat country, and perhaps as a result are getting a little over 27 mpg, overall, so far (1760 miles). Originally (since I value function over trendiness) we had some qualms about the 19" wheels with the 245/45 tire profile, even to the point of considering requesting a swap to the 225/60x17" setup, at delivery, but in the end, we went with the larger wheels. Hopefully all will be well with them, and I do have to say the ride is still quite good, and that the car feels really planted on the road. At least so far, Id have rate our new 2016 Tucson at around 9.5/10 - based on the theory that nothing is "perfect". This could well be our last vehicle and yes, the longer than "standard" 3Y/36K warranty very much did enter into our decision-making. Note to readers: This review has now been revised three times, with VERY mixed results. Unfortunately, the list of auto-generated bullet-points (see below) does NOT show up before one submits the review, and so, the previously published results have produced both surprise and conflict. Following is MY list of pros and cons - if it agrees with what is produced automatically, fine. If it does not, at least you know what I meant: PROS: Acceleration, Roadholding, Braking, Instrumentation, Seating (front and rear), Interior design, Engineering NEUTRAL: Parking aids, Cargo storage, Bluetooth CONS: Purchase cost, No CD/DVD drive at Limited trim level TOO EARLY TO TELL: Reliability, Maintenance cost, Dealer service

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  Fun For Less - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By RONSTER - October 2 - 12:16 pm

  Solid well built SUV, had a RAV4 which was great but underpowered. This has everything you could want except power seats and NAV system but at a price you cannot beat at any other make, best bang for the buck, will put the others to shame.

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  The best SUV yet - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Pete - September 25 - 1:13 pm

  We tried every other SUV vehicle in its class (Honda, toyota, Saturn) and this SUV blew them all away. It is comfortable, good gas mileage (22-24, great to look at and is an all-around great buy. If you want a fantastic SUV, look no further this is it!!!

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  Love my new Tucson - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Michelle Silva - September 24 - 10:00 am

  I love my Tucson. I is very comfortable, have many features, very easy to control the Ipod, radio, etc The gas mileage is not as good as I expected, 22 MPG average and I mostly drive on the highway.

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  Very Pleased - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By ryan - September 16 - 12:36 am

  I have been nothing but satisfied with my purchase. I bought the car a week ago and it has been great. I expected the weak fuel economy, but it offers a roomy interior with great lines, and awesome styling on the exterior. I bought the Limited model and it comes with more bells and whistles then my parents Lexus Rx300, which cost almost 10,000 dollars more USED. This car will be with me well into the future, if you just bought one, hope you enjoy it as much as myself.

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  ongoing CD troubles 2011 Tucson - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By litlebit1 - September 15 - 1:28 pm

  We purchased our 2011 Tucson brand new, top of the line, all bells and whistles. It is a great little car and we like almost everything about it...but one problem is driving us nuts! CD player makes a cracking/scratching sound at various intervals of use. We like to listen to audio books but anywhere 20-30 minutes into listening the CD starts making noises. We turn it off and can turn it on to use again after 5-10 minutes until it happens again. This is so disruptive. Hyudai has addressed it by supposedly replacing it 3 different times...each time we continue to have same problem. Our CDs are new, never used.