2022 Hyundai Tucson Limited PHEV AWD – Review by David Colman +VIDEO

One of the best buys on the market

David Colman

Photos and Story By David Colman
Special Correspondent to THE AUTO CHANNEL

The Cubist painters would have loved the looks of the new Hyundai Tucson Limited. The Cubists deconstructed visual reality into overlapping visual planes. In redesigning the Tucson, Hyundai stylists did the same, breaking the slab sides of the previous model into a series of overlapping planes, A walk around the new Hyundai reveals how dynamically it's looks change from one view to the next. Although Hyundai's luxury division, Genesis, makes a line of much more expensive ($55,000 - $70,000) SUVs, the comparatively economical Tucson ($42,550) sparkles with a simplicity unmatched by its Genesis cousins. Couple that appearance bonus to a new plug-in hybrid offering, and you have an SUV that ticks all the boxes for purchase.

With its price range of $27,745-$44,310, the Tucson serves as Hyundai's entry level SUV. Next up comes the Santa Fe ($28,200- $43,750), followed by the premium level Palisade ($35,250-$51,100). It's worth noting that all 3 models have earned a "recommended" check mark from Consumer Reports , with the Tucson garnering 83 points out of 100. No fewer than 12 versions of the Tucson are offered, with the Limited PHEV AWD we tested being the top model. The only extra charge was $400 for a Quartz White paint job. As the top level Tucson, our test vehicle included a Panoramic Sunroof, 19 inch alloy rims shod with Michelin Primacy A/S (235/55R19) all season tires, rain-sensing wipers, smart cruise control with stop and go, and a pair of 10.25 inch digital screens, one for instruments, the other for navigation. The Tucson supports both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The Limited's interior looks inviting, with light gray leather trimmed seats presenting a subtle contrast to the Quartz White exterior color. As you would expect in this top echelon variant, all your driving and comfort needs are well attended. Both front seats provide power adjustments as well as heating and ventilation. The steering wheel is also heated, and the warmth extends to the full rim rather than just the 9 and 3 hand grip areas. The rear bench seats provide enough space to make long travel stints comfortable. They offer manual reclining seat backs as well as a central armrest. With the flick of a lever, the 60/40 seat backs can be lowered to provide a flat load floor that will swallow 38 cubic feet of cargo. We managed to arm wrestle a full size bike into that space.

As we head into 2023, Hyundai has made only minor trim packaging changes to the Tucson model line. The PHEV's power system remains the same. Open the hood and you discover a bewildering maze or silver boxes and orange cables connecting the plug in hybrid system to the 1.6 liter 4 cylinder turbocharged gas engine. Without supplementary electrical power, the gas motor produces 180hp and 195lb.-ft. of torque. The PHEV Tucson boosts that output to 261hp and 258lb.-ft. of torque thanks to a 66.9kW electric motor mounted at the rear axle. The whole system drives through a 6-speed Shiftronic automatic gearbox with paddle shifts mounted behind the steering wheel. All wheel drive is standard issue. Hyundai thoughtfully includes a 7.2kWh on board charger accessed through an exterior charge port door. Hyundai pegs electric-only driving range at 33 miles. Your mileage may differ. But at least you've always got that dependable gas motor in line to take over when the e-power supply runs out.

Performance of the Tucson with both energy sources belting out full juice in consort yields surprisingly quick acceleration. With a fully charged battery, the Tucson launches from a standing start at the drag strip in EV power, then turns to gas power for a 15.3 second blast through the quarter mile at 92mph. The 0 to 60mph run takes just 7.1 seconds, so you'll be perfectly content to leave the shiftable automatic gearbox in Drive for most acceleration challenges.

The latest incarnation of the Hyundai Tucson is by far the company's best effort in the rapidly shrinking "affordable" SUV market. Since average new vehicle transaction prices have now peaked above $50,000, the latest Tucson continues to state its case as one of the best buys currently available.

2022 HYUNDAI TUCSON LIMITED PHEV AWD

ENGINE: 1.6 liter inline 4, turbocharged + 66.9kWh permanent magnet synchronous motor
HORSEPOWER: 261hp (Combined)
TORQUE: 258lb.-ft. (Combined)
FUEL ECONOMY: 80MPGe/35MPG Gasoline Only
PRICE AS TESTED: $44,370

HYPES: Deceptively Quick, Well Furnished

GRIPES: Attention-Diverting Shift Selector

STAR RATING: 9 Stars out of 10