What kind of vehicle is the 2023 Hyundai Tucson? What does it compare to?
The Tucson five-seat crossover SUV squares off against other compact bestsellers, including the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, and Ford Escape.
Is the 2023 Hyundai Tucson a good vehicle?
Review continues below
The latest Tucson earns a TCC rating of 6.7 out of 10, due to strong technology offerings, a comfortable and roomy interior, and plentiful safety features. Holding back the Tucson are a middling fuel economy score, based on the gas version, and a four-star overall crash rating from the NHTSA. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What’s new for the 2023 Hyundai Tucson?
The Tucson SEL no longer offers the Premium Package. Synthetic leather upholstery now covers the seats on the SEL (and SEL Hybrid) with the Convenience Package as well as the XRT. Finally, the 10.3-inch touchscreen now comes standard on the XRT, N Line, and Limited models—and on SEL Convenience and Limited Hybrids and Plug-In Hybrids.
The latest Tucson has ditched the anonymous shape it wore for generations. Now, it’s all folds and creases, a radical piece of origami in a niche that veers toward SUV clichés when it veers at all. The striking grille wears a puffy-jacket texture and hides LED lighting that emerges only when it glows. With its honed and chamfered sides, it’s worked out an 8-bit CrossFit body, with a metallic spline that runs across the roofline like Oakleys worn backward. It has our full attention outside, but inside it’s a more subdued piece of work. A big touchscreen dominates a flat, plain monolithic center console covered in glossy trim that lures fingerprints out of hiding. The point of the cockpit is its digital displays, mostly for the better—their interfaces are clean and easy to grasp.
The Tucson runs the gamut of powertrains from a 187-hp 2.5-liter inline-4 and an 8-speed automatic—in front- or all-wheel drive— to a hybrid 1.6-liter turbo-4 coupled to a 6-speed automatic that puts out 226 hp. In either case, the Tucson’s capable suspension damps its body motions well, and its steering has timely responses if not a lot of feel until it’s clicked into Sport mode. The best Tucson is the priciest: the Plug-In Hybrid can drive 32 miles on battery power alone from an upsized 13.8-kwh pack, and its net 261 hp feels strong and sure.
With plenty of room for four adults and about 40 cubic feet of cargo, the Tucson has grown into a head-on rival for vehicles like the CR-V. It needs a finer grade of interior trim for a knockout blow: the interior’s digital displays cast a shadow on the plain grades of plastic it wears from the door caps on down.
The Tucson has standard automatic emergency braking and automatic high beams; SELs get active lane control and blind-spot monitors. Adaptive cruise control, blind-spot steering support, and a surround-view camera system come on higher-end models. Base Tucsons have an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto. Bose premium audio and automatic climate control are available, as is a 10.3-inch touchscreen with wired-only smartphone support.
How much does the 2023 Hyundai Tucson cost?
The Tucson is offered in four trim levels for gas models (SE, SEL, N-Line, and Limited) and three for the Tucson hybrid (Blue, SEL Convenience, and Limited). Prices for 2023 haven’t been confirmed, but will likely rise from last year’s base price of $26,135. The Tucson SEL represents the best value at $27,685 in 2022 dollars—or a couple thousand more in hybrid spec. It’s possible to spend more than $45,000 on a Tucson Plug-In Hybrid.
Where is the 2023 Hyundai Tucson made?
Hyundai builds some gas-powered Tucsons in Montgomery, Alabama, and other versions in Ulsan, South Korea.