Hyundai’s most popular model in Australia – and globally – the Tucson, gets a styling refresh and a new hybrid powertrain for 2025, bringing the total number of variants in the range to a staggering 17 across a wide range of trim levels and price points.

where do you start

Now in its fourth generation, the Tucson marks its 20th anniversary in 2024 and comes in a choice of two-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD), three engines and three trims – the Tucson, homonymous entry-level, in the middle. top-of-the-line Elite and Premium spec—plus an N Line options package on most trims.

The only way to narrow it down is to decide on your powertrain (petrol, turbo-petrol or turbo-petrol/electric), then FWD or AWD. The rest is a matter of convenience and technology.

Note that the old 2.0 liter diesel engine has been discontinued.

I have the 1.6T Hybrid AWD Premium ($59,600) here in gorgeous Deep Sea, which looks metallic black at first glance, but is a bright purple-blue-green.

September VFACTS from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries places the Tucson at 8.3% market share nationwide in the sub-$60,000 midsize SUV segment – ​​fifth behind the Mitsubishi Outlander (12.3%), Mazda CX-5 (10.2%) , Kia Sportage (9.3 percent), with — no prizes here for guessing — the Toyota RAV4 in first place with 25 percent.

The look

There is a new headlight and grille design that should be more “aggressive”, new wheels and a new bumper with a silver skid plate.

More significantly, a few exterior and interior dimensions (depending on powertrain) have changed, notably with the 2025 Tucson 10mm longer than the 2024 Tucson. The front overhang is also 10mm longer.

There are also two new colors – Cashmere Bronze Metallic and Pine Green Matte – bringing the total to nine.

Step inside and there’s a bunch of new equipment, starting with the panoramic curved screen that incorporates twin 12.3-inch digital screens for the instrument cluster and infotainment into one unit, which is the way car interiors are headed.

It’s clean and minimalist, with different textures, lots of soft finishes, leather upholstery (Elite and Premium spec), no glare, and a handy non-slip smartphone/gadget niche fixed into the dash for the front passenger.

The gear selector on my hybrid is on the steering column, freeing up the center console, which has a wireless smartphone charging stand in the middle next to the cup holders so it’s easily accessible.

There are two USB-C ports up front for charging devices, wireless Apple CarPlay and Andoid Auto, plus an easy-to-use touch panel for climate and airflow, in addition to heated seats and steering wheel ventilation and heating.

I like the eight-speaker Bose sound in the test car; while it’s not a top-of-the-line system, it’s pretty good.

The tech includes sat-nav with live traffic updates plus Hyundai’s Bluelink connected car service, which lets you do all sorts of things remotely, even find your car in a car park if you’ve forgotten where you left it- o – and will also send an automatic collision alert to the emergency services.

For a midsize SUV, there’s plenty of room, generous shoulder room and a large cargo hold with, in the hybrid, 582/1903 liters of storage with the second row up/down (539/1860L in the petrol).

The Elite and Premium variants (like mine) have a smart power tailgate that opens by itself when you simply stand behind the car with the key in your pocket or bag.

I like it.

Note that the hybrids only get a space-saver tire, while the petrol variants come with a full-size spare.

Braked towing capacity for all hybrids (both FWD and AWD) is 1900kg, which is the same as the outgoing AWD diesel; Petrol variants receive 1650 kg.

The Lowdown

There’s a 2.0-litre (115kW/192Nm) petrol engine with FWD only; a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol (132kW/264Nm) with the option of FWD and AWD, plus a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol hybrid, which has a six-speed automatic transmission and also comes with the option of FWD/AWD with an integrated 47.7 kW electric motor and 1.49 kWh lithium polymer battery in the engine configuration for a maximum combined system output of 172 kW/367 Nm.

All of them take fuel of 91 RON.

Hybrid technology has a lot of advanced features, including:

+ Intelligent regenerative braking mode. This automatically adjusts when driving based on road gradient, driving conditions, data from the navigation system and the forward camera.

+ Dynamic torque vector control. During cornering, the system controls the brake on the inside wheel and the output of the drive motor to optimally distribute torque to each wheel for stable performance.

+ e-Comfort Drive. Torque is electronically controlled to minimize vehicle lean and drive motor power is adjusted based on how the driver turns the steering wheel to optimize line and comfort

Safety and driver assistance

The Hyundai Tucson has a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on 2021 tests, which applies to petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants, with 86% for adult occupant protection, 87% for child occupant protection. 66% for the protection of vulnerable road users and 70% for safety assistance.

Note, the 2025 Tucson has not been tested and is unlikely to be given the safety rating valid until December 2027.

Driver assistance and safety technology is comprehensive, including, among other things, a central airbag that provides additional protection for front seat occupants in the event of a side impact and is standard on all variants, along with autonomous emergency braking (from car to car, vulnerable road user and intersection assist), blind spot assist, a lane keeping system and an advanced speed assist system (more on that later).

Hybrids come with the works, including a 360-degree front/rear and top-down camera, as well as a blind spot monitor that gives you a live video recording of your left and right blind spots from the instrument panel when pointing.

unit

Quiet and composed. I like the walk.

The hybrid has satisfying power and decent acceleration – just don’t put your foot down, it’s not a performance car.

In particular, the transition between petrol and electricity is seamless; I’d be hard-pressed to choose it without watching the instrument panel display that shows when the car is in electric, hybrid and charging modes.

Surprisingly, it sometimes tackles decent stretches of road in electric, sometimes at 75-78 km/h.

There are multiple drive modes, with my AWD hybrid also having an off-road setting with snow, mud and sand options.

Dive into the touchscreen and you’ll also find ‘baby mode’, which adjusts acceleration and deceleration for a smoother ride and redistributes torque during reverse parking to make maneuvering less jarring – although I can’t say I’ve noticed a big difference in front because the driver.

One feature I like is the “automatic highway cruise control” that works with active cruise control to adjust the car’s speed to the displayed legal limits – without the driver doing anything.

The only problem is that it takes longer to automatically slow down to, say, 70km/h from 100km/h than it would if you braked, meaning you’re still over the limit as you pass the sign. Acceleration is no problem, but again, slower than putting your foot down.

There’s a quandary here – I’m not sure you could blame the car if you ran out of speed before it recalibrated, as ultimately the driver is responsible for the vehicle.

Warranty and service

All Hyundais come with a five year/unlimited kilometer warranty. There’s also an eight-year/160,000km high-voltage battery warranty. Hybrid servicing is every 10,000km/12 months, whichever comes first, costing $340, $340, $560, $410 and $340 respectively.

Prices for 2025 Tucson excluding on-road costs

Benzine

2.0 MPi FWD Tucson: $39,100

2.0 MPi FWD Elite: $44,100

1.6 T-GDi FWD Tucson N Line: $45,100

1.6 T-GDi FWD Tucson Elite: $46,100

1.6 T-GDi FWD Tucson Elite N Line: $48,600

1.6 T-GDi AWD Elite: $48,600

1.6 T-GDi Elite AWD Elite N Line: $51,100

1.6 T-GDi Elite AWD Premium: $55,600

1.6 T-GDi Elite AWD Premium N Line: $57,100

Hybrid

1.6 T-GDi FWD Tucson: $45,100

1.6 T-GDi FWD Tucson N Line: $49,100

1.6 T-GDi FWD Elite: $50,100

1.6 T-GDi FWD Elite N Line: $52,600

1.6 T-GDi AWD Elite: $52,600

1.6 T-GDi AWD Elite N Line: $55,100

1.6 T-GDi AWD Premium: $59,600

1.6 T-GDi AWD Premium N Line: $61,100