2025 Hyundai Tucson

The volume SE/SEL trims use the 2.5L Smartstream GDI four rated at 187 hp, unchanged by the 2025 facelift; the refreshed Hybrid rises to 231 hp and the PHEV tops the range at 268 hp.

The naturally aspirated 2.5L makes 178 lb-ft, peaking high in the rev range — modest against the turbocharged engines in many compact-SUV rivals.

The 2.5L AWD needs roughly 8.8–9 seconds to 60 mph, near the back of the compact-SUV pack; the facelift did not change the base powertrain.

The 2.5L is quiet at cruise but gets coarse and strained when worked for merges or passes, with only adequate throttle response; the 1.6T hybrid is clearly the more polished unit.

The conventional 8-speed automatic shifts smoothly and avoids CVT drone, though it can be slow to kick down for passing; the Hybrid/PHEV use a 6-speed automatic rather than an eCVT.

Rated for 2,000 lbs when properly equipped — enough for a small utility trailer, short of the 3,500 lbs offered by the RAV4 and CX-5.

HTRAC AWD is optional on every gas trim (standard on XRT) and standard on Hybrid and PHEV, with AWD Lock and Snow/Mud/Sand terrain modes — more than a basic on-demand system, but no low range or true torque vectoring.

About 8.3 in of ground clearance plus terrain modes make it competent on snow and gravel roads, but the XRT is mainly an appearance/roof-rack package without lockers or skid plates.

Three distinct powertrains — naturally aspirated gas, turbo hybrid and plug-in hybrid — one of the broadest menus among mainstream compact SUVs.

The volume 2.5L AWD configuration returns 26 MPG combined — middling for a gas compact SUV and behind the CR-V 1.5T AWD; the Hybrid and PHEV are separate, optional powertrains.

With no electric assist, the naturally aspirated 2.5L posts a modest 24 MPG city in AWD form.

The 8-speed automatic keeps cruising revs low for 30 MPG highway in AWD form (33 FWD), roughly level with class norms.

A 14.3-gallon tank at 26 MPG combined gives roughly 372 miles per fill — adequate but short of the CR-V and well short of the RAV4.

EPA estimates $2,450 a year on regular gas at 15,000 miles for the AWD 2.5L — on the costly side for a compact SUV, and the Hybrid is the main lever to cut it.

The 2.5L runs on regular unleaded with no premium recommendation, as do the Hybrid and PHEV — no costly fuel requirement anywhere in the lineup.

NHTSA rates the 2025 Tucson (the facelifted fourth-generation NX4) 5 stars overall in both FWD and AWD form, with 5-star frontal and side results; rollover is the usual 4 stars for a compact SUV.

The 2025 Tucson earned a Top Safety Pick+ with Good ratings in every major crash test, including the tougher updated moderate-overlap (rear-passenger) and updated side tests. The only blemish is a Poor whiplash-prevention rating, which keeps it below the very top of the band.

Hyundai SmartSense is unusually complete on the base SE: AEB with pedestrian, cyclist and junction-turning detection, lane keeping plus lane-following (centering), stop-and-go adaptive cruise, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance and Safe Exit Warning are all standard. Active blind-spot steering intervention and Highway Driving Assist are kept for SEL Convenience and above.

Pedestrian AEB is rated Good, but the Tucson gets only Marginal in IIHS's tougher vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0 test at higher closing speeds. The split leaves it mid-band rather than among the class leaders.

Every trim gets blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert with braking, and Safe Exit Warning. Blind-spot steering and braking intervention, plus the camera Blind-Spot View Monitor, are reserved for upper trims.

Lane Keeping Assist and Lane Following Assist (centering) are standard across the range and work well on marked highways. Reviewers rate it competent but not class-leading, with mild wander on curves and faded markings.

Full-speed Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go is standard on every trim, which is generous at this price. Highway Driving Assist on SEL Convenience and Limited adds integrated centering with curve handling.

No hands-free highway driving is offered on any 2025 Tucson trim. Highway Driving Assist is a hands-on lane-centering aid, not an equivalent of BlueCruise or Super Cruise.

The volume SE, SEL and XRT trims use LED reflector headlights rated only Acceptable. The Good-rated LED projectors are reserved for the Limited, so most buyers get the weaker lamps.

A tall greenhouse and upright seating give good forward and side views. Thick rear pillars and the spoiler-split rear glass hurt the over-the-shoulder and rear views, and the surround-view camera that would compensate is Limited-only.

About 41 inches of rear legroom and wide-opening rear doors make car-seat fitting easy, even rear-facing. IIHS rates LATCH ease of use only Acceptable, though, because the lower anchors sit deep in the seat bight.

Two-row, five-passenger compact SUV across every 2025 trim (SE, SEL, SEL Convenience, XRT, Limited) and powertrain; no third row is offered on the NX4 Tucson.

The volume SEL has no sunroof and keeps the full 40.1 in; sunroof-equipped SEL Convenience/Limited give up one to two inches. Body structure unchanged by the 2025 facelift.

Mid-pack front legroom for the compact class; the Tucson's long 108.5-in wheelbase is spent on the second row rather than the front.

Generous second-row head clearance near the top of the compact class, helped by the upright roofline.

Class-leading second-row legroom (CR-V 41.0 in, RAV4 37.8 in) from the longest wheelbase in the class; reclining rear seatbacks make it genuinely adult-friendly.

No third row on any 2025 Tucson — scored in the 'no third row' band. Buyers needing seven seats move up to the Santa Fe or Palisade.

Competitive with the CR-V (39.3) and ahead of the RAV4 (37.6) behind the second row. The conservative 38.7 cu ft spec-sheet figure is used; some 2025 reviews quote Hyundai's alternate 41.2 cu ft measure.

With the 60/40 seats folded the 2025 gas Tucson is listed at 80.3 cu ft, at the top of the compact class (CR-V 76.5, RAV4 69.8). The 2025 spec sheet raised this from the 74.8 cu ft quoted for 2024 without a body change, so the jump reflects re-measurement rather than more space.

The 2025 refresh moved the shifter to the steering column, freeing a larger open console tray with a wireless pad (SEL+), alongside deep door bins, a covered console bin, a dual-level cargo floor with underfloor storage and cargo-area seat-fold levers. Competitive and well thought out, but no standout innovation or onboard AC power.

Front seats are comfortable and supportive, and the reclining second row with class-leading legroom is a real strength. The volume SEL has cloth seats with an 8-way power driver seat but no power lumbar; leather and ventilation are Limited-only.

One of the softest, most absorbent rides in the compact class — 'pillowy' over local roads — but body control is loose, with float and wandering at highway speed that keeps it out of the top band.

The refreshed 2025 cabin is quiet at a highway cruise, with acoustic-laminated front side glass on Limited, though the 2.5L gets vocal under hard acceleration and coarse surfaces still bring road noise through.

Heated front seats and dual-zone automatic climate from the volume SEL; ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel on Limited; rear vents standard. Richer at the price than the CR-V, though the most desirable items sit on the top trim.

The facelifted 2025 Tucson opened at $29,750 delivered for the SE FWD, undercutting the 2025 CR-V ($31,495) and RAV4 ($33,295) and sitting near the Sportage. A mid-model-year price adjustment raised the SE to $28,705 + $1,495 destination.

The gas SEL with HTRAC AWD is the Tucson's volume configuration; at about $33,100 delivered it undercuts the CR-V's volume EX AWD (~$36,400) and RAV4 XLE AWD (~$37,700) by several thousand dollars.

The simple naturally aspirated 2.5L with an 8-speed automatic plus Hyundai's 3-year complimentary maintenance and 5-year basic warranty keep projected service and repair spending low — well under the CR-V and Sportage figures in this dataset, though CarEdge's even lower $2,694 suggests the Edmunds figure is conservative.

Resale is the Tucson's one cost-of-ownership weakness: it holds value better than the Sportage and Equinox but well short of the RAV4 (~68%) and CR-V (~62%), ranking mid-pack among all vehicles.

Hyundai's 5-year/60,000-mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty tops the band and beats the 3-year/36,000-mile coverage of the CR-V, RAV4, Forester, CX-5 and Rogue.

The 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty doubles the 5-year/60,000-mile coverage of most compact-SUV rivals; Kia is the only mainstream peer to match it.

Three years/36,000 miles of complimentary scheduled maintenance plus 5 years of unlimited-mile roadside assistance and complimentary Bluelink connected-care services is the most generous package in the mainstream compact class — longer than ToyotaCare (2 yr/25k) and far ahead of Honda, Mazda and Nissan, which include no free scheduled maintenance.

$33,110 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (53% retained, or about $17,548) leaves about $15,562 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,185 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $19,747 in total.

Third-party predictions for the facelifted 2025 Tucson land modestly above average: J.D. Power gives it an 83/100 Quality & Reliability rating, and Consumer Reports places it eighth of 22 SUVs, with powertrain, suspension and brakes trouble-free and the reworked in-car electronics (infotainment, cameras/sensors, head-up display) as the problem area. That electronics weakness — new for the 2025 refresh — keeps it below the RAV4/CR-V tier and behind the Sportage and CX-5 in CR's ranking.

Hyundai is a mid-pack dependability brand: it typically lands near industry average in J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study and mid-field in Consumer Reports brand rankings, clearly better than the bottom third but not in the Toyota/Lexus/Honda tier. It performs better on initial quality than on three-year dependability, and the Theta II engine saga of the prior decade still weighs on long-term standing.

The 2025 model year — first year of the facelift — has a busy NHTSA docket: seven campaigns, including a large forward-collision-avoidance software recall for phantom braking, two instrument-cluster display-failure software recalls, and a shifter-wiring rollaway recall, plus small-population air-bag, label and connecting-rod-bolt actions. Most are software or assembly fixes rather than a systemic mechanical defect, which keeps it out of the low band, but the volume and the safety-system nature of the big ones put it at the bottom of the typical range.

The volume gas Tucson uses the naturally aspirated 2.5L Smartstream GDI four with a conventional 8-speed torque-converter automatic — no CVT or dual-clutch — and Consumer Reports owners report no powertrain trouble for 2025. The Smartstream family has no systemic failure pattern, though it is younger than the RAV4/CR-V engines and Hyundai's direct-injection and Theta II history keep it out of the proven high-mileage band; a 29-unit connecting-rod-bolt recall was an assembly escape, not a design flaw.

The 2025 facelift brought a redesigned dashboard with a curved panoramic dual 12.3-inch display, a column shifter that frees console space, and a return to physical climate and audio controls, and reviewers rate the cabin among the best-finished in the mainstream compact class. Expected hard plastics remain in lower door and console zones on the volume trims.

Hyundai assembly is generally tight and there is no widespread rattle or panel-gap pattern on the NX4 Tucson, but as the first year of a heavily revised interior the 2025 car shows launch-year escapes: miswired console extensions allowing shift out of Park, improperly installed curtain air bags and missing labels all reached customers. That earns solid-but-not-strong marks.

Hyundai's US network of roughly 830+ franchised dealers covers metro and suburban markets well but is thinner than Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota or Honda, which matters in rural areas. Dealer/service experience rates only average.

The Tucson is one of Hyundai's best-selling US vehicles and shares its platform, 2.5L engine and 8-speed automatic with the Kia Sportage and other Hyundai-Kia models, so parts are widely stocked and independent shops know the mechanicals. Repair costs are in the normal mainstream band; the aftermarket is smaller than the RAV4/CR-V ecosystem.

The 2025 refresh made the 12.3-inch touchscreen standard from the base SE, where Toyota and Nissan reserve their big screens for upper trims.

Hyundai's ccNC software is quick and logically laid out, and the 2025 refresh restored physical climate knobs and audio controls in place of the much-criticized capacitive panel of 2022–2024.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on every 2025 trim, ending Hyundai's old trade-off where the navigation screen was wired-only.

Native navigation is standard with the 12.3-in screen, and dynamic natural-language voice recognition arrives on SEL Convenience and above; the volume SEL gets more basic voice commands. Good, but short of Google built-in rivals.

The standard six-speaker system is adequate; the eight-speaker Bose upgrade is Limited-only and competent rather than a class standout.

The volume SE/SEL keep analog-style gauges around a 4.2-inch screen; the 12.3-inch configurable digital cluster (half of the curved panoramic display) arrives only on SEL Convenience and above.

All 2025 Tucsons support OTA for infotainment and maps, and Hyundai has pushed controller-level updates too (instrument cluster OTA, used for Safety Recall 304), but there is no cadence of feature-adding whole-vehicle updates.

Bluelink+ provides remote start with climate, lock/unlock, vehicle locate and alerts without a recurring fee, and Hyundai Digital Key 2 (phone/watch as key) is included from the volume SEL.

Dual front USB-C and rear USB ports plus a 15 W wireless pad from SEL cover phones well; no household AC outlet on gas trims.

Proximity entry with push-button start and remote start via Bluelink/key fob, plus Digital Key 2 on the volume SEL; the hands-free Smart Liftgate is an upper-trim feature.

Rearview camera standard; Surround View Monitor, Blind-Spot View Monitor and Remote Smart Parking Assist are Limited-only, so the volume SEL makes do with the basics.

A 12-inch head-up display is offered, but only on the top Limited trim — squarely the 'top trims only' band.

Class-leading 41.3 in of rear legroom, wide rear door openings from the long wheelbase, and 38.7 cu ft behind the second row that swallows a stroller make family logistics easy; LATCH usability is only Acceptable.

IIHS Top Safety Pick+ with an NHTSA 5-star overall rating, and the family-relevant ADAS (FCA with junction turning, lane keeping/following, Smart Cruise with Stop & Go, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning, Safe Exit Warning, rear occupant alert) is standard from the SE.

Roomy reclining rear seats, rear vents and USB ports, a soft ride and a quiet cabin make long trips easy for four, with ample luggage space; heated rear seats are Limited-only and the gas car's range is modest.

Light steering, a soft ride, physical climate controls, a column shifter and standard Stop & Go cruise make it relaxing in traffic; the 187-hp 2.5L feels strained on merges.

26 MPG combined (AWD) and about $2,450/yr in fuel is mid-pack now that hybrid rivals commute at 37–40 MPG; regular fuel, cheap consumables and 3 yr/36k complimentary maintenance help.

At 182.7 in long on a 108.5-in wheelbase it is on the large side for the class, with a 38.6-ft turning circle and heavy D-pillars; surround view is Limited-only.

A 2,000-lb tow rating and a modest 187-hp engine make it a light-duty hauler at best, though the 80 cu ft max cargo hold is genuinely useful for bulky loads.

A conventional 8-speed automatic and 10 yr/100k powertrain warranty reassure, but it is a family crossover with no heavy-duty hardware or fleet record, and the first refresh year has collected several recalls.

Compact-crossover minimum: cargo tie-downs, 12V power, dual-level floor and an accessory or XRT tow hitch, but no onboard AC power, washable surfaces or upfit ecosystem.

Soft ride, comfortable seats, a quiet cabin and Highway Driving Assist (SEL Convenience+) suit the interstate, but highway float and a ~372-mile range from the 14.3-gal tank limit it.

HTRAC AWD with terrain modes and about 8.3 in of ground clearance handle gravel and snow, and the XRT adds a hitch and roof rails, but it lacks skid plates, a locker or onboard power, and tows only 2,000 lbs.

38.7 cu ft behind the seats and 80.3 cu ft folded is at the top of the class, with a square opening, dual-level floor and cargo-area seat releases; the 2,000-lb hitch and PHEV's smaller hold are the limits.

Tuned firmly for comfort: secure and predictable, but body roll comes early and it floats and wanders at highway speed. Behind the CX-5/CX-50 and Tiguan for body control.

Light and easy for parking, but numb, and on-center tracking needs frequent correction on the highway — the low end of the 'precise enough but numb' band.

Adequate, mid-pack stopping power for the class with a soft, long-travel pedal; no 2025-specific instrumented braking figure was retrieved this run.

The 8-speed torque-converter automatic shifts smoothly and avoids CVT drone, but the 187-hp 2.5L responds without urgency and needs revs to get going.

Quiet at a steady cruise, but the naturally aspirated 2.5L gets coarse and buzzy under hard acceleration or on grades. Audible but not offensive.

Mid-pack for a compact SUV on the class's longest wheelbase (108.5 in) — fine in parking structures, not notably tight.

The clearest gain from the 2025 refresh: physical climate knobs and audio controls replace the capacitive panel, the column-mounted shifter clears the console, and the upright seating and tall glass give good sightlines.

Deliberately an appliance — soft, numb and unhurried — pleasant to ride in but never something enthusiasts recommend.

The MY2025 facelift made the dual 12.3-inch curved panoramic display, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and a broad Hyundai SmartSense suite (forward collision-avoidance with junction turning, blind-spot collision warning, lane following assist, safe exit warning, rear occupant alert) standard from the base SE. That beats the screen and assistance content of a base CR-V LX or RAV4 LE at a lower price; held below 80 because the SE keeps cloth, manual seats and no heated seats or power liftgate.

Trim for trim, the Tucson undercuts the CR-V and RAV4 by roughly $1,700–$4,500 while carrying more standard tech and a far longer warranty, and Cars.com's multi-car test scored it best in class on value. Kept out of the 80+ band because the 187-hp 2.5L gives away performance per dollar to turbocharged rivals, and Limited/PHEV pricing climbs into the $40,000s.

Three powertrains (gas, hybrid, plug-in hybrid), FWD or HTRAC AWD on gas models, and a ladder from the SE through SEL, the new-for-2025 XRT and Limited, plus Hybrid Blue/SEL/Nightfall/XRT/Limited and PHEV SEL/Limited — a wide, well-spaced spread from about $29,750 to the mid-$40,000s, broader than the two-powertrain CR-V.

Calendar 2025 — the facelifted model's main sales year — was a Tucson record, roughly 234,000 US units and up from about 206,000 in 2024, with November 2025 the best month in the nameplate's history. A fast riser and firmly top-four in the segment, though still behind the RAV4 and CR-V.

Hyundai's image has climbed on design, warranty, safety results and the Ioniq halo, and it now reads as a credible mainstream peer rather than a discount brand. It still trails Toyota and Honda on resale and durability reputation, and the 2023 theft/immobilizer episode and earlier engine recalls keep perception neutral-positive rather than aspirational.

Hyundai routinely supported the gas Tucson with promotional APR, lease specials and stackable loyalty/military/college-grad bonuses, and dealers negotiated on gas trims. Not higher because record demand in 2025 and tight hybrid supply thinned discounts on the most popular variants, and pricing rose mid-year.

2025 is the facelift year for the fourth-generation (NX4) Tucson launched for MY2022 — new fascias, an all-new dashboard with the curved twin 12.3-inch display, restored physical controls and the XRT trim — so a 2025 buyer gets the current-looking car with no imminent redesign. Platform and base 2.5L/8-speed are carry-overs, keeping it at the bottom of the 80+ band.

Well reviewed and frequently recognized: U.S. News Best Compact SUV for Families for a fourth straight year, a Car and Driver Editor's Choice for the Tucson Hybrid, IIHS Top Safety Pick, and second place to the CR-V in KBB's compact-SUV comparison. Not a consistent comparison winner — the gas 2.5L's sluggish acceleration is the recurring criticism.