New Hyundai Tucson plug-in hybrid SUV review – DrivingElectric

This is the brand new hyundai tucson phev, and it sits at the top of the range boasting 31 zero emissions miles and very low company car tax rates. But should you consider one of these over say a toyota rav4 or one of the bigger kia sorrentos lets find out as weve highlighted and moaned about in previous reviews, so often the plug in models arent available in the cheapest trims thats also the case with the Tucson so, while prices for the standard, petrol and hybrid versions start at less than 30 000 pounds, the plug in hybrid costs, almost 40 grand. Of course, you dont pay 40 000 pounds for a bog standard. Se connect car for your money, youre upgraded to premium trim, bringing 19 inch wheels, led lights and a krell 8 speaker, stereo n line and ultimate specs like ours are also available, full details of which can be found at drivingelectric.com. Now, as weve not done a video review of the standard, tucson well start from the beginning, but if youve been in one of those, then this will look very familiar. You get this lovely 10.25 inch touchscreen display, which is really clear, responsive and all that. But you also get another 10.25 inch screen behind the steering wheel, weve seen a similar setup in the recently revised kona electric and it all works really well theres lots of features hidden away in the screen, but you also get to android, auto and apple car play On all models, what were not so keen on is this panel of touch sensitive buttons down here it looks lovely, but when you just want to change the temperature quickly when youre driving its not so practical, otherwise, quality is really good.

Theres some nice materials and the buttons and switches feel really solid, like theyre going to stand the test of time, not so much this button. If you keep pressing it hoping to hear an engine start plug in hybrids, silent starts, you might think the plug in hybrid is the sensible choice for those not quite ready for an ev but keen to try out pure electric running, searching for a serene driving experience And a quiet life, but then you look at the numbers and the opposite is true. This is a family suv with 261 brake horsepower and a slug of torque thats, substantial enough to pull it from zero to 62 miles per hour in 8.6 seconds, thats, actually slower than the standard hybrid. Not that youll feel it. You can always feel the electric assistance coming from the battery a motor, even when the petrol engines running so overtaking is no problem at all its, not as quick as the volkswagen, tiguan, hybrid and quite a bit slower than the rav4. But we dont reckon many people will be disappointed with the performance on offer like the tiguan. The tucsons biggest downfall is its gearbox as its a bit slow to react, but take it easy and youll be able to effectively eliminate most of those frustrations in normal driving. Though the tucson plug in hybrid is an accomplished all rounder, it blends petrol and electric running pretty convincingly, while ride and refinement is good too its, not the sharpest tool in the box thats the ford cougar, but neither is it the sloppiest im.

Looking at you, citroen hyundai have come a long way in the past few years, and the tucson feels tidy to drive theres a balance to the handling thats missing from some of its suv rivals. Ultimately, again, you are going to be disappointed, as with any plug in hybrid youll need to use that plug to maximize the efficiency on offer the 13.8 kilowatt hour battery isnt the biggest. But it should give you a good 20 miles of electric zero emissions running charging. Is easy? A seven kilowatt war box will fill it in less than two hours, while even a three pin plug will do the same job overnight. Every model comes with a five year: warranty and favorably low company car tax, but private buyers. Beware only a couple of variants come in under 40 000 pounds anything costing more than that brings in a heavy road tax surcharge for the first five years, thatll eat into any fuel savings you might make by plugging the car in every night. This tucson is slightly bigger in every direction compared to its predecessor, which means theres more space inside. I might not be the best example at five foot four, but youll definitely be fine. Fitting four six foot adults in here theres no seven seater option, which is quite common in this class. But if you do need those extra seats, then hyundai makes the santa fe just for you. The final thing to mention is the boot, as is common in plug in hybrids.

The big battery takes up a chunk of space, meaning its a bit smaller than the standard hybrids. Its still huge, though 558 liters means its bigger back here than the tiguan, which suffers an even greater penalty in the switch to plug in power. Folding, the seats is easy, so carrying longer items is simple, so there we have it the tucson plug in hybrid. I think hyundais biggest issue here is price. Its almost as practical as the standard tucson comes with loads of tech and its even cheaper to run. But the fact its only available in flashier spec means that really talented evs, not least hyundais own cutting edge ionic 5, are within reach for not much more in some cases, even less, but if plug in power suits, you then its a fantastic solution for many, the Tucson is a great all rounder head to drivingelectric.