2022 Hyundai Tucson SEL Review

[Nick1994]

I know not many here are wanting a 4 cylinder Hyundai, but this one has the new 2.5L that hopefully doesn’t have the self destruct feature.

Had this for 2 weeks and 1,000 miles as a loaner while my Genesis was in the shop. Overall, I was ok with it and it was better than I thought it would be. Had 12k miles on it. Fuel economy was ok, got about 28 mpg mostly highway.

Pros:

• Decent ride and handling. The steering is a little numb and I initially thought it was awful, but once you turn off the steering assist it’s ok.
• Brakes stopped great
• Comfortable. Good seats with lots of leg room in the front and back. Lots of headroom. Very easy to get in and out of.
• Good tech. The radio is user intuitive and the wireless Apple CarPlay worked great. I’ve had loaners before that it would disconnect constantly. Has remote start.
• Good build quality. Seemed put together well and no rattles. Pretty quiet.
• Steering assist was for the most part really good. It would drive down the freeway hands free for about 30-60 seconds before you have to touch the steering wheel. Sometimes on wider lanes it was like the tail wagging the dog but it was usually fine.

Cons:

• Transmission. I don’t like this 8 speed, it’s too much for a 4-cylinder. It’s slow and not responsive. Kinda felt like a CVT. The 6 speed in my 2015 Sonata was light years better and had a better power-band.
• Power. This one really wasn’t that bad, as I think it was the 8-speed that hinders it. But this car needs a little turbo 4-cylinder IMO.
• A/C. I cannot complain about this enough. The vents on the dash are way too small. They barely blow out, you can feel the air in front of the vent but once you get about 18 inches away the air just disappears. It also seemed undersized and didn’t cool very well in this extreme heat.
• While the brakes stopped great once you jammed on them, the pedal was complete mush. Felt like hybrid brakes.
• Running boards on a CUV are stupid IMO and dangerous. They’re a tripping hazard.

 

[supton]

Running boards on a CUV are stupid IMO and dangerous. They’re a tripping hazard.

During ingress/egress? Never thought about that. I've missed having them, they were great on my truck (but it was high up), could bang my shoes off before getting in. Not scuff the paint on the rocker. But that looks too low to have running boards.

Are those white faced gauges?

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Used to be a value. Over $30k? Nope!

I do like the styling of the older (2020) KIA variant and I do see a lot around southern NH.
Sister in law lost the engine on hers and was out of commission for months - they did give her a Sante FE loaner.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I just read that some smartstream engines use a novel cam drive mechanism to SLOW the camshaft rotational speed during the intake event to effectively change duration where and when required. Ingenious - if it doesn't fall l apart.
I don't know if this application is limited to turbo engines in higher end models. Seems it would be more beneficial to NA motors. I also read they can utilise PI and DI in combination - Ken

What is Smartstream?

Smartstream: The Ever-evolving World of Powertrain.

hyundai.com.sg

 

[Nick1994]

During ingress/egress? Never thought about that. I've missed having them, they were great on my truck (but it was high up), could bang my shoes off before getting in. Not scuff the paint on the rocker. But that looks too low to have running boards.

Are those white faced gauges?

During egress. My feet bumped them several times, they’re not necessary in such a low car. I could see an older person getting their foot caught and falling.

The dash is digital. There’s 4-5 different options you can switch it to.

 

[PWMDMD]

Cons:

• Transmission. I don’t like this 8 speed, it’s too much for a 4-cylinder. It’s slow and not responsive. Kinda felt like a CVT. The 6 speed in my 2015 Sonata was light years better and had a better power-band.
• Power. This one really wasn’t that bad, as I think it was the 8-speed that hinders it. But this car needs a little turbo 4-cylinder IMO.
• A/C. I cannot complain about this enough. The vents on the dash are way too small. They barely blow out, you can feel the air in front of the vent but once you get about 18 inches away the air just disappears. It also seemed undersized and didn’t cool very well in this extreme heat.
• While the brakes stopped great once you jammed on them, the pedal was complete mush. Felt like hybrid brakes.
• Running boards on a CUV are stupid IMO and dangerous. They’re a tripping hazard.

I really like the Kia/Hyundai CVT. The one in my Soul is superb from a driving dynamics POV. The artificial gear shifts are faster and smoother than my Tundra and it "holds the gear" on hills so much better than my RX 350. Longevity? Another story.

 

[walterjay]

Black car...black interior...Phoenix Az. Surprised you could get it cool at all.

 

[Nick1994]

Black car...black interior...Phoenix Az. Surprised you could get it cool at all.

It should at least blow cold air out of the vents

 

[ARCOgraphite]

It should at least blow cold air out of the vents

MAX AC and recirc. OTW no.
Why black rentals in SW FLA and AZ
Some thing really nutty.
I would refuse that.

I was out to Scottsdale for my Nieces wedding a couple years ago
But in November. Not bad then. Weird place like being on the moon.

Got out of the silly, congested, over built town and into the desert for a hike. Pretty neat.
For a short visit.

 

[supton]

During egress. My feet bumped them several times, they’re not necessary in such a low car. I could see an older person getting their foot caught and falling.

The dash is digital. There’s 4-5 different options you can switch it to.

Ah.

Just took our CRV to the transfer station, it doesn’t have running boards but sure was nice to knock sand off my shoes before getting in, it at least has some sort of minimal plastic cladding in the right spot.

 

[Nick1994]

For those in the market, to throw a wrench in things I thought I'd add some more thought on a competitor.
Drove in a friend's 2023 RAV4 XLE this weekend to LA and back. I did 1/2 the driving. Its drivetrain is leaps and bounds better than Hyundai's. The transmission is much smarter and smoother and the power-band is awesome. Not fast, but predictable and not underwhelming. Doesn't have a mushy brake pedal either. It's dark blue, just as dark as this dark gray and the A/C is phenomenal on it. The Tucson seats are much more comfortable though. The steering wheel is a deal-breaker on the RAV4 being 3 spoke, very uncomfortable to hold.

 

[meadows]

I do not like getting in a RAV.

 

[CanAmAndMore]

Solid review, thanks for writing it up.

 

[The Critic]

For those in the market, to throw a wrench in things I thought I'd add some more thought on a competitor.
Drove in a friend's 2023 RAV4 XLE this weekend to LA and back. I did 1/2 the driving. Its drivetrain is leaps and bounds better than Hyundai's. The transmission is much smarter and smoother and the power-band is awesome. Not fast, but predictable and not underwhelming. Doesn't have a mushy brake pedal either. It's dark blue, just as dark as this dark gray and the A/C is phenomenal on it. The Tucson seats are much more comfortable though. The steering wheel is a deal-breaker on the RAV4 being 3 spoke, very uncomfortable to hold.

The current generation of RAV4 feels cramped to me. The CRV feels much more spacious.

 

[PWMDMD]

The current generation of RAV4 feels cramped to me. The CRV feels much more spacious.

I really like the look and size of the new Pilot and CRV.

 

[dishdude]

I had what I think is a base SE over the weekend, put about 500 miles on it. Agree with a lot of what Nick said in his review, but I have a few comments -

Brakes, steering and handling were all pretty good and an improvement over previous budget H/K models I've driven. The feedback from the steering and brakes were good, not something I can say about older H/K models. Ride was also very good, as was seat comfort. Being a base model, it was oddly equipped. Heated cloth, power liftgate but no leather wrapped wheel was strange.

The bad - this thing was sloooooow. The transmission was quick to upshift, and slow to downshift. As a result, you keep pushing the accelerator and nothing happens until it downshifts into second and you still don't go anywhere - the engine just makes a bunch of NVH. They claim the 2.5 NA puts out 187 hp and 178 ft/lb torque but there's no way.

This speedometer drove me crazy, I love the 10 MPH increments but at 60 they decide change it up so it goes to 160? This thing couldn't hit 160 if you drove it off a cliff.

 

[walterjay]

I have a 23 Tucson Limited. When I first got it I was a bit disappointed in the acceleration like dishdude said. At around 4,500 miles I guess the car was broken in and the was a remarkable increase in power. The car now has lots of power and really goes. Now satisfied with the power it has and very happy with all aspects of the car.

 

[dishdude]

I have a 23 Tucson Limited. When I first got it I was a bit disappointed in the acceleration like dishdude said. At around 4,500 miles I guess the car was broken in and the was a remarkable increase in power. The car now has lots of power and really goes. Now satisfied with the power it has and very happy with all aspects of the car.

It's a very well rounded CUV. It drives and rides nice, 4 adults can easily fit in it and it's easy to get in and out of. I like this segment and size crossover, I think it makes a lot of sense, very practical.

 

[dishdude]

I got another of these as a rental, identical to the last one (National must have got a killer deal on these) except this one has 15k more miles on it. The car is a total turd.

I hit the power liftgate button at the rental car center to close it after loading my bags, and as it closed I got in and got settled. Start the car and put it in reverse and when I look in the mirror the liftgate is open! Put it back in park and push this button on the dash with a picture of an SUV with an open liftgate and HOLD on it. I'm holding it and nothing is happening so I had to get back out and push the button on the tailgate and watch it close.

Stop at Target, come out and wait for the liftgate to close and hop in to leave. Get down the aisle and the car is beeping the tailgate is open! It's closed but not fully latched. I've owned 3 cars with power liftgates and never had an issue like this. Get back out and open and close it and I'm off. A/C is taking forever to cool down even though I was only in the store 10 mins, stop at a light and the car completely shuts down! Not talking auto start/stop, A/C fan shuts off and display for the climate control goes blank.

I had the LKA on, lane markings ended and it jerked suddenly, never had that happen before either. I'll be keeping that off.

Bottomline, car is slow and A/C is very weak. Transmission is constantly shifting. I will say the seats are supportive and comfortable. I didn't check to see what the tire pressure should be but I think someone went a bit overboard. I would never consider buying one of these.

 

[Nick1994]

I got another of these as a rental, identical to the last one (National must have got a killer deal on these) except this one has 15k more miles on it. The car is a total turd.

I hit the power liftgate button at the rental car center to close it after loading my bags, and as it closed I got in and got settled. Start the car and put it in reverse and when I look in the mirror the liftgate is open! Put it back in park and push this button on the dash with a picture of an SUV with an open liftgate and HOLD on it. I'm holding it and nothing is happening so I had to get back out and push the button on the tailgate and watch it close.

Stop at Target, come out and wait for the liftgate to close and hop in to leave. Get down the aisle and the car is beeping the tailgate is open! It's closed but not fully latched. I've owned 3 cars with power liftgates and never had an issue like this. Get back out and open and close it and I'm off. A/C is taking forever to cool down even though I was only in the store 10 mins, stop at a light and the car completely shuts down! Not talking auto start/stop, A/C fan shuts off and display for the climate control goes blank.

I had the LKA on, lane markings ended and it jerked suddenly, never had that happen before either. I'll be keeping that off.

Bottomline, car is slow and A/C is very weak. Transmission is constantly shifting. I will say the seats are supportive and comfortable. I didn't check to see what the tire pressure should be but I think someone went a bit overboard. I would never consider buying one of these.

My Genesis is a bit odd with the trunk but it works fine. It opens and closes fine from the trunk buttons, from the button inside it opens but to close it I have to hold the button, and from the remote it opens fine but doesn’t close? Not sure if it’s intentional or not, but I’m used to it. It does auto open if I stand behind the car too.