2025 Hyundai Tucson First Drive Review: Better At The Top

In addition to being fun to drive, the current generation of Tucson has proved itself to be a stylish, comfortable, and tech-forward compact SUV with efficient drivetrain options. However, that hasn’t stopped Hyundai from making an impactful update for 2025, mainly focusing on the interior and technology. For 2025, the Hyundai Tucson starts at $28,355 and carries over its standard 2.5-liter, four-cylinder gas engine and hybrids based around a 1.6-liter engine. With either of the drive options, Hyundai’s excellent HTRAC all-wheel-drive system is available.

The headline updates include wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay as standard throughout the range, a larger 12.3-inch infotainment display, while upper trim models gain a more useful center console with the drive selector moved to the steering wheel column below the wiper stalk. We had the chance to drive the new Tucson recently; here are our first impressions.

First Drive events provide our initial impressions of a vehicle in a restricted environment under certain time constraints. Keep an eye on DrivingOnRoad for our comprehensive Test Drive review which will follow soon.

Exterior: Messing With Proven Design

One of our favorite aesthetic features of the Tucson is that it has the most distinctive front lighting layout on the market. However, in what looks to us like change for change’s sake, Hyundai’s designers have taken out the slant on the vertical line of the front running light cluster, reduced the total number of lights from ten to eight larger units, and then used the word “bolder” to describe it. In reality, it’s a small detail, but it does have an effect – the design has become less attractive to us.

The usual tropes for a refresh come with the new lighting pattern, including a new grille design, redesigned front and rear bumper fascia, and new wheels. There’s also new anodized aluminum badging and a longer wiper blade hidden above the rear window. The more rugged-looking XRT models get new bridge-type raised roof rails along with black side cladding. Exterior features include:

• 17-inch wheels on SE and Blue HEV
• 18-inch wheels on mid-range models
• 19-inch wheels on Limited and N Line
• Panoramic sunroof on N Line and Limited

Interior: Meaningful Change

The biggest change inside the Tucson for 2025 comes with the upper trim levels. With the drive selector moving to the steering column, the center console is freed up to house a more conveniently placed wireless charger and regularly reached for controls. A new and useful dashboard tray for the passenger to use runs across the dashboard above the glove box, and USB-C ports in the back bring things up to date nicely.

We certainly appreciated the new 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment unit, its improved processing power, and revised menu system. Finding what you need is now easier, and it reacts crisply to inputs. Both versions we drove included Hyundai’s new 12-inch color heads-up display, which was still easily readable in the blistering midday California sun. The fact that the head-up display shows Android and CarPlay navigation makes it even more attractive.

However, we didn’t use the new fingerprint authentication sensor on the instrument cluster, which can also be used to stop and start the car. That’s something to explore with a full drive review as it needs to work first time every time to be taken seriously. We can, however, report that the ventilated seats are the strongest and coldest we’ve come across yet. The features list looks as follows:

S = Standard, O = Optional

On The Road: The Great All-Rounder

While the gas-only powertrain uses the bigger 2.5-liter engine, it’s a sluggish engine unless you put the Tucson into Sport mode. Its 187 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque are respectable numbers for a small crossover, but we can see having to switch into Sport mode to join a fast-moving freeway every day getting old quite quickly. Unfortunately, the fuel consumption figures aren’t good enough to make up for the lack of liveliness in the engine.

The hybrid is much better for brisk driving, needing to dip into Sport mode less often, and has reasonable 38/38/38 mpg or 35/35/35 mpg fuel economy numbers depending on trim level. The hybrid uses a six-speed transmission versus the gas-only version’s eight-speed, but there’s no noticeable benefit in smoothness from having more gears. If anything, the six-speed allows the 268 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque to be properly used when a surge of power is necessary.

We especially prefer Tucson over something like Toyota’s RAV4, which is because of the fun driving dynamics that Hyundai delivers – particularly with all-wheel-drive options. In Sport mode, more torque is sent to the rear wheels, and the Tucson becomes more agile. While we don’t generally recommend the Tucson as a sports crossover, it is genuinely fun to push around on a back road on occasion. More importantly, the HTRAC all-wheel-drive system is well-proven on dirt roads and generally in slippery conditions.

Ride quality is still up there for driver and passengers alike, and the Limited trim now comes with acoustic glass to refine the cabin further by cutting down on noise. That doesn’t mean the Tucson is loud without it – far from it – and the ride quality is on par, if not better, than its stiffest competition (pun intended). As a package, the Tucson makes for a lovely cruiser and city hustler.

Conclusion: A Worthwhile Update

Adding together just the infotainment and safety upgrades on the Tuscon, the 2025 model year facelift should be enough for anyone that’s been waiting to pull the trigger on a Tucson of any trim level. On upper trims, the move of the shifter to the steering column takes some getting used to, but it’s worth it for the improved center console.

S = Standard, O = Optional

There’s always a but, though, and in this case, it’s the gas-only models. We wouldn’t entertain the 2.5-liter engine with gas prices as they are and being confident they’re never going back to being reasonable. This is unfortunate, as the starting price of the gas models is well below $30k. Moving up to the hybrid sees the starting cost increase to $33,115. We think Hyundai has missed a trick by not dropping the 2.5-liter engine and going all hybrid with this refresh – the hybrids are that good. The Tucson is already not for the most price-sensitive customers any more, with cheaper rivals available. The PHEV models start at$39,380 and top out at $47,090 before options and destination.

For anyone interested in a lower-trim Tucson, it’ll be worth doing the math with the fuel economy and local gas prices to see if a hybrid version makes sense. While the lower trims offer a lot in terms of features, gasoline is currently a high price to pay for them.