Used 2020 Hyundai Tucson

#11 in Best Compact SUVs of 2020

The 2020 Hyundai Tucson is a compact SUV offering the ride comfort, handling and fuel economy of a small car, but in a more versatile design aimed at those with a more active lifestyle. The Tucson shines brightly in the areas of safety and standard equipment, not to mention its unbeatable 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

However, when it comes to power, the Tucson falls short of the benchmarks set by the Mazda CX-5 and Ford Escape that both offer the option of a high-output turbocharged engine.

And, while the Tucson does offer features like adaptive cruise control and auto high beams, they are optional and only offered on the top trims.

The Tucson isn’t as roomy as a Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4, and, unlike the Subaru Forester, isn’t really designed for any kind of serious off-road use.

From a driver’s point of view, the 2020 Hyundai Tucson feels very much like driving a compact car. The ride is comfortable, the cabin quiet and the overall handling more than adequate, although the electric power steering is somewhat vague. The Tucson’s suspension is designed to take curves with confidence, but it’s not as dialed-in as in a Mazda CX-5 or Ford Escape.

Moving up to the Sport trim with its 19-inch wheels does somewhat diminish the ride quality and increase sound levels, so be sure to test drive a few versions to see which suits you best.

When it comes to acceleration, even the optional 2.4-liter engine upgrade is nothing to write home about. Delivering only 181 horsepower, this engine lags far behind its turbocharged rivals. Power for low-speed passing maneuvers is there when you need it, thanks in part to the excellent 6-speed automatic, but don’t expect any kind of neck-snapping passing maneuvers once up to speed.

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Selecting Sport mode from the drive settings tweaks the responses of the throttle and transmission for a little more fun.

Hyundai’s new Tucson touts a recently freshened interior, with a large infotainment touch screen, instrument cluster and design for the leather-covered seats in the Limited and Ultimate trims. The sensible dash houses simple controls for the climate and audio systems. At night, those controls are backlit in soft blue lighting. The digital display doesn’t overload the driver with too much information.

Even if they’re not class-leading roomy, the rear seats are comfortable enough, and the luggage area’s adjustable floor also includes storage for the cargo cover. With the rear seats in place, cargo space is 31 cubic feet. When folded, 61.9.

The 2020 Hyundai’s Tucson’s clean compact-SUV look is arguably easy on the eye, especially if you’re a fan of Audi’s styling approach. There’s nothing wrong with a mainstream marque paying homage to something upscale and successful. It makes the commute more bearable and lets the owner feel good about his smart purchase. The Tucson also brings some fresh alloy-wheel designs and new paint colors.

Beneath the styling is a chassis that uses more than 50-percent high-strength steel, contributing to the Tucson’s excellent safety credentials. SE and Value models ride on 17-inch wheels, while the SEL, Limited and Ultimate move up to 18s. The Sport trim rolls on massive 19-inch wheels.

HANDS-FREE SMART POWER LIFTGATE
Like power windows and air conditioning, once you’ve experienced the Tucson’s Hands-Free Smart Liftgate, you’ll never want to drive a vehicle without it. No need to wave your foot under the bumper, simply approach the rear of the car with the key fob in pocket, wait a few seconds and the tailgate magically opens.

YES ESSENTIALS STAIN PROTECTION
Cloth upholstery can be like a stain sponge when kids and coffee are involved, which is why the Tucson’s Yes Essentials seat fabric is such a brilliant addition to an already nice cabin. Beyond repelling stains, the fabric also helps deflect the build-up of odors and static electricity.

A generous equipment level for the money has long been a hallmark for Hyundai. In ascending order, the 2020 Hyundai Tucson trim levels are: SE, Value, SEL, Sport, Limited and Ultimate. The SE starts off with a 164-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, front-wheel drive, 17-inch alloy wheels, heated/power-folding side mirrors, 6-way manually adjustable driver’s seat, Bluetooth and all the new additions mentioned above.

The obviously but aptly named Value trim adds blind-spot monitoring, 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, satellite radio, and keyless entry/ignition. LED headlights and an Infinity audio system come in at the Sport level, while the Limited trim has leather seating surfaces, a heated steering wheel and a 360-degree monitor. The Ultimate gets an 8-inch infotainment touch screen, navigation, adaptive cruise control and a panoramic sunroof.

All-wheel drive is optional on every trim level. The bigger 181-horsepower engine goes into the SEL trim and above. It’s only the top Limited and Ultimate trims that are eligible for most of the more desirable features. These include pedestrian detection for the forward-collision mitigation system, driver-attention monitoring, rain-sensing wipers, panoramic sunroof, wireless-device charging and heated rear seats.

The base SE and Value Edition of the 2020 Hyundai Tucson compact SUV employ a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine making 164 horsepower. It does its job, but not in any particularly refined manner. The rest of the range is propelled by a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine producing 181 horsepower. Both engines connect to a 6-speed automatic transmission.

All-wheel drive (AWD) is available with either engine, replacing the standard front-wheel-drive (FWD) setup. AWD Tucson models offer a “lock” feature, enabling a 50/50 torque split between the front and rear wheels for better grip in slippery conditions.

2.0-liter inline-4
164 horsepower @ 6,200 rpm
151 lb-ft of torque @ 4,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 23/28 mpg (FWD), 22/25 mpg (AWD)

2.4-liter inline-4
181 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
175 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 22/28 mpg (FWD), 21/26 mpg (AWD)