OLUSEGUN KOIKI
The Tucson PHEV is estimated to offer up to 33 miles of Electric Vehicle (EV) range on a single charge, which comes close to the 41-mile daily average for commutes in the United States.
For those with a shorter drive, a visit to the filling station could be a rare occurrence, saving you the driver a lot of money in the long run. Once the battery is depleted, the hybrid engine is estimated at 35 mpg in combined city and highway driving, effectively eliminating range anxiety.
Among other plug-in hybrid Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), the Hyundai Tucson Plug-in Hybrid rises to the top of the class, though the related Kia Sportage PHEV may give it a run for its money.
Performance
Much like the hybrid version of the Tucson, the Plug-in Hybrid is superior to the fuel version with quicker and smoother acceleration.
It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 7.6 seconds, which is an average time for a plug-in small SUV. When travelling on solely battery power, the Tucson PHEV’s electric motors are strong enough to get it to highway speeds without kicking on the fuel engine most of the time.
Pressing the accelerator aggressively will fire up the engine, though it quickly shuts off when its added power is no longer needed. The transmission downshifts quickly when called upon.
The Tucson Plug-in Hybrid’s suspension is well tuned, offering comfort in most day-to-day situations while keeping body roll mostly under control.
There is not much feedback from the steering wheel, but the crossover is quick to respond to inputs and it’s easy to track straight on the highway.
The Plug-in Hybrid does have a Sport mode that turns on the gas engine all the time and makes the steering heftier, but the engine drone gets annoying after a while; the less aggressive drive modes are more suitable for most situations. The brakes work smoothly and also provide good emergency stopping power.
Comfort
The front seats offer good support and enough adjustments to find a comfortable position, though some drivers might prefer more telescoping action from the steering wheel.
The back seat offers several recline angles and a long seat bottom cushion, so adults can be comfortable back there even on longer trips. The available front seat ventilation is a welcome feature for hot days.
Also helping to cool you down quickly is a great climate control system. Instead of a single auto setting, there are three (low, medium and high) that make finding a comfortable fan speed and temperature easy.
There’s also a diffuse mode, which keeps the cabin at a set temperature without blowing air directly on the passengers and lowering the fan noise considerably.
Interior
In its redesign, the whole Tucson lineup moved to touch-based controls for the climate and multimedia systems. Operating the controls is more complicated than it should be, but the controls are responsive and easy to reach from the driver’s seat.
The Tucson PHEV’s interior room is a plus; adults will have no problem sitting in the rear seats. Visibility is pretty good out of the front and to the sides, but the chunky rear roof pillars can block the driver’s view out back.
Technology
Hyundai’s multimedia system is simple to use. Touch-sensitive controls placed near the screen allow you to get to the media, navigation or home screens quickly.
The Tucson’s larger 10.3-inch touchscreen looks sharp, but the smaller 8-inch screen that comes standard on the Tucson has two advantages: wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity and physical volume and tuning controls.
For some reason, the larger screen requires you to use a cable to use those smartphone connectivity features, and its volume slider can be annoying to use. The Bose audio system is an upgrade over the standard six-speaker setup, but it’s not especially impressive.
The advanced driver assist features in the Tucson Plug-in Hybrid are great. The Highway Driving Assist system keeps the vehicle centered in the lane without bouncing it between the lines, and the adaptive cruise control works smoothly to accelerate and slow down with the flow of traffic.
It doesn’t add too much steering effort either, making it easy to override the system when needed. The Limited model also features a blind-spot warning system that will display a live view of the Tucson PHEV’s blind spot on either side when the turn signal is activated.
Storage
The Tucson Plug-in Hybrid’s larger battery takes up some cargo space. There’s 31.9 cubic feet available behind the rear seats compared to 38.7 cubic feet in other Tucson models. But it’s enough to be helpful for grocery runs and the like.
The 60/40-split rear seats can also be folded down from the cargo area via a convenient pair of latches on either side of the cargo space, and that expands cargo room to 66.3 cubic feet.
Up front, the Tucson PHEV has a few useful storage nooks and a small bin below the climate controls that also houses the wireless phone charger.
The central bin is pretty large, but there isn’t a convenient place to store a purse or bag so those may end up on the seat or the floor.
Fuel Economy
On the testing route, the Tucson PHEV logged 29.3 miles of range using just battery power. That comes in short of its EPA-estimated 33 miles of electric-only range, but it’s still enough range to turn short errands or most commutes into fuel-free affairs.
Value
The Tucson Plug-in Hybrid commands a large price premium over the regular Tucson and the Tucson Hybrid as well, a difference that’s harder to make up as the PHEV no longer qualifies for a federal tax credit as of this writing.
The more you can use the PHEV solely on electric power, the quicker your costs will be recouped, but it will take time.
Solid build quality and a strong feature set make the Tucson PHEV feel like it’s worth its price on most occasions, and since it’s a Hyundai, the robust warranty adds to its value proposition as well.
Powertrain and battery components are covered for 10 years/100,000 miles and it comes with three years/36,000 miles of free scheduled maintenance.
Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid models
The 2023 Hyundai Tucson Plug-in Hybrid is a small SUV available in two trim levels: SEL and Limited. The Tucson combines a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder fuel engine and a 13.8-kWh battery powering an electric motor to produce a total output of 261 horsepower and 258 lb-ft.
Power gets sent to all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission.
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