Family Car Review: 2016 Hyundai Tucson

The basics:

Base price: $24,400 + taxes
As tested: $36,600 + taxes
Highway fuel economy: 8.4-9.0 L/100 kms
City fuel economy: 9.9-11.0 L/100 kms
Competition: Ford Escape, Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4, Volkswagon Tiguan
Made in: Korea

New for 2016 is the redesigned Tucson, and just another reminder that
the Korean brands are doing it right. Don’t let the base price fool
you, though. The $24,400 price tag on the lowest trim level leaves out
features that most Canadians would need on a crossover – the most
noteworthy being all wheel drive. But moving up just a couple of trim
levels, you suddenly start to get a very well kitted out vehicle with a
great fit and finish. At just shy of $37,000, the tester we had, really
left us wanting for nothing except air conditioned seats on a really hot
day.

One of the big changes for 2016 is the available 1.6-litre turbo
engine coupled with a dual clutch transmission. We really enjoyed the
smooth, refined feel of the Tucson. The exception, however, was pulling
away quickly from a stop sign or accelerating quickly on the highway. The delay of power was annoying and when the turbo did kick in, the
acceleration was rather jolting. But the fuel economy on the turbo is
even better than the standard 2-litre engine. And even when I was having
fun with this car around the city, fuel economy numbers were an
impressive 9 litres per 100 kilometres.

On the inside, the Tucson is comfortable and well laid-out with,
according to Hyundai, more interior cargo capacity than the much larger
BMW X5. A rear facing child seat will make front passengers somewhat
cramped, however, as I uncovered in our standardized testing. You can
see that test and our full review of the Tucson by watching the video
above. But here’s our general takeaway:

Family Wheels pros: 

• strong value
• great storage capacity for a
  mid-sized crossover
• good standard features include heated front seats,
  rear back-up camera and numerous safety features you often have to
  spend big money on
• the new optional turbo does not require premium
  fuel
• Hyundai’s 100,000 km/5 year warranty

Family Wheels cons:

• turbo doesn’t respond well to
  sudden acceleration
• some cheap plastics still found throughout the
  cabin
• only moderate legroom for front passengers when rear-facing child
  seats in place
• hundreds of stylish perforations in the leather seating
  could making cleaning up kid messes difficult

Family Wheels target: one to two child families, best if already in forward facing child seats or boosters

Family Wheels driver comfort score: 4/5

Family Wheels rear passenger score: 3.5/5

Family Wheels trunk test score: 4.5/5

Family Wheels driveability score: 4/5

Family Wheels fuel economy score: 4/5

Family Wheels value score: 4.5/5

~ Paul Karchut is an award-winning journalist based out of Calgary. For reviews, giveaways or to contact Paul, visit FamilyWheels.ca or find him on Twitter: @FamilyWheels.