A Compact SUV That Scores More Than Just Value

A Compact SUV That Scores More Than Just Value


On the one hand, that’s $10k more than the base Tucson SE, but it still falls short of the average selling price of a new car in the US right now. At the same time, you get the best and most satisfying experience in Hyundai’s top-of-the-line trim. No, the XRT may not be at Tucson Limited luxury levels, but it does sport 19-inch wheels (versus the SE’s 17-inchers), LED taillights, heated side mirrors, rear privacy glass, roof rails , and a powerless hands-free lift gate. All levels on the outside are more than just nice to have.

Hyundai’s angles-and-curves design language looks good here, with the sharply brushed sheetmetal helping to distinguish the Tucson from the crowd of crossover options. Up front, the way the LED taillights are integrated into the grille remains a nice touch, and the extra black cladding on the XRT trim – along with the black alloy wheels – gives it a cracking twist. Don’t expect it to stand out in the parking lot, remember: of the five-strong lineup of color options, only muted blue offers any respite from black, white, silver or gray.

At least Hyundai packs in active safety tech as standard. Blind spot warnings and collision avoidance assistance; forward collision avoidance assist with pedestrian, bicyclist, and intersection detection; help to follow the following ways and means; driver alert warnings; rear-end traffic collision avoidance assist; and safety exit warnings are all standard on the Tucson dashboard.