Bold StylingĪlthough it’s a matter of opinion, I like the Tucson’s edgy exterior a lot. My Limited tester also boasted leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control with Highway Driving Assist, and a 10.3-inch infotainment screen, so it was no slouch in features and amenities. The rear seat also reclines for added comfort on a long trip. But passenger comfort is still quite impressive, with plenty of head- and legroom for four tallish adults, and the ride is quiet and smooth over most surfaces. The Tucson PHEV’s 31.9 cubic feet of luggage room is less than its gas-only sibling – blame the battery for eating up 6.8 cubes.

And once the battery depletes, the all-wheel-drive crossover achieves 35 mpg combined – an improvement of nine compared to its gas-only equivalent. The 13.2-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery recharges overnight even on 120-volt power (and in just two hours on a 240-volt plug), giving the Tucson 33 miles of all-electric driving. The added competence doesn’t come at the expense of efficiency, either. Although it’s not particularly thrilling, the PHEV’s powertrain is much more refined in around-town driving. The plug-in hybrid, however, is much less frenetic, thanks to a smooth rush of torque from both the electric motor and the downsized, turbocharged gas engine.

The regular Tucson’s powertrain needs to be whipped in order to create forward momentum, but doing so taxes its already meager EPA fuel economy of 24 miles per gallon city, 29 highway, and 26 combined when equipped with all-wheel drive. Still, the Tucson PHEV represents a solid value against its competitors, whether they be gas, hybrid, or plug-in. The plug-in’s 261 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque are a useful upgrade over the gas-only Tucson’s 187 and 178, respectively – though the Toyota RAV4 Prime does even better with 302 hp. Do that and the 2.5-liter snoozefest goes away, with a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-banger taking its place driving the front wheels and a torquey electric motor mounted to the rear axle. That changes, however, if you opt for the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid.

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