Ministry of Interior Affairs: 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid

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Let’s start by saying this right off the top: the world needs more hybrid compact SUVs. Buyers are ready for them, whether it’s to reduce their carbon footprints, access better drive dynamics, or simply to spend less at the pumps. They present a low-fuss way to introduce drivers to the benefits of electrification. It’s a win-win all around.

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Different automakers are taking different approaches to this. Toyota offers hybrid versions of its RAV4 across the entire grade line-up, for example. On the all-new 2022 Hyundai Tucson we’re examining here, the automaker has gone at it from another angle: lower-cost trims have internal combustion engines, while the more expensive grades are the exclusive purview of the hybrid powertrain.

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Ministry of Interior Affairs: 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Back to video

We recently tested the new Tucson Hybrid head-to-head against the RAV4 Hybrid. You can find the results of that examination over at our comparison test feature .

Our mandate here at the Ministry of Interior Affairs is to pick apart vehicle interiors in excruciating detail, which is where the point about grades comes into play: if you’re spending to get a Tucson Hybrid Ultimate as shown here, you’re getting a hybrid powertrain along with the best this vehicle line has to offer. The unit in question is priced in Canada at $43,524 including destination fees.

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(A Luxury grade is also offered with the hybrid powertrain, priced at $40,850 including fees. The major differences are in the suite of driver assistance features, a less flexible front passenger seat, and the smaller-screen infotainment system. This latter point becomes important later in the discussion.)

Hyundai’s design studios aren’t shy about giving each of its vehicles a unique character that’s not tied to any defined brand standards. This means every new release from Hyundai (and from Kia, its sister brand) ends up being a complete surprise in terms of how the interior design shakes out. The results in every case are entirely to each observer’s personal taste, of course. For example, I don’t love the the new Sorento’s interior as I find it looks busy and incongruous, while others think it’s some of that brand’s best work.

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With that all being said: to my eye, the Tucson Hybrid’s interior design absolutely knocks it out of the park. The clean lines and different uses of colour and material tastefully add visual interest, and the fabric inserts and gloss piano black accents make this Tucson look more premium than its price tag. This is one handsome interior, and it’s made even better by the large panoramic sunroof, which is standard on hybrid Tucsons and fills the cabin with natural light.

Hyundai has a history of being heavy on feature content, which is also the case here. Heated front seats are standard in all Tucsons, a heated steering wheel is standard on all but the base trim, and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and a wireless charging pad are standard in all Tucson Hybrids. Several of these features would require spending at least a couple thousand dollars more to access in the Tucson’s competition.

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All Tucson Hybrids come with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. This allows Hyundai’s Blind View Monitor system to be incorporated in the Ultimate grade, which overlays a camera view of each side’s blind spot onto the speedometer and tachometer circles when the corresponding turn signal is activated. I still prefer to use my mirrors, but it’s a popular feature nonetheless. My favourite part about it is that it’s less in your face than Honda’s right-side camera system, for example, which takes over the entire infotainment screen and therefore tends to be distracting. Hyundai’s system is there if you want it and easy to ignore if you don’t.

What it would be nice to see more of on this display is information on how a driver’s accelerating and braking style is affecting the Tucson Hybrid’s efficiency. There is a graphic that shows power flow between the engine, electric motor, and battery, but displaying it takes over the middle portion of the instrument cluster. Other than a tiny graphic that shows when EV mode is on or off, there’s little feedback otherwise on how a driver’s actions are affecting the Tucson’s efficiency, which is a shame because similar systems are offered on other electrified Hyundai vehicles. There’s also no button to force the Tucson Hybrid into full-time EV mode as is found in the RAV4 Hybrid, although the smaller battery on a conventional hybrid means pure EV operation would only be available in short spurts anyway.

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In fact, there aren’t many buttons in the Tucson Hybrid Ultimate at all, which leads us into a discussion of what I consider to be its greatest flaw: there are no buttons or knobs for any of the infotainment system’s functions, not even volume control. Everything is adjusted either on the touch-sensitive flat panel or by using steering wheel-mounted buttons. To me, this is an egregious oversight; to some of our YouTube commenters, though, auto journalists make too big of a deal out of this and most people don’t actually mind. If you fall into the latter camp, you might enjoy this 10.25-inch high-definition touchscreen system. If things like the lack of haptic feedback, the single-click volume adjuster on the steering wheel, and need to take your eyes off the road to make adjustments matter more to you, consider giving up some features and buying the Luxury grade instead, which comes with a more traditional setup and an 8-inch touchscreen.

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Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality is standard, which is where a lot of owners who opt for the larger screen will want to spend their time: the radio interaction in Hyundai’s latest operating system has its flaws. The big, retro lightbulb style graphics denoting the station numbers look very cool, but they’re disproportionately large compared to the elements on the screen that drivers actually need to use such as the preset buttons along the bottom. I like to use these in quantity and often, so it drives me nuts that I can only cycle through the four sets of presets in one direction: in other words, if I’m on page two and want to get to page one, I need to look at the screen, find the tiny button, and tap it three times. And I can’t set the stations in any order I choose; they sort themselves into numerical order. Hyundai’s previous system didn’t need a lot of work, and the changes implemented here strike me as being a few steps backward. Fortunately, this is only a software issue, which means dealers may eventually be able to apply updates if enough owners complain.

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The Tucson Hybrid’s shifter is a button style, and while traditionalists may prefer the traditional lever still found in other vehicles like the RAV4, this does help to create more space along the top of the centre console. Front row storage is below average for this segment with two cupholders in the centre, one in each door surrounded by small pockets, and a pair of small pockets built in underneath the centre console that are only a couple of inches deep on each side. The centre storage bin is fairly deep but only wide enough to fit a small wallet or wristlet. Behind the wireless charging pad are the front row’s two USB-A ports – there are no USB-Cs here as of yet – and a 12-volt outlet.

For second-row passengers, the rear door opens wide for easy access, and legroom is more plentiful than in the Tucson’s direct competition at 1,050 mm, though the headroom measurement is less favourable at 983 mm. The outboard positions are heated and the seatbacks tilt for improved comfort, and there are two USB-A ports on the back of the centre console. LATCH-connected child seats can be installed in either the two outboard positions or the centre position, but not in all three at once. There are two small cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest and two in the doors that are secure enough to keep larger bottles from moving around, but no other storage is offered.

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At 1,097 litres of cargo capacity with the rear seats upright and 2,108 litres with them folded, it’s a pleasant surprise to find that the Tucson Hybrid Ultimate beats even the Honda CR-V Touring for space behind the second row and comes close to matching it with the rear seats folded. The rear seatbacks can be dropped with manual levers accessible from the cargo area, but the seats don’t fold down all the way using this method. You may still need to walk around to the side doors to lock them down into place, and you still won’t have a level loading floor after doing so. Another 12-volt outlet is installed in the cargo hold, and an additional storage area under the rear cargo floor holds the tonneau cover, a tire inflator kit, and some extra space for loose items.

This all sounds like a lot of criticism, but in spite of these points I still chose the Tucson as my overall winner in our comparison test against the RAV4 Hybrid. Most of the usability issues are related to the technology, and the 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid’s interior design, space, quality, and drive dynamics more than make up for these shortcomings to turn it into an appealing and well-priced option in an increasingly important segment.