Written by Marco Carvajal
The new 2023 Hyundai Tucson PHEV, a plug-in-hybrid-electric vehicle, is a compact SUV that feels bigger than its class it has two rows and seats five people. This car gives you the best mix between traditional gasoline cars, Hybrid, and battery-powered electric cars.
With a PHEV car like the new Tucson, you get a very advanced efficient engine, you get a hybrid car, you get a gasoline car and you get an electric car! Three different car technologies in one, so you can manage the energy of your SUV in the most balanced way for your budget and preferences using gas or electricity.
Tucson’s 35 Combined Miles per Gallon when using the hybrid’s engine is a very good range compared to most SUVs.
Most cars will drive around 20 MPG on average, but Tucson’s 35 MPG fuel economy is outstanding, you can save money, spend less gas, and drive more. Tucson’s smart hybrid system uses regenerative braking as the motor converts braking energy into electric power, which helps recharge the battery.
In terms of power, the 2023 Tucson PHEV has a good 261 horsepower combining the electric and gasoline engine, it is enough for a compact mid-size SUV to take you anywhere. The HTRAC All-Wheel Drive will help to drive on off-roads and difficult driving conditions using its Smartstream 1.6L turbocharged GDI 4-cylinder engine that works together with its Plug-in Hybrid electric motor and a lithium-ion battery system. The 6-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC lets you change speeds smoothly and enjoy fast acceleration.
Hyundai Smart Driving Modes
The new Tucson offers four different driving modes that will help you adapt to different road and weather conditions. When driving the Tucson you can change modes with the push button and the driving modes are shown on the digital instrument cluster.
The four different driving modes on the Tucson include:
- Eco: This is the default mode every time you start your Tucson. It maximizes the use of the electric engine and adjusts acceleration to stretch your driving range. This is still a very smooth mode to drive and is good for daily driving.
- Sport: This mode gives you more power as it defaults to the gas engine and utilizes the electric engine for power boosts to provide quickly accessible power and stiffens the steering for a more sports driving experience.
- Smart: This is an adaptive mode that adjusts steering, acceleration, and shift points to suit your current driving style.
- Snow: This mode maximizes traction from the all-wheel drive system for low-traction environments.
Even if the Tucson is not an expensive premium SUV but instead is a very affordable car, the top-of-the-line Limited PHEV trim model that I am driving comes with very good safety features like Blind-Spot View Monitor (BVM), Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA), Surround View Monitor (SVM), Highway Driving Assist (HDA), and more standard features included in its price.
Tucson is Available in 3 Powertrains
The new Tucson is available in three main powertrains, the Tucson gasoline model, the Tucson Hybrid which combines gasoline and electricity generated by the car, and the Tucson Plug-in Hybrid that I am test driving, which combines the two previous technologies of gas, hybrid energy, and you can plug-in your Tucson to an electricity source and recharge it with electricity at regular home outlets or at fast chargers around the road.
The electric engine of the Tucson still doesn’t offer a long-range, you can drive it as all-electric with an approximate range of 33 miles using its 120V electric charger.
The 33-mile range is low compared to all-electric cars that can offer ranges of 300 miles on average with one charge, but let’s not forget that this car is also a hybrid and you don’t need to rely only on electricity.
Tucson’s Birthday in 2004
The Tucson is Hyundai’s best-seller, this SUV was born just about 20 years ago, back in 2004. As the car industry evolved into more SUVs and fewer sedans, Hyundai kept expanding its fleet with new SUV models for every segment, like the Tucson.
The Tucson came to fill a gap between the larger Hyundai Santa Fe and the smaller Hyundai Kona.
Nobody expected that Tucson would become so successful in sales, becoming Hyundai’s best-seller SUV with more than 7 million units sold!
The new generation Hyundai Tucson is produced at Hyundai’s Montgomery, Alabama plant in the United States. This is the first time a Tucson has been manufactured in the United States, and for the first time, the plant is producing four different cars at the same time, including the Hyundai Sonata, Elantra, and Santa Fe.
I think that Hyundai is pushing and being very generous with features to continue the success of the Tucson. For the car year model 2023 Tucson, buyers are getting tons of standard features and a new exterior design for a very low price around $26K for the base gasoline powertrain, but not only more value and low price, now there are more model options like the Tucson PHEV. The new Tucson 2023 offers a very good lineup with more value than any other previous Tucson model.
The New 2023 Tucson Offers More Space and More Style
The new 2023 Tucson is more attractive than previous models, it has a very modern look with a beautiful exterior design, a good engine with enough horsepower, a great long warranty, and tons of standard features. It doesn’t feel like a compact SUV but more like a medium-sized SUV.
The new Tucson offers new trim models, PHEV Plug-in, Hybrid, and Non-Hybrid models for every budget and every taste.
Tucson’s new exterior styling is bolder than it looks, with body-side pleats, a striking front grille that is very attractive, and new taillights with light bars that extend across the entire rear of this new SUV.
The new Tucson features an edgy and aggressive look based on parametric shapes, reflecting Hyundai’s new modern design identity.
This new grill gets more stylish incorporating daytime running lights. The two outer columns of triangular trim that appear to compose the grille with disguised LED lights, when off, are indistinguishable from the rest of the grille.
With larger exterior space and more space everywhere, technological improvements, and a makeover, the new 2023 Hyundai Tucson has a great advantage over many of its competitors.
The Tucson that I am driving reminds me of some of the previous models that Hyundai offered a few years ago where the brand was offering so many standard options and features at no extra charge, and all for a low price, so you could buy a fully loaded Hyundai model for a lower cost than many of its competitors, offering great value and tons of standard features.
As the Hyundai brand has acquired more popularity, some of Hyundai’s top models are more premium and still well-priced but don’t offer as much value and standard features as it was provided in the past, but it seems that the Tucson is reviving Hyundai’s original pricing and generous value strategy that will be very hard to beat for many of its competitors.
The new exterior lights seamlessly integrate into Tucson’s parametric jewel grille, it looks sharp and modern.
New design highlights for Tucson include the latest evolution of Hyundai’s signature headlight architecture called ‘Parametric Hidden Lights’ and a crew cab design that offers a custom space intuitively optimized for a user experience of high technology.
The new Tucson bodywork is larger and wider than previous-generation models, offering a long hood and short overhangs on an elongated wheelbase that lends it a coupe character.
From the side, the angled body panels offer another interpretation of the parametric design.
The chiseled surfaces create a striking contrast between the sleek silhouette and the masculine wedge, suggesting forward movement even when stationary.
The Tucson’s athletic form blends seamlessly into the angular wheel arches where the alloy wheels provide a powerful and dynamic stance for this new SUV.
The Tucson is much larger than its previous model, adding 6.1 inches of overall length, 3.4 inches of wheelbase, and 0.6 inches of height and width, much bigger!
The extra roominess has been moved to the interior, which sees a big jump in cargo capacity to 38.7 cubic feet, compared to 31.0 cubic feet with the seats up and 74.8 cubic feet with the seats folded down.
Tucson Hybrid Plug-in Starting Price $37,500
The 2023 Tucson PHEV SUV starts at $37,500 MSRP, while the new 2024 PHEV Tucson had a price increase of almost one thousand dollars with a starting MSRP of $38,475. Both models offer a good price for such advanced technology, AWD, and more features standard.
If you want to purchase a regular Hyundai Tucson, no hybrid and no plug-in, then the Tucson gasoline model starts at $27,250 for the 2024 Tucson base model. This is a very good price for a brand-new 2024 SUV.
The Tucson Hybrid Plug-in is offered in two trim models, PHEV SEL and PHEV Limited. The base model SEL starts around $37K, and the top-of-the-line Limited starts around $44K.
Two Tucson PHEV Trim models are available:
Tucson SEL Plug-in Hybrid AWD 1.6L GDI Turbo 4-cylinder, 6-Speed Automatic with SHIFTRONIC HTRAC All-Wheel Drive, Starting MRSP $37,500
- 261 horsepower combined electric and gasoline
- 35 Combined MGP
- 33 Miles All-Electric Range
- HTRAC All-Wheel Drive
- 10.25 inch touchsecreen navigation
- Blind-Sport Collision Avoidance Assist (BCA)
- Smartstream 1.6L turbocharged GDI 4-cylinder Plug-in Hybrid engine
- Plug-in Hybrid electric motor and lithium-ion battery system
- 19″ alloy wheels
- 120V Charger
- Plug-in hybrid liftgate badge (no Blue badge)
Tucson Limited Plug-in Hybrid AWD 1.6L GDI Turbo 4-cylinder, 6-Speed Automatic with SHIFTRONIC HTRAC All-Wheel Drive, Starting MRSP $44,760
- 261 horsepower combined electric and gasoline
- 35 Combined MGP
- 33 Miles All-Electric Range
- HTRAC All-Wheel Drive
- Blind-Spot View Monitor (BVM)
- Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA)
- Surround View Monitor (SVM)
- Highway Driving Assist (HDA)
- Smartstream 1.6L turbocharged GDI 4-cylinder
- Plug-in Hybrid engine Plug-in Hybrid electric motor and lithium-ion battery system
- 120V Charger
- Plug-in hybrid liftgate badge
Every Tucson comes fully loaded with standard safety features, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, blind spot monitors, parking aids such as remote parking, automatic high beams, and a surround-view camera.
At this time the new 2024 TUCSON Plug-in Hybrid is only sold in some States, including CA, CO, CT, MA, MD, ME, MN, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OR, PA, RI, VT & WA.
New Hyundai Home Solar Panels to Charge your Tucson
A very innovative solar energy technology and initiative by Hyundai can help you make your house a charging station for your electric vehicle. Hyundai Home will give you the power to take charge of your electricity with solar panels, energy storage systems, and a 240-volt (Level 2) charger for your TUCSON Plug-in Hybrid. This is a great way to advance to the future.
The solar panel installation services are provided by third-party electricians sourced through the Hyundai Home service.
Competition
The Tucson competes with compact SUVs like the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, and Ford Escape, in a hot segment of several mid-size SUVs.
The new Tucson has Hyundai’s support, including a great warranty, good exterior design, very low maintenance, and good quality. Buyers who follow Hyundai will find the new Tucson as a great buying choice.
If you can afford the Tucson PHEV Limited for around $45K, that is the top-of-the-line Tucson that will give you every possible feature, excellent fuel economy, and very advanced technology.
