2024 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is kinda fun, but not all that efficient

2024 Mazda CX-5 Turbo AWD vs. 2024 Hyundai Tucson Limited Hybrid AWD: Two different approaches to small SUVs.

This week: Hyundai Tucson Hybrid

Price: The model as tested starts at $39,465

Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver likes the “sharp design, quiet cabin, quickest Tucsons also get the best fuel economy,” but not the “awkward touch controls, there are more efficient hybrid power trains out there.”

Marketer’s pitch: “The all-purpose hybrid SUV.”

Reality: The SUV that lacks purpose.

What’s new: The small SUV from Hyundai received a redo for the 2022 model year. It looks like a Range Rover Evoque, with cat-eye headlights that are all the rage now.

This hybrid doesn’t plug in — there’s another Tucson model that does — but it offers power and fuel economy bonuses.

Competition: In addition to the CX-5, the Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4, and Subaru Forester are among the most notable.

Up to speed: The Hyundai Tucson uses a hybrid power plant with a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine and a 44.2-kW motor. Together they create 226 horsepower, 39 more than the base 2.5-liter, four-cylinder, gasoline-only version.

The Tucson Hybrid gets from 0 to 60 in 7.1 seconds, according to Car and Driver, a pretty respectable number. The vehicle felt lively enough for me, even though it’s almost a full second slower than the CX-5.

Shiftless: The 6-speed automatic transmission functions nicely in automatic mode. Paddle shifters are there for your shifting pleasure, but they provide something more akin to shifting ennui. Still, the Tucson Hybrid has plenty of power throughout the gears, and I never felt any abrupt shifts or lagging.

On the road: The Tucson also made a great companion through the winding roads of Chester County or on Route 202 to King of Prussia. But the CX-5 still wins this portion.

Driver’s Seat: The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid was a last-minute switch in my lineup, and I didn’t have time to realize that I’d driven the 2022. Not much has changed since.

Sitting in the driver’s seat felt eerily familiar, but definitely pleasant. Sometimes I wonder how my weeklong tests hold up over time, and having this slip into my lineup shows that I got it pretty much spot on two years back.

The driver’s seat is comfortable and attractive, and provides a nice cushion with support. SUVs can sometimes feel like the accelerator angle is wrong or the seat is not aimed right, but the Tucson has none of that.

Friends and stuff: The rear seat reclines and offers plenty of comfort, plus lots of space for tall people with big feet.

Cargo space is 31.9 cubic feet behind the rear seat and 71.8 with the seat folded.

Play some tunes: The Bose Premium Audio System provides decent sound, but there’s been no improvement. Still about a B+.

Control in the Limited model comes via touch buttons on the handsome ebony frame surrounding the screen, including for volume and up-down. These can be hard to hit directly, and there’s no good place to rest your palm while making changes.

The 10.25-inch touchscreen operates easily, and it’s exactly the same size at the one in the CX-5.

Because both have annoying operational issues, may as well pick the CX-5 here for its far superior sound.

Keeping warm and cool: The HVAC controls also operate through touch buttons on the ebony dashboard frame. Not my favorite setup, but they work better than the stereo controls.

Fuel economy: I averaged just under 28 mpg over a short 90 miles, with a mix of country roads and highway. That’s pretty dismal for a hybrid.

Where it’s built: Ulsan, South Korea.

How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the Tucson Hybrid reliability to be a 3 out of 5.

In the end: The Tucson Hybrid remains a very nice vehicle, and definitely much improved over previous generations of Hyundais.

But a deeper dive into some features — fuel economy, controls, sound system — may make buyers think twice.