2009 Hyundai Tucson User Reviews

Pros

Excellent Value

Purchased As New

We were looking at Toyota Rav-4's, but they were much more expensive and had that spare tire hanging out back where it is prone to theft. The Tucson rides excellent and has plenty of power. Ours has leather interior and has the rear seat leg room of a limousine.

Pros

Mostly its the price and safety features

Cons

Acceleration could be better and plain interior

We're a one-income family, I work and my wife is in grad school. I drive a 2007 Toyota Camry and my wife, just learning to drive, needed a car to pick up and drive around with the kids. We have two children, a 1-year-old and an 8-year-old. So I wanted something with a good price/value return and good safety features. My wife wanted something in the SUV-class with some looks. We researched alot, looking at the Toyota's and Honda's. Nice and refined but clearly not value leaders. The Nissan Rogue came close but the limited rear view and cheaper-Murano-wannabe drawbacks had us looking elsewhere. After reading the Consumer Reports reviews, we finally decided to check out the Tucson and Santa Fe's at Harbor Hyundai and immediately liked them.

We bought the Tucson at the height of the gas crisis' because we we're worried about the 6-cylinder Santa Fe. We bought a silver one with the 4-cylinder engine.

So far with a little over 6000 miles on it, the Tucson has been a terrific addition to our family. It is relatively roomy for two kids in the backseat, has good storage space in the back for the stroller and groceries (the darkened rear windows enhance safety making stuff stored in the rear hard to see for any wanna-be thief), the styling is fine, and handling is good. When I get to drive it I love the roominess in the front seats. Views from all sides are great and the overall wheel clearance (14') enhances safe driving. Safety with 6 air bags including the sides gives me peace of mind knowing the kids are onboard. And the 10-year/100000 mile warranty is unmatched by anyone - Hyundai clearly leads every other auto maker in this respect.

So here are the cons. Acceleration on the freeways requires some distance - the 4-cyl is good with gas but now I wish we got the 6-cyl. The interior is plain jane. Lots of plastic. The radio looks like its from Wal-Mart. The seats are rather simplistic but then again, this is a plus if you have kids spilling stuff all over. And the 'bug' look of the front headlights kinda bugged me until I got used to it.

We plan to keep the Tucson until my wife graduates and begins working. But for families like ours, having an SUV vs. the other options within our budget is clearly an advantage. I've noticed alot more Tucson's on the freeways here in Los Angeles and Hyundai has clearly hit the target with this SUV. It is the best buy anywhere. We love it!...read morehide

Good fuel economy, Smooth ride. Its one of the best vehicles on the market today.

Pros

Just a nice small SUV

Cons

The oil cap it in a bad location

This is my 3rd Hyundai and I love it and i will have a forth The problem I had was I didnt get what I wanted there was only one limited on the lot and no one close had another one, I wanted 4wheel drive with everything on it in blue, I got a 2 wheel drive in green and they need to upgrade the radio no Blu Tooth or Ipod inputs but still loved the car....read morehide

Pros

Affordable, roomy, MPG, reliable, warranty

Cons

Cheap radio and depreciation

After putting 10,000 miles I can decisively say that I am satisfied with this car and thus I recommend it. I paid $16,000 for this brand new GLS, FWD 2.0 litters, 4 cylinders, 5 speed manual transmission with 6 air bags and Electronic Stability Control (ESC), which is giving me 24.6 miles per gallon – not bad!! Considering that my commute is 17 minutes city and 14 minutes highway. Most importantly, the car keeps running smoothly like the day I bought it, giving me a sense of reliability that makes me forget that I am protected by America’s best warranty. Worth mentioning, this 4 cylinder was ranked 5 overall in its class in the Consumers Report Magazine whereas the V6 version was in 3rd place. (As of February -2008) so all in all this car is a great buy. Even better, my monthly payments after my trade in, plus the 4.5% I got at 48 months is so low that I am actually able to build my daughters college fund and speed up my mortgage payments.

In the negative side, Hyundai tneeds to upgrade the radio which is just too simple (in the GLS version). Second, Hyundai placed a sensor to detect if a person is in the passenger seat; if the seat is empty, a light comes off in the dashboard that reads “Passenger Air Bag Off”. Believe me; this light is very annoying, as I drive alone 99% of the time. Just get rid of it in the next model. Third, adjust the ‘double click’ mode in the remote control. Currently, if you double click too fast or too slow, it won’t unlock the doors. It should work at whatever interval you double click the remote. Finally - depreciation, Hyundai cars lose value very quickly, so if you are planning to trade in or sell this car after few years, it might be worth reconsidering your purchase. In my case, it make sense to spend lees up front, as I tend to run my cars until the wheels come off where they are at their residual value anyway....read morehide

Pros

Good fuel economy, great warranty, comfortable seats

Cons

radio isn't that great but that's ok

I went in wanting a SUV but not at the SUV price. Got a great deal on my Tucson and I absolutely love it. I would definitely recommend buying one of these!!!! The ride is very, very smooth! If I wasn't planning on having more kids, I would definitely buy another Tucson when I'm done with my current one, which I've had for 3 years now, and have had no problems what so ever....read morehide

Pros

works good no problems 4wd is very good I use it for hunting and works fine

Cons

Luxury ride it is not but did you buy it for that???

I have no problems with the car yet had mine a year. Ride is satisfactory for what it is. I did not expect luxury car ride from a small SUV. I have used this car for things it is not designed for such as deer hunting it goes every where I have asked it to and has never got stuck.I mean corn fields ditches and all.. very dependable so far ... I will keep you updated as it ages more. The only thing I would like is a larger 4 cyl engine for slightly better mileage instead of the V6. When compared to other SUV's the mileage is very competitive though....read morehide

Pros

good small suv for "hockey mom" packing on miles not wanting to ruin a more expens car in few years

Cons

A little noiser than luxury models

Good mileage, again a solid feeling suv with many safety features for someone who packs on lots of miles and doesn't want to waste money on a so-called luxury vehicle that gets constant "hits" in parking lots, which this car seems to sustain nicely so far. No complaints, good value for the money....read morehide