2022/2023 Hyundai Tucson Ultimate PLUG-IN HYBRID!!!! Full review!! (no changes for 2023) 

Thx for the kind words!

THANKS!!

Thx for the comment!!

Hey thanks for the comment and compliment!

Thanks for the thoughtful comment!

Thanks!

Thx for the comment!

so, how is it?

Appreciate the comment!

Awesome

Thx for the comment! Yes I think it will. But make sure your dealership offers refundable deposits for orders

Thx for the comment!

Similar situation. Ordered an Ultimate HEV mid Sep. Changed it to the Ultimate PHEV in early Oct, also unseen since no one had it. I've had the car for two months now. It's awesome.

same here. i ordered from country hill in early december 2021. They send me email it will be built 2022 Dec

Damn order mine last month its already here

@@deejamesdaboss nice!

Yes, I'd still recommend it. Plugged in and charging won't have any benefit to the gas engine.

Thx for the comment! I would expect probably around August to October. But possibly sooner if you managed to get into the 2022 orders. Otherwise it'll be a 2023

Thanks for the comment!

Other companies do use it, but a heck of a lot less. Hyundai's have 100's of feet of it whereas other brands only have 10's of feet.

Yes it is, but it'll likely start the gas engine to heat up quickly. So I wouldn't recommend doing it if the vehicle is in a garage.

Great question, The Tucson uses both radar and camera assisted tech for the autonomous braking. Some aspects may be affected by a build up of snow or mud. However, the camera does help to mitigate a total loss of the autonomous braking.

Very few orders for the Red. I like both, but I prefer the Amazon grey

Yes, it's equipped with a PTC electric heater. But if it gets really cold then it fire up the engine fire a couple minutes

Thx TJ. You'd be just fine, that floor is pretty durable. And the battery is contained In a very solid structure.

@@edsgarage001 thank you very much sir!!

Yes, there's a 12v positive post in the fuse box.

Ok, but the buttons you should be using while driving are the ones on the steering wheel. And those are easy to find and use and are hard switches. Really all the capacitive buttons are ones that shouldn't really need to be accessed while driving. I don't know....I don't think it's any different from buttons on a touch screen infotainment system, and that's easy to get used to.

@@edsgarage001 I was also wondering about that. I have not seen any proof that you can increase or decrease the temperature from the steering wheel. You can only control the volume. It seems like they prioritized having phone calls or listen to music/radio but at the same time they have both a mode button and a customizable button that could have been used to change mode to temperature instead of volume. As far as I have seen the customizable button can only control what type of media/sound input you want to use. A wasted opportunity!

Yeah absolutely. There's way way more space in the Tucson, both in the backseat and the trunk

It may have been under the floor of the trunk. But I can't recall if it's included on the 23 or the 24 model. It also depends on which trim level you got.

Actually it doesn't actually flash like that in real life. What you're seeing on the video is a result my camera having a frame rate that is inconsistent with the LED backlit display's frequency. It's actually VERY common, and you'll see it often in video reviews, especially on LED daytime running lights and anything with an LED backlit display. There's actually a setting on my camera that is supposed to minimize it, but I neglected to enable that. Phone cameras are also more prone to doing it. It doesn't happen all the time, but often.

The setting on my phone camera is called "anti banding" Also known as "anti flicker"

Thanks. That would’ve been a deal breaker. Ha

@@ShellieSager haha, yeah honestly the screens are awesome. Super clear, and great performance

It's learning.... The range till empty is just an estimate. The longer you own it, the more accurate it gets. So it's initial guess was probably a little optimistic, and it's adjusting accordingly.

The only time you'll see your range increase, is if you're going down a relatively long hill.... like something that takes minutes to go down. Otherwise, any increase in range will be a fraction of a percentage and not enough to move your battery level up enough to add a percentage point. (Think about how far you have to drive to drop one percent in range, then double that... That's roughly how much decelerating you'd need to do to increase a percentage) That's pretty standard on ANY phev or EV (including the rav). For example, I drive the ioniq 6 which has one of the strongest regenerative braking capabilities, but I still only see increases when going down a long hill. The RAV4 prime has a bigger battery, and a bigger electric motor capable of higher regeneration. But it's also SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive. And compared to the Tucson, those are really the only benefits. The Tucson is otherwise the nicer ride by far, with a way nicer interior, more upscale materials, more modern systems, a better all wheel drive system, more cargo volume, better leg room front and rear etc etc....

Yes absolutely

No, they're all sold out. Our expectation is now October

When you run out of electric only range, it uses about 6.7L/100km. When on EV mode, it uses basically no gas (maybe for a minute or two if heating the cabin). Combined EV/hybrid fuel consumption would be impossible to say, because it would depend on too many variables.

Thx for the comment!

You're correct.. no sun glasses holder unfortunately. Minor omission in an otherwise fantastic vehicle. My ioniq 6 doesn't have one either so I bought a leather clip that holds them on the visor. It matches the interior leather trim.

I don't like to comment on warranty questions to be honest. But considering you could get most of it back if it's not used, that doesn't seem like a bad deal. The phev components are covered for 8 years, 160,000km already so that statement by the dealer is silly.

Yeah.. true. my bad.. he actually meant for the other Electrical components like backup camera, windows, infotainment screen etc.. pretty much everything is electrical now-a-days. But yeah.. since I will get back 90% of the cost, so should be ok to take, I guess. Just extra peace of mind.

That's concerning, I would setup an appointment to have it checked out. I don't think that's normal, though, I could be wrong. Better safe then sorry though. Happy new year to you as well!

Yeah, my oil change notification has already come. Will check it out that time. Although, what I feel is - the vehicle uses the engine partially when only Heat is needed, tahts why it makes lesser sound, but when the battery is depleted, then it has to use the Engine completely, thats when the sound is more because its using all the cylinders or something. That time the noise is higher. The issue is not about noise, the issue is - the noise is like a old Diesel Truck, find it embarassig when there are other drivers around and I need to step on gas.. LoL... makes that ugly sound.. !

The engine shouldn't sound any different at any time. There's no cylinder deactivation or anything like that. The only change is the pitch as the RPM's climb if you're accelerating.

yeah.. will get it checked. One more question - the display is reminding about the 1st service being due. The odo is 7300kms and its about 3+ months since I bought. However, the Bluelink app says oil presently is at about 45% and the service due after 5000kms which means at around 12000kms (currently at 7300kms+another 5000kms). The Bluelink schedule seems correct to me since there is still almost half of the oil left. Do you recommend doing the service now or after 5000kms as the Bluelink app says? Bit confused as even in the past I used to do oil change at around 10-12%.

The oil change service interval is based on how the vehicle is driven, external temperatures etc. Otherwise the typical service interval is 8,000 km. However there are other things that should be checked at the 8000 km mark like tire rotation for instance, or whether or not your brakes need servicing.

You can buy them at the dealership.... But aside from that, maybe a wrecker would be a good place to get one cheap. Pretty much any old Tucson's spare will fit

Yes, which is actually better. The terrain modes lock the center differential but also alter the shift points, and adjust the stability control system. They also alter the amount of power going to the rear wheels in varying degrees depending on which train mode it's in.

I see, thanks. Interesting to learn that.

Unfortunately no, and last year's order time wasn't a set date. This year things are just different. Production starts in June though, so we can expect the system will open up relatively soon.

@@edsgarage001 I was wondering if Hyundai Canada is handling 2023 HEV and PHEV the same out west as they are in the Altlantic provinces. I have deposit on a PHEV and my dealer shared an email from Hyundai Cda that their dealership will be allotted only 8 2023 HEVs (2 Luxury and 6 Ult) and no 2023 PHEVs for the year. So, the best I can hope for is that the situation clears up and I might have a chance (depending on my seniority on the dealers list) to get a 2024 PHEV in 18 to 24 months assuming that they are allotted any PHEVs in 2024.

@@wicker1234 yep. Hyundai has temporarily ceased production on phev's. So same everywhere

@@edsgarage001 I have heard on another Tucson group that the Ulsan HEV line is going to be moved to the Alabama Plant and that Ulsan is reorganizing the PHEV production from a line to batch production which would increase their productivity ( they wouldn't have to share a line with other types. I suppose that could be the reason for the temporary delay along with all the other clag like semiconductors and batteries. I feel for you guys dealing with all this.

@@wicker1234 yeah it's a bit of a struggle. The phev Tucsons and Santa Fes have a massive demand.

Thanks for your question... But I'm curious, if everything is delayed, how can you tell that it's delayed? Does your phone continue to play audio AND send it through Bluetooth? In any event, I would check to see if you have any system updates available for your phone. But I have a feeling this is just a Bluetooth thing.

For example, map directions feel cut off when it comes from car speakers. Like it says " ... in 300 meters", whereas without BT connected the actual audio was "Turn right in 300 meters" .. so the starting 2s of audio is always dropped. My bad- may be "delayed" is not the right word. The leading audio is actually "cut off" (if that makes sense). I dont know if is my phone problem (have a Samsung Note 20) or some car BT issue. It happens only with car BT, phone works fine with my BT earbuds that I have.

Ah, ok now I understand. So there's a protocol where Bluetooth connection is temporarily suspended when no audio is transmitted in order to save battery life. It's called "suspend on idle". Unfortunately, the fix for this is going to depend on the phone. It's not a car stereo issue. But rather a power saving option on your phone. You won't really notice it on your Bluetooth headphones unless you were only listening to navigation audio on the headphones. But if you were to play music on your phone, through the car stereo WHILE navigating, then I suspect you wouldn't have the same issue.... is that correct?

Yeah... you were right... I did some more tests on the phone-car BT connection by running RU-vid videos on the phone, in this case the Audio was coming correct to the car. It seems its my Uber driver app's navigation that has this issue of leading map audio that gets cut off coming from my Uber app (I do UberEats food delivery after work daily from 6pm-9pm to make some extra $$.. and thats the reason of buying this Plug-in hybrid), so the navigation from Uber app and also any chime/notification etc coming from that app is always cut off in the beginning. I dont know where is the problem.LOL

No, body roll is not an issue at all. And the panoramic roof has a 100% power retractable cover

@@edsgarage001 thanks a bunch for your valuable feedback, I am looking to book it this week... cheers

@@edsgarage001 thanks a bunch for your feedback

@@therazorsedge4211 my pleasure!

Not yet unfortunately... Perhaps with a future update that function will become available

I'm sorry no... I'm in Canada. I assume you've checked with your local dealer?

That's not entirely accurate. The engine only needs to run a few minutes to generate enough heat to last ten times as long as it runs. Plus there's a resistive heater to help as well. As for AC, the pump only needs to build compression, then it can stay off for a bit. So similar situation. These new PHEV's are quite good at keeping the engines off. But when engine does run in EV mode, it stays at idle as well... So it uses very little fuel.

Thx for the comment! Best of luck in your search!

I think so, but why would you want to?

@@edsgarage001 on my older SUV I guess it wasn’t an LED based light so tailgate left open all day overheated the bulb, melted a bit the plastic cover, and kills the battery for no reason.

@@clearskiesastro1028 ooohhhh. K

I can test it next winter lol. I'm in southern BC Canada, not super warm climate here. Just happens it was a nice day out, about 10°C. However, havening tested other PHEV's in the cold, I can tell you the gas engine only needs to run for a couple minutes. They heat up so quickly. Regardless, It's actually much more efficient to use the gas engine to heat the cabin, then it is to run an electric heater.

It doesn't have pump heater, so heating will turn on gas engine.

8.3"

Yes it acts just like a hybrid after the phev range runs out. But that's actually pretty much the norm for phevs

@@edsgarage001okay, got it. So, does it mean it has 2 battery segments ? one segment for pure EV mode and another for Hybrid mode ?

Correct. Plus, in hybrid mode, if you're going down a long enough hill and the hybrid section of the battery is fully charged, it'll start to charge up the phev section as well via regenerative braking.

@@edsgarage001 Great, Thanks Ed for answering all my questions. Cant wait to get mine next week here in Brampton!! Have a great day! I will come back to you if I have any more questions.

Glad I could help!

Yeah I'm in Canada lol. It's basically the same as the Limited

@@edsgarage001 ok and I won't watch Canada reviews anymore because the specs in Canada is completely different from United States specs.

@@Bluegreenred well,I wouldn't say they're completely different. Usually only two or three features

@@Bluegreenred limited and ultimate is almost the same.

Don't feel too bad... They're completely sold out everywhere else for the next two years

Regular

Regular in all hyundais

The Tucson priced way lower, has a much nicer interior, way more leg room, way more features. Is quieter on the road, has a nice automatic transmission, has mechanically linked AWD system and has a better warranty. The rav4 prime has slightly better fuel economy and better EV range. But it's small on the interior in comparison, has a noisy CVT transmission and that awful e-awd system. Kind of depends on what you're after, but to be frank, the Tucson is the nicer vehicle by a long shot. The Rav4 is only better if you want longer EV range.

@@edsgarage001 Really good answer. Thank you. What are your thoughts on reliability of a Tuscon vs. Rav 4? I have never owned either brand. All you hear about is Toyota and their reliability.

@@danneundorf5422 A company called JD power and associates has been ranking brands by reliability and quality for well over 20 years now. For 2022, All Hyundai brands ranks within the top four overall. (Kia, genesis, and Hyundai) These rankings are based on studies, facts, and numbers. And are not biased or based on opinion at all. See more on their website: www.jdpower.com/automotive-news/2022-j-d-power-vehicle-dependability-study-ranks-korean-brands-highest

For the extra could have, gotta have the ultimate! Thx for the comment!

Thanks, I need both memory seats and wireless phone connection. It is really tough to choose. I am going for wireless connection. I deal with seats once, but have to live wired connection for the entire trip.

@@shichynwang there's aftermarket adapters for wireless Android auto or carplay. They're a couple hundred bucks

Right now, no one can get any. They've stopped production for now thx to the chip shortage. Thx for the comment!

We found one that wasn't sold and was in transit, to a dealer halfway across the country. Just picked it up two days ago. Had to drive 800 miles to get it, and 800 miles back.

@@DanAshleyChicago ok so you in illinois too huh? how did you find that cause I need one, i have a 2008 santa fe thats on its last legs

You have to identify the eight states, or whatever the number of states is that they are offered in. Then you have to get online and start googling around for Hyundai dealers in those states. We found one (1) in New Jersey.

@@DanAshleyChicago ah yeah I was doing that, all of them said they are out of it right now, and one of them (i forget which) the lady cut me off very rudely and said they wont even sell out of state. Its all hypothetical though. I have little money, and I cant get a loan for the full amount despite having a great credit score. Its because my credit history is too young. Very stupid credit system

No, once you've run out of EV range the only way to get it back, is to plug it in. You might get a little bit back if you go down a really long hill and it uses regenerative braking to add back a bit. Using the gas engine to charge it would be very inefficient, which is why Hyundai didn't bother providing the option to do that.

@@edsgarage001 seems they really missed a trick there then. to be able to use the motor to charge the battery surely makes sense. either way great video and excited for when mine arrives. I ordered the fully loaded PHEV Ultimate with an additional Tech Pack. should arrive in UK 3 months or so fingers crossed

@@anywherenearzero it really doesn't though, because the extra strain you put on the engine when it's charging, increases the fuel consumption. It's inefficient and the net gains are far lower then the net losses. Hyundai did all sorts of testing to see if was a good idea or not, and it turned out to not be a good idea.

@@edsgarage001 so that kind of answered my next question. do I need to install a PowerPoint at my home in order to charge overnight? I was thinking that I could charge it as and when I was out and about such as shopping centres etc. i guess the £600 install will pay for itself fast enough to not notice the additional outlay

@@anywherenearzero I would just use the included charger and plug into a regular wall outlet. It'll do a full charge within about 7 hours.... Might actually be less time in the UK as you guys are on 240v

Thx for the comment!

Doesn't really need to be.... Can't steal electricity out of it. 😛

My concern was vandalism. People suck sometimes. I enjoy the reviews.

@@brettmorey4171 oh ok I see. Thx for the comment!

@@edsgarage001 Our dealer said it was locked when the car was locked

@@davidjgcroydon yes that's correct, Thanks David

No, but with shorter range phevs, there's not much point. A heat pump still uses more energy to heat than a gas engine does. So for the amount of range you'd lose powering a heat pump, it's just better to run the engine for a few minutes. The AC does not need the engine running though, and AC isn't any more consuming than a heat pump is (a heat pump is essentially just AC that can run in reverse) If your day to day drives are 50km or less, you might need to fill up once every 6 months

@@edsgarage001 thanks Ed.

You can get them... You just have to wait. 🤷 This is the same story for almost every car right now, but more so with hybrids/phev and EV models.

@@edsgarage001 comment stands. But the real funny news is my 2021 forester is worth more than I bought it for.

True

🤷. I just asked several people here in my workplace, no one thought I sounded like Nicholas Cage.... Soooo

No, I pronounce it the way you're supposed to, according to the CEO of Hyundai himself. Hyundai like Sunday. 😉

What the heck?!?

I'd definitely go with the phev I don't believe there will be any changes yet at this currently is only the first model year. Thx for the comment!

@@edsgarage001 hey ED why are you choosing PHEV though, would u like to explain it..

@@VarinderSinghNehal because for the relatively small price difference, you could drive about 50km on just electricity and almost never use gasoline. That small difference would be made up in under a year with these crazy fuel prices.

@@edsgarage001 thanks Ed, take care