If you live in Florida, California, New York, Texas or Georgia, you’ll particularly appreciate the 2025 Hyundai Tucson. These states lead the nation in plastic surgeries, accounting for 92% of procedures, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. So if you live there, odds are better that you’ve had work done. So has the 2025 Hyundai Tucson, keeping this vehicle competitive in a segment rife with competitors.

Yet of its competition, only the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage and Ford Escape and Mazda CX-50 offer their compact SUVs with a hybrid driveline. And so does Hyundai. And, as it turns out, the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is the one that you want in its lineup.

Up front, designers refined the grille opening with a squarer shape, while keeping its distinct outline intact. The same is true of the headlamps. But the daytime running lights are now also squarer, retaining their basic layout, and reducing their number to four from five on each side. The rest of exterior design remains unchanged, its look retaining a surprising freshness after four years.

The bigger cosmetic update awaits inside, where designers have swapped out a traditional central, vertically-oriented layout for one that’s relentlessly horizontal. As you’d expect, it incorporates a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, both of which are contained behind a single, horizontal sheet of glass, although analog gauges are standard. They are nestled upon air horizontal air vents that separate the screen from the flat panel climate control touch screen below it. There are also physical buttons for certain infotainment functions, but they’re not really necessary. The screen’s easy-to-use interface renders them redundant. The climate controls have a good layout and are easy to see, but the lights that indicate whether they are activated are not. They are dull and wash out easily in daylight.

As is increasingly true of Hyundai vehicles, the Tucson’s interior finishes bely their price. There’s a sophistication that’s unexpected and rare among mainstream compact SUVs. It reinforces that you’ve made a wise purchase. And that’s true of the roomy cabin and its generous cargo hold, one that has a small space under the rear floor for stashing small items. However, it does lack a spare tire. Up front, you’ll find cupholders a wireless smartphone charging pad separate the front seats there’s just enough bolstering to keep you in place, and while the seats are firm, they still offer enough comfort on longer drives.

When it comes time to choose a driveline, skip the merely-adequate 187-horsepower 2.5 liter four-cylinder, unless your budget dictates otherwise. Instead, opt for hybrid or plug-in hybrid, which delivers 231 horsepower in the case of the former and 268 horses in the case of the latter. And they deliver far better fuel economy along with the added power. How sweet is that? That said, my test vehicle, a top-of-the-line Limited all-wheel drive hybrid, delivered 30 mpg in admittedly lead-footed driving. That’s far off of the EPA rating of 35 mpg. Yet I was still fairly impressed by its frugality and fast nature.

To accomplish this, Hyundai pairs a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with an electric motor and a number of drive modes. Every time the car starts, it does so in Eco mode, which turns out to be fine in most driving situations. But Sport is much more satisfying when the roads twist, turn and go off-camber. The engine becomes far more responsive, and the steering gets a bit heavier, although the steering ratio remains unchanged. Yet it does deliver a bit of fun into what is otherwise a friendly family hauler.

I had the chance to sample the Tucson Hybrid in Napa Valley during The Napa Event, a lifestyle show featuring fashion, food, art, music and yes, classic cars, held at Inglenook Winery. This little automotive niblet proved most accommodating, be it schlepping me and my stuff around or participating in Saturday’s rally, one mapped out by the Napa Velley Car Club.

At speed, the responsive driveline always has enough juice. Cornering is a revelation, the Tucson gripping resolutely as the back end rotates around beautifully, as if it were a rear-drive car. It almost oversteers, making it this grocery getter a sheer joy to sling around – although it’s not its natural persona. I especially appreciated the ability to adjust the amount of regenerative braking, allowing for one-pedal driving at its maximum setting. But it has to be reset every time you start the car.

The only other quibble is its overly-vigilant safety systems. At one point, while slowly turning a corner, it mistakenly thought I was going to hit something. It stopped the car, refusing to let me accelerate despite pushing on the throttle. It was as If I had the transmission in Park, but it was in Drive. I was not happy.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed my weekend with the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid. Its Jekyll/Hyde, dull-yet-playful demeanor, astute contemporary design and a starting price of $34,510 makes it a compelling choice among compact SUVs.

2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Limited AWD

Base price: $34,510-$41,190

Powertrain: Turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder and an electric motor

Horsepower/Torque: 231/258 pound-feet

EPA rating (combined city/highway): 35 mpg

Fuel required: Regular

Length/Width/Height: 183/73/66 inches

Ground clearance: 8.3 inches

Payload: 1,085 pounds

Cargo capacity: 41-80 cubic feet

Roof rail capacity: 220 pounds

Towing capacity: 2,000 pounds

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