{"id":21758,"date":"2026-10-03T18:30:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T22:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/?p=21758"},"modified":"2026-10-03T07:12:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T11:12:01","slug":"up-close-and-hands-on-with-the-2027-hyundai-tucson-is-it-a-toyota-rav4-killer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/up-close-and-hands-on-with-the-2027-hyundai-tucson-is-it-a-toyota-rav4-killer\/","title":{"rendered":"Up Close and Hands On With the 2027 Hyundai Tucson. Is It a Toyota RAV4 Killer?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hyundai has pulled the covers off the new Tucson in New York City, unveiling what appears to be a direct challenge to the Toyota RAV4<\/a>. Autonotion was there and managed to, albeit briefly, get hands on with the new, not-so-compact SUV.<\/p>\n

The most striking thing about it, before you get inside, is the shape. Society is sliding into a kind of cyberpunk dystopia and Hyundai seems to be the only car company with the guts to design retro-futuristic vehicles that would fit right in to any kind of sci-fi fantasy. They weren\u2019t joking when they described the Tucson as their \u201cboldest\u201d SUV yet, its blocky design looks more suited to somewhere like Mars than NYC or LA.<\/p>\n

\"The
Credit:Dave McQuilling\/AutoNotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s something I can see dividing people to a degree. You don\u2019t make \u201cbold\u201d choices and bring everyone along with you\/ But equally, I\u2019m ecstatic a car company is abandoning the shapeless generic blobs SUVs have become in recent years and at least trying to do something unique.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t new for Hyundai, they debuted a realtor-futuristic Palisade a few years back. That\u2019s also a good looking vehicle which stands out against its peers.<\/p>\n

At first glance, the new Tucson appears to be almost as large as the Santa Fe<\/a>. But, while it is longer than the 2026 model, the compact SUV is still over five inches shorter than its three row sibling. Though you wouldn\u2019t think so if you sat in it.<\/p>\n

The interior is a cut above<\/h2>\n
\"Dash
Credit:Dave McQuilling\/AutoNotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After sitting inside I can verify that Hyundai was not lying when they bragged about the spaciousness of the new Tucson\u2019s interior. There is a lot of room. Brian Armstead is one of the tallest automotive journalists in the industry, the man is at least six foot seven. But he was sitting comfortably in front, and the person behind him had ample leg room. If the Tucson is comfortable in this extreme outlier of a scenario, it\u2019s large enough to be a family car.<\/p>\n

As for interior quality, the upholstery seems to be of very high quality, the seats are comfortable, and the quality control seems to be there. Though on that last point, vehicles present at press launches undergo extreme scrutiny so not seeing a stitch loose isn\u2019t really a shock.<\/p>\n

\"Dash
Credit:Dave McQuilling\/AutoNotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The slightly squared-off wheel is another potentially divisive design choice, but a necessary one in my opinion. A lot of manufacturers are leaning towards this form factor as driver displays get more advanced. I\u2019d take a clear view of the driver\u2019s display over a round wheel any day.<\/p>\n

What about the new infotainment system?<\/h2>\n
\"The
Credit:Dave McQuilling\/AutoNotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the biggest leaps forward Hyundai has made with the 2027 Tucson is with its infotainment system. That system comes in the form of Pleos Connect, which features a new user interface combined with physical buttons to truly enhance the in-vehicle experience. Hyundai has used a hoard of data to map out an ideal layout for the menus. The route<\/p>\n

Central to Pleos Connect is Gleo AI, Hyundai group\u2019s new context-aware intelligence that does everything from controlling the seats to handling navigation. It\u2019s both contextually and spatially aware, which means it can tell who is speaking and execute the command accordingly. It can also execute multiple commands within a single request, which means you can hop in there, adjust the HVAC, set your destination and get your tunes playing with a single (albeit long) sentence.<\/p>\n

\"a
Credit:Dave McQuilling\/AutoNotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pleos Connect is set to make its way into every Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis vehicle by 2030. But if you want to see it early it\u2019s present in the 2027 Tucson.<\/p>\n

As for how it performs, my time with the infotainment system was limited and the vehicle is still a prototype. However, I did get to try a few things out. Those who know me know I have a bit of an accent, which can make using voice controls difficult.<\/p>\n

While I didn\u2019t put it through its paces to the same degree I have Lucid or BMW\u2019s AI, I did get to ask it for directions to Taco Bell and this taught me more than just where the chalupa supremes were. Looking on the text on screen, the AI initially heard the sentence as \u201ccan you give me directions to tackle belt.\u201d But it then used context to correct the input to \u201cTaco Bell\u201d and listed local locations instead of giving me a play by play on fighting some pants support.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Credit:Dave McQuilling\/AutoNotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is a positive step, though it will be interesting to see if it can tidy things up as effectively with less obvious sentences. Google\u2019s Gemini seems to struggle when I\u2019m asking for specific music and it can\u2019t quite make out the pronunciation. Accurately transcribing text messages is something else I\u2019ve seen AI struggle with, and I look forward to seeing how Gleo AI does with that.<\/p>\n

As for the rest of the infotainment system, I found the menus a little confusing but that\u2019s the case with every new vehicle. It takes a little time to work out where things are, and I\u2019ll need to give it a full test to make a solid assessment there.<\/p>\n

Can it take on the Toyota RAV4?<\/h2>\n
\"a
Credit:Dave McQuilling\/AutoNotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From my hands-on experience I can say without a doubt that the Tucson has a better interior than the RAV4 and its infotainment system is levels above Toyota\u2019s effort. But what about the raw specs?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that this was just an unveiling, and I am yet to drive the 2027 Tucson. Though on paper, the vehicle looks like a potential RAV4 killer. First, the fuel economy. 42 MPG makes it one of the most efficient vehicles, never mind SUVs, on sale in the US. The hybrid RAV4 does edge this out slightly, but the 1 MPG combined difference is negligible.<\/p>\n

In a world where gas and electricity prices are through the roof, the fuel economy alone is enough of a reason to pull the trigger on something like the Tucson or RAV4. Though, with Toyota still in its transitional period, RAV4s are scarce<\/a> and Hyundai may capitalize on this massively. With 242 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque it\u2019s got more punch than the RAV4 too.<\/p>\n

\"A
Credit:Dave McQuilling\/AutoNotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Tucson also absolutely kills the RAV4 when it comes to interior space. In terms of rear legroom, the Hyundai has over four more inches. In terms of overall volume, you get almost 10 cubic feet more in the Tucson. Hyundai also beats the Toyota out in terms of cargo space (41.7 cubic feet compared to 37.6) and has over seven cubic feet more storage space with the rear seats down.<\/p>\n

Obviously driving experience is a large part of this, but if Hyundai stays true to form and the drive is on par with the Santa Fe or Palisade, then Toyota is in a lot of trouble.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hyundai has pulled the covers off the new Tucson in New York City, unveiling what appears to be a direct … <\/p>\n

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