The compact crossover segment might just be the most competitive, littered with solid options from nearly every mainstream manufacturer—including Hyundai. With everything else out there, this 2025 Hyundai Tucson XRT is a surprisingly characterful option among a lot of sameness.
The Tucson has been around since 2005, and quickly became Hyundai’s best-selling vehicle, having sold over 7 million units since. Now in its fourth generation, the Tucson has grown both in size and style, evolving from something rather plain-Jane to now having a bit of welcome visual quirkiness. This year, the Tucson sees a mild facelift inside and out; the large front grille is certainly bold, with uniquely integrated LED daytime running lights and dark-tinted headlights, all lending to a sporty overall look up front.
The Tucson was among the first Hyundais to debut their now ubiquitous sharp character lines; they can be hit-or-miss, but work well here. Our XRT-trim tester is a new addition to the Canadian market for 2025, featuring a more rugged look than the rest of the lineup, with more aggressive fender trim, dark chrome accents and badges, silver-painted skid plates, and 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires. It wouldn’t be my first pick to cut through Moab, but the Tucson XRT comes together nicely, especially finished in the optional $1,500 Ecotronic Grey matte paint. I know that’s a pricey option in a value-oriented segment, but I respect that Hyundai is spicing up its mainstream offerings.
Inside, the Tucson XRT is more run-of-the-mill, draped in a sea of mostly black plastic split up by some silver accents. The seats are wrapped in black leatherette and are comfortable enough, but certainly not a standout. The cabin is spacious overall, with good headroom front and back and a solid 1,095 litres of trunk space with the rear seats up. Interior build quality is rather good, with most regular touch points feeling solid, and the hard-wearing bits relegated to areas that you don’t interact with much.
As part of its 2025 update, there are now two 12.3-inch screens integrated behind a single panel sitting atop the dash, which is hardly an inspiring layout, but both screens are responsive and crisp. Hyundai is one of the best at maintaining physical controls for all the important controls; the updated Tucson is no different, swapping out the old capacitive touch panel for more physical buttons and knobs.
The updated Tucson also gains a new steering wheel design, shifter, and dash layout inspired by Hyundai’s EV offerings. The new shifter is now on the steering column; the positioning and twist-to-shift action might feel foreign at first, but you get used to it quickly, and it opens up much more space on the centre console—there’s now a wireless phone charger where the previous button-shifter used to be. The new dash design means front-seat passengers now get a shelf in front of them, and the floating centre console offers even more storage space below deck.
On tech, Hyundai loads up the Tucson XRT as you’d expect. Features like adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, automatic high-beams, blind-spot monitoring, and even driver attention warning are standard. There’s a Bose audio system on board that’s pretty decent as far as Bose audio systems go, and you can stream via wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay—another overdue update for 2025, at least on upper-trim Tucsons. Dual USB outlets up front and back ensure everyone can keep their devices charged.
Power comes from a 2.5-litre normally aspirated four-cylinder engine, making 187 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque. It may not seem like a lot, but the Tucson’s eight-speed automatic and all-wheel-drive system make the most of it, feeling strong and mostly smooth on daily commutes. It doesn’t sound great when you get on it, but really, which compact crossover does?
Ride quality is decent, with the Tucson XRT soaking up low-speed bumps surprisingly well thanks to the bigger sidewalls, but it’s a bit jarring at highway speeds. Still, for something that isn’t meant to be overtly sporty, the Tucson stays composed around corners, with good grip that inspires confidence. Steering is appropriately weighted; together with the suspension tuning and willing powertrain, the Tucson XRT is above-average in the fun department. Fuel economy falls within expectations, averaging 10.9 L/100 km in mostly city driving.
The Tucson does well against its many competitors and clearly sells well globally, but competition is stiff. Both the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 are its biggest competitors, offering slightly more refinement and better fit-and-finish, though the Tucson isn’t far off. Where this 2025 Hyundai Tucson XRT really shines is value, offering loads of bells-and-whistles at an attractive price point. Were you expecting anything else?
