2008 Hyundai Tucson Consumer Reviews

Comfy but not practical

Written by: nomer on 10/14/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Tucson GLS 4dr SUV w/XM (2.0L 4cyl 5M)

Review

Bought this 10 months ago and am looking to trade it in even though I know I will take a loss. has tons of cargo space and leg room, but the motor works too hard. Doesn't feel like it shifts properly. Not very darty--takes a long time to accelerate. Gas mileage for me has been consistently at 18 miles and less. I have never gotten even 19 mile per gallon as stated. 14 gallon tank is small--feels like I am always at the gas station. radio and amenities are positioned well for a comfy ride. Great heat and A?C but is hard to hear radio over it--not strong speakers

Favorite Features

Roomy,with lots of storage. I love the color, too! It looks good! Unfortunately, good looks is about all it has going for it.

Suggested Improvements

It needs a tougher exterior. It dings and dents very easily. Also, If I let the gas get too low, it will only fill up to 7 gallons. I think the sensor is broken. Overpriced for such a vehicle that does not seem too powerful, and is a gas hog, Blind spot is behind drivers seat.

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Not a bad ride

Written by: SLU2 on 06/23/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Tucson SE 4dr SUV 4WD (2.7L 6cyl 4A)

Review

As much legroom as a Ford Explorer but much better fuel economy...

Favorite Features

Stylish and nimble handling. The V-6 has good power..

Suggested Improvements

Automatic light sensing headlights and a compass and temp feature

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Best bang for the buck

Written by: Craig on 05/30/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Tucson GLS 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M)

Review

Purchased this SUV after having a 4 cyl 5 speed Sante Fe for 4 years & was quite happy with both service & reliability with Hyundai vehicles. Was looking for something comparable & found the 4 cyl 5 speed Tucson surprisingly similar to drive. Handles very well in the city with great gas mileage. Having purchased a front-wheel drive, a good set of snow tires handled winter driving in the snow well. The highway driving is very good but the engine works harder on hills with 4 passengers and a full load, which is to be expected. Interior noise is surprisingly quiet for a hard working engine as well as very smooth handling. Recommend this vehicle with anyone with kids.Trunk space is a minimum

Favorite Features

Low noise interior, Good road handling in all weather conditions. Recommend 5speed with a 4 cylinder. Excellent city driving & good highway driving.

Suggested Improvements

Base model to have cruise control.

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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My new car is a sporty SUV

Written by: Sarde on 04/01/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Tucson Limited 4dr SUV w/XM (2.7L 6cyl 4A)

Review

I bought this car last week when my 90 Civic gave up the ghost. My wife and I are just married and we wanted a car we could take the future family and dog camping in. Plus it will be fun for our active/cycling lifestyle. I can fit a tandem bike in it with all the seats down! It was also important as this would be a family car that it have good safety features, it does! My wife has a 07 Sonata and we love its safety and quality which, is why we considered getting another Hyundai. And it rides so very smooth on my 40 mile daily commute. It was priced so competitively that we came in under budget, which makes up for the lower MPG. I can live with that now that I have a little more power-v6

Favorite Features

High view of the road, cargo capacity, leather steering wheel, leather heated seats, good visibility, phenomenal safety features, rims are standard, fun to drive and a nice 6 disk stereo.

Suggested Improvements

More MPG and power efficient engine like Honda's or Toyota's, better placement of the cargo cover, less invasive wind screen for the sunroof (it blocks much of the view), nicer subwoofer, and a better setup for the trip computer maybe adding a screen somewhere else for mileage related information.

5 out 5 people found this review helpful

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New owner

Written by: longbeachjohn on 03/28/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Tucson GLS 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 4A)

Review

Drove a 6cyl then a 4 cyl and there was very little difference in performance. Car has good space inside, controls and features great. I appreciate the safety stuff like traction and stability control and all the airbags. First weekend cruise got 24+ mpg, mixed bag intown and freeway at 75+. Will update in the future. Like to see more cubby holes for things like cel phone.

Favorite Features

Suggested Improvements

4 out 4 people found this review helpful

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Best SUV I've owned

Written by: coyote prosapio on 03/27/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Tucson SE 4dr SUV 4WD (2.7L 6cyl 4A)

Review

We live in the "outback" of New Mexico, a mix of bad paved roads and dirt. I've owned a 4-Runner, a Tundra, a Subaru and a mix of Detroit bummers, this small SUV is at the top of the list. We got about 27mpg in the Subaru along with a tough ride. We get a great ride in the Tundra, but truck mileage. In the Hyundai we get 30 on the highway and a Tundra ride. (and a Tundra sound system, AM/FM/CD/Cassette.) I hope this one is as long lasting as a Toyota 'cause we intend to keep it as our main ride. I've read the comments about "ungainly ride" but that isn't my experience at all. In fact this one rides as well as the Tundra which is like a limo.

Favorite Features

Ride, gas mileage, power (V-6, Auto) which outperforms our '01 Outback, comfort, good seats, room, and a quiet ride which I expect will improve once I replace the Bridgstones with Michelins.

Suggested Improvements

I'm not crazy about the exterior design, but this ugly duck gives us too many up-sides to make that "problem". The Subaru looks a lot better but the trade off of ride discomfort hardly makes that important. I could care less about "turning heads" given the pluses of this vehicle.

4 out 4 people found this review helpful

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a wonderful little SUV

Written by: awongmath on 03/15/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Tucson SE 4dr SUV (2.7L 6cyl 4A)

Review

I have owned this little SUV for 15 months now, with nary a service problem or defect. I test drove a RAV4, VUE, Escape, and the CRV; I needed a vehicle that could easily tote my daughter's everyday wheelchair and a sport wheelchair. This SUV is roomy (can hold her everyday wheelchair in the back or two medium dog crates w/o putting the rear seat down), is great fun to drive, and the turning radius is good (better than Mazda MPV, about the same as a Camry, not as good as a Volvo or BMW sedan).

Favorite Features

The rear seat folds down flat;there is a tray to hold tools or other items over the spare tire that frees up space in the glovebox;

Suggested Improvements

Make sure you get the cupholder - it is not standard.

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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hmmmmm, jury is still out.

Written by: Salem Boicot on 11/19/2008

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Tucson GLS 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 4A)

Review

So far, I like the general conservative styling of the vehicle. I have the black interior which gets rid of a lot of the tackiness and cheap feel. Audio is great. Handling is brilliant for a car in its' class. A few blind spots, but otherwise vision is good. Space is well used in car, although question to the depth of the dashboard, could be smaller so that the interior is forward with larger boot. Fuel economy and engine performance is rubbish. Thus far have got no where near what the dealer claimed, transmission is horrible, it needs 5 gears with better ratios, and it loves a drink. You watch the fuel gauge more than the road. Don't get this if you want an economical car.

Favorite Features

The comfort of the seats, as I am about 175cm high, and 75 kgs, it fits me well, all controls are well placed and easy to reach, room is pretty good considering it is not a huge car, handles really well surprising for a vehicle of its' price, style, and size.

Suggested Improvements

The 2.0ltr engine needs a re-design to a longer stroke or something, maybe even to be a 2.4 ltr 4 cylinder, the transmission needs a 5th gear so that the gears will change to improve fuel economy and not work the engine so hard. It can never seem to find the right gear. The ratios need working out.

33 out 34 people found this review helpful

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Great vehicle

Written by: DeerJohn on 11/16/2008

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Tucson GLS 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 4A)

Review

When I decided I no longer needed a pickup, I looked at RAV4 and CRV, but chose the Hyundai because of price and warranty. I no longer consider American-made cars. The Tucson is roomy, comfortable, handles well, and has great visibility. The 4c engine seems noisy and underpowered to me compared to my wife's 4c Accord, but I no longer need those features. I did expect better gas mileage than 24 mpg, but that may improve. One bad feature is the light-colored interior, which is hard to keep clean. Did not think of that when I bought. I always felt that home carpets and car interiors should be a dark color, as people tend to walk on them. Seatcovers and mats help.

Favorite Features

handles well, turns well, good visibility, comfortable adjustable seats, good sound system, nice clean exterior lines, folding rear seats.

Suggested Improvements

Darker interior (floors and seats), better gas mileage, odometer display on panel too large and too bright.

8 out 8 people found this review helpful

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I Love this ride!!

Written by: karin on 11/01/2008

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Tucson GLS 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 4A)

Review

Although I have had it for a few weeks I love this ride! My previous relationship was a Hyundai (Elantra) and that alone convinced me that this was a firm purchase and solid vehicle. I love the way it handles and the space on the inside. Any compact car owner could transition comfortably into this vehicle. I am trying to convince my husband to get the Santa Fe which is the 2nd gen of the Tucson. I am totally in love with this vehicle!!

Favorite Features

Smooth ride, corners like on rails, right size for family of 5

Suggested Improvements

Improve on perfection? Not possible...

4 out 7 people found this review helpful

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