We drove the current Hyundai Tucson when it launched a few years ago. In 2016, it was a very capable small SUV that competed right alongside the segment leaders. Now though, three years on, Hyundai has reinvigorated the aging Tuscon with some new safety equipment and a freshening of the looks.

That aforementioned facelift comes courtesy of a new grille and smaller headlights. The grille is now outlined in chrome, and fits better in the Hyundai design language along with the new Veloster and upcoming Palisade. Out back, the taillights are refreshed and there are some new larger wheel choices across the range. Inside the 7-inch touchscreen was moved up on the of the dash so it is easier to see when driving. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard equipment, and our Limited trim test car was fitted with a wireless charging pad.

The engine remains unchanged, a 2.4L 4 cylinder with 181 horsepower and a six-speed automatic. While a FWD variant is available, ours featured the HTRAC AWD system. We averaged just under 24mpg with this new Tucson in mixed driving.

This refresh allows for larger amounts of safety tech to be included as standard. Those features are auto emergency braking, lane keep assist, and forward collision warning. Our test car came equipment that is optional elsewhere in the model range, such as adaptive cruise control and a 360 degree camera. The 360 degree camera was very helpful when parallel parking, and the adaptive cruise allowed for adjustability of following distances, but still seemed to cut in very early for any sort of speed change.

The 2019 Hyundai Tucson brings added features, expanded tech, and a new look to keep it competitive in an extremely popular segment. We think Hyundai did the job with this one, but we are definitely interested in what they have in store for the all new model in a couple of years.

-Scott Villeneuve