When we last checked in with the Hyundai Tucson compact crossover, it was kick off an all-new 4th generation. That was just 3-years ago, and already we’re circling back, as Hyundai has just applied a multitude of update to ’25 model year Tucsons. Let’s see what that means for Hyundai’s best-seller.

Much like the desert town of Tucson, Arizona, played a central role in the American Wild West, the Hyundai Tucson is a crucial character for the Hyundai brand, occupying territory in the ever-expanding frontier of small SUV sales.

Hyundai long ago staked its claim by delivering more for less, and it’s inside the new Tucson where you’ll see the biggest changes. Starting with the pleasant mix of materials, comfortable seating, and airy feel thanks to the available panoramic sunroof, Hyundai has also totally revamped the dash and center console. Instead of being segmented and curvy, the new dash design is horizontal and open, with the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen combined into a single housing that stretches most of the way across the dash.

While the look is clearly high-tech, we’re actually more thankful for the low-tech updates that include bringing back some actual knobs and buttons. Getting other small details right includes a head-up display and active driving aids that are more helpful than distracting, and some great sounding audio from the available Bose system.

That revamped center console is slimmed down with more of a floating design, enhancing and opening up storage space. The annoying push-button transmission controls are also gone; shifting duties now taking place with a mini steering wheel stalk.

As before, there are a wide variety of powertrain options; from a 187-horsepower naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter I4 to a 268-horsepower plug-in hybrid. Our Limited trimmed Hybrid falls in between, outputting a combined 231 horsepower and 271 lb-ft of torque. That’s a slight bump over last year due to a stronger electric motor. Hyundai is one of the few brands that uses turbo power on the engine side of their hybrid setup, a 1.6-liter turbo-four, and it also is one of the only ones with a true six-speed automatic transmission instead of a CVT. Also, the Tucson’s HTRAC all-wheel-drive setup, which is standard on hybrids, is fully mechanical, so gas mileage is not quite as high as competitors that work with rear wheel electric motors.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 35 across the board for city, highway, and combined; though we averaged just 33 mpg of regular. Still, that’s a much better than average Energy Impact Score, with consumption of 8.5 barrels of oil annually and 4.2 tons of CO2 emissions. An ultra-efficient Blue Hybrid model with less content, smaller wheels, and some aero tweaks does better at 38 mpgs.

Our Limited’s other numbers were pretty favorable at our Mason Dixon test track, too. The Hybrid felt surprisingly peppy off the line, with lots of grip and a quick bolt to 60 in 6.8 seconds. That’s 2 seconds quicker than we got in the base Tucson 3 years ago. Smooth and linear power delivery kept it feeling fast the whole way down the track, with quick and easy shifting in the six-speed automatic. All told, it was a smooth and steady 15.1-second trip to the end of the quarter-mile, finishing at 93 mph.

It proved to be quite nimble in our handling course, too, with virtually no body roll and very neutral behavior. Steering was plenty responsive and traction control intervention minimal. In panic braking runs, the soft pedal kept ABS pulsing to a minimum and initiated stable and fade free stops of a short 104 feet from 60.

Updates for the exterior include new grille, fascias, and wheels; with the unique “through the grille” lighting setup looking like a high-tech set of six-pack abs. Throw in the chiseled body lines and our tester’s Titan Gray paint, and it appears like there’s a little bit of Batman cosplay going on. Even with the Limited’s 19-inch wheels, ride quality is quite good, something that Hyundai made a priority when this gen launched for 2022.

Tucson pricing starts with a front-wheel-drive SE at $30,155; Hybrids start with Blue trim for $34,915, with our Limited Hybrid starting at $42,745.

There’s much to like about the 2025 Hyundai Tucson, it has a great ride, packs a lot of easy-to-use tech, looks cool, and offers plenty of comfort and flexibility; plus, the Hybrid not only delivers elevated fuel economy, but brings a healthy dose of sporty performance along with it. All things that will keep the Tucson’s reputation growing throughout the ute-buying territory.

This full-size Infiniti QX80 started out as the QX56, a hastily rebadged version of Nissan’s truck-based Armada full-size utility. That was in the early 2000s when the luxury SUV craze was exploding. It wasn’t as much as a game-changer, as it was “try to keep upper”. Now, this new QX80, Infiniti is promising to “Reimagine the luxury SUV”. Let’s see if Infiniti has turned their imaginations into reality.

Well, if over the top is what Infiniti was shooting for in the all-new 2025 QX80, mission accomplished. There’s an overall feeling of extravagance here that we haven’t experienced from Infiniti in quite some time.
It’s not just the open pore ash wood trim with aluminum inlays, 24-speaker audio, and plush quilted leather seating; there’s also nicely integrated ambient lighting, a massive glass roof, plenty of tech, lots of active driving assistance, and even chilled center console storage. Forward of that is a dual touchscreen setup; the top 14.3-inch touchscreen for infotainment sits next to the digital gauge display in a single housing; while just below, there’s a 9-inch one for climate controls.

You are reminded this is still a body-on-frame utility the moment you have to climb up into the cockpit, but there’s also the commanding view of the road that comes with that. Captain’s chairs are standard for the second row, but a three-place bench is optional with all trims except for top Autograph which comes exclusively with these climate-controlled massaging chairs, along with a touchscreen control panel. The third-row experience is great, too, with heated leather seating, and adult size room for three.

Now, there is a whole new experience coming from under the hood. The last gen’s V8 has been replaced with a new twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 rated at 450 horsepower, 50 over the V8. More notably, torque is up by more than 100 lb-ft to 516. Transmission is a nine-speed automatic, two more gears than last year, with rear-wheel drive standard, four-wheel drive an option. Max tow rating is 8,500-lbs.

And at the test track, it did pull strongly off the line, getting up to speed in a hurry with the 0-60 sprint taking just 6.3 seconds. There is roughly 3 tons of weight to push through the quarter-mile, but that twin-turbo does it well, finishing in 14.7 seconds at 95 mph. Gear changes are incredibly smooth, while not hindering acceleration in any way.

In panic braking runs, there was some fade and a considerable amount of nosedive, but our average stopping distance of 115 feet is not bad for a vehicle as big and heavy as the QX80. Last gen, the QX80 moved from the Titan truck platform to the global Patrol SUV chassis, which shifted the vibe from budget Escalade to Lexus LX fighter. The attending improvement in ride and handling was the real bonus, and that largely continues for this gen with air suspension and Dynamic Digital Dampers on all but base QX80s. While we could certainly feel all that weight through our cone course, body roll was well-controlled and without significant oversteer or understeer.

It’s an impressive looking utility from any angle, starting right up front with the big “bamboo forest” grille. The overall shape is boxy, but all body panels are smooth; and for better or worse, Infiniti joins the flush door handle fad. Look for its “Artistry In Motion” design theme to work its way down through the rest of the Infiniti lineup. All QX80s ride on 22-inch wheels except for base Pure trim which makes do with 20s.

A full power play includes standard motion-activated rear liftgate and power operation of both second and third row seats, expanding cargo capacity from 22 cu-ft behind the third row to 59 behind the second, and a max of 101.0 cu-ft with both rows folded.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings with four-wheel-drive are not great: 16 city, 19 highway and 17 combined. We averaged 18.6 mpg of premium. That’s a much worse than average Energy Impact Score, using 17.5 barrels of oil annually, with 8.6 tons of CO2 emissions.

Driving such a PUREly LUXEurious SENSORY overload, you’ll probably be expecting people to want your AUTOGRAPH, which we’re guessing is how Infiniti came up with their grade structure; pricing starts with Pure at $84,445 and climbs to $112,590 for Autograph.

The 2025 Infiniti QX80 is a massive SUV that delivers massive amounts of power and luxury. They aimed for the moon here and have clearly blasted themselves into a much more competitive orbit in the big buck, big hauler, sport-utility galaxy.