I’m baaaaack. And I was going to summarize the three test drives in this one blog post but quickly realized after testing the first vehicle, I had a lot to say and thought why not do a post for each. I mean that way I could list and explain my likes and dislikes and also rate each section. Seems like a win win, right?

So to refresh your thoughts, let me restate the wishlist. The automobile has to have heated seats, ventilated seats would be a bonus. A heated steering wheel is a must. I used to think that was a stupid thing and now I cannot/will not live without it. Did I mention the panoramic sunroof? Umm yeah. I loved using it in the Sonata when the sun wasn’t beating down on me. Cruise control is standard, but adaptive is necessary, especially on long trips. I’ve gotten addicted to it. A dark colored interior, either black or dark gray is required. I was never a fan of a light color interior aka beige, white, etc. I’m not the neatest person and hate having stains show in any of my vehicles. I tend to stay focused on them. Which leads me to my next demand. It must have leather seats or leather feeling seats. A quick wipe down and I’m done cleaning them. Remote start is a must must must and I’m not talking about via a freaking app that I have to download and pay for once the trial period runs out. I’m talking to you Hyundai! Seriously, who thought that was a good idea, spending $25/month to remote start a car. I mean it was a great app but why should I have to spend money each month in addition to the money I already spent purchasing the car? I want the remote start on the key fob. That’s free.

Let’s talk color. Black and green are absolutely out. I’m going to throw white in there as well unless its drop dead gorgeous. I also would prefer my car to be all one color. Let me explain that. I cannot stand the car being one color and then the door handles, mirrors, and other parts to be a different color, like matte black or chrome. I’m probably in the minority in that but whatever, I know what I like. Push start is nice but its not a requirement. I know it’s almost standard in most cars today, so it’s not a concern. It is a nice thing to have because you almost never have to dig your keys out. Mine almost never leave my purse, so losing them was few and far between. With all that out, let’s get down to business. I’m going to apologize now for the stock photos of the Hyundai. My cell phone was on 5% when I went to test drive and I had no way to charge it but I bought along my handy dandy notebook (think Blues Clues) to take notes.

Up first is the 2022 Hyundai Tucson. I wanted to test drive the hybrid model but no local dealership had it in stock. The closest one was 250 miles away. Umm no. I ended up test driving a 2022 Hyundai Tucson Limited in Intense Blue (yes, that’s the name of the color) with a black interior. I have to admit the car is gorgeous and modern looking. I saw it in blue and I instantly fell in love with it. Now it is the smallest of the three vehicles I tested coming in at 182.3 inches (15ft 2in). This is not a problem, especially when It comes to parallel parking and its the only one of the three considered a compact SUV. As for the mpg, it doesn’t get any better than 26/city, 33/highway, 29 combined. That’s almost better than the Sonata I had. At the time of me driving the car, the NHTSA had not reviewed the car for safety. This is not unusual since its a new year model, so I just based it off the 2021 year.

The exterior of the car has recently been redone and I couldn’t be happier. They finally caught it up to speed with the sedans they manufacture. Can I just say the grill?! I’m ecstatic that they integrated the headlights into it. It’s spectacular. Going down the side of the car, I love the distinctive lines. It sets the SUV apart from all the others. I love the two-toned hubcaps. The design and style are something you just don’t see everyday. They’re distinctive and on this version of the Tucson, they sit inside a 19″ Michelin tire. Now based on this, I was all set to give the exterior a 10/10 but then I walked around to the back and saw perhaps the ugliest thing I have ever seen on a Hyundai. The Hyundai badging placement. THE BACK WINDOW!! They put it on the back window. Ugh my eyes! My eyes. They couldn’t think to put it anywhere else? I mean anywhere. How about right below the back license plate?! Or to the left of right of it? Or anywhere near the lift gate. This is a serious deduction. Just wrong. Wrong! A big disappointment. The back lights, however, are gorgeous. They almost make me look away and forget about the ugly ass badging. Did I mention the 3D triangles? They are awesome. I wasn’t expecting that and I don’t think any other manufacturer does that. Then again, it could be the math nerd in me. They also hid the back windshield wiper. Love that too. I love the seamless look and hiding the wiper achieves that. As I was walking around the SUV, my friend who tagged along noticed the signal/backup lights were located further down the back of the SUV. I mean, wayyy down. Its on the bottom bumper. That makes no sense to me. If your remotely close to the back of the SUV, you cannot see their intentions (backing up, turning). All in all, I am giving the styling a 8/10.

Let’s move to the interior. The interior thankfully was spot on. It was all black from the headliner to the carpets. This included the dashboard. It was clean and sleek. Just as I envisioned it to be. Let’s move to the interior. The interior thankfully was spot on. It was all black from the headliner to the carpets. So beautiful, it almost made me want to cry. This included the dashboard. It was clean and sleek. Just as I envisioned it to be. All the seats were leather, as was the steering wheel. Everything was heated and the front seats were ventilated as well. Four boxes checked off right there. The front and back rows were spacious. I had no problems getting in and out either. Check, check, and check. So far so good. The steering wheel I do not love. The bottom is weird. What’s with the extra divide? I kept moving my hand because I couldn’t get comfortable. I finally decided on putting my hands at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock. On a good note, the instrument cluster was beautiful. It was completely digitalized. I don’t think I’ve see that before. And it was huge. Its 10.25″. That’s more than impressive. Thumbs Up

The touchscreen infotainment system is… I have no words. Its spectacular to say the less. Its sleek, seamless, etc. However, there are no buttons, no knobs. I know that is a turn on for most people but hey when I’m driving, I like to keep my eyes on the road. And having to search on the touchscreen ways to turn up or down the radio or to change the station isn’t my favorite but when I did manage it, it was seamless. It moved quick to the touch with nearly no lag. I am however used to just directing my hand to the buttons and controlling it without looking. The good thing is there are buttons on the steering wheel to help with this issue, so we’re all safe. But seriously a knob for the volume couldn’t hurt. But I will have to keep a microfiber towel close by for all the fingerprints it’s bound to attract.

The seats were comfortable and I enjoyed sitting in them. They weren’t stiff and moved rather easily. They heated up quickly and were quick to ventilate. All good signs. They were leather and soft. The moonroof moved seamlessly and was awesome. I could sit back and look out the moonroof all night. The instrument cluster is superb. Its all digital, so that’s something new. So the information is interchangeable, which is great. People like looking at different things on the cluster. I personally like looking at the speed, mpg, and miles to E. Something I like to look at the trip monitor. Moving along, I do not like the gearshift, at all. I am used to the standard/normal lever gear shift. The one you can wrap your hand around and move. This push gear shift is not for me. It gave me hives. What happens if one gets stuck or sticky? There were a lot of crazy thoughts and scenarios running through my head, but during the test drive, no problems. I still don’t trust it, but I digress.

The backseats were comfortable as well. I was comfortable back there. The seats also moved back and forth seamlessly. My friend is taller than most girls and she was comfortable. The cargo space is cool. I mean its large enough to hold my golf clubs (the most important thing) and suitcases. What more do I need? I’m not picky in that area.

Something I noticed while driving is that there were no floor mats. I will never understand why car companies make us pay $100-$200 for car mats, especially when we spending upwards of $30,000 -$40,000 with them already. I guess to squeeze every dime out of us that they possibly can. I checked Hyundai’s website and they are $169. $169! For four floor mats. That’s ridiculous. You’re better off getting them from the local auto store or Walmart for 40%-60% less. Want to know what I didn’t notice? the car vents. There were so small and so well hidden, I completely missed them.

Based on all this, I give the interior a 8.5/10.

Onto the drive. Due to Covid-19, the salesperson wasn’t allowed to ride with us. This was perfect. Too many times the test drive is too damn short. You never really get a feel for the car and the way it handles. Who wants to test drive a car in a circle, to and from the the dealership, which is about a 5 mile drive. Umm not me. I want to ride over potholes and cracks. I want to hit the freeway/interstate. I wanted to put the drive back in test drive. The only problem was there was no salesperson to inform me of all the good things and packages the car had to offer.

I jumped behind the wheel and prepared myself for a great test drive. I test drove it for 10 miles. I didn’t hit the freeway but I did manage to hit 60mph so it was worth it. And I ran over plenty of potholes. It handed them decently. I mean it didn’t glide over them like they didn’t exist, but it was ok. It accelerated fine based on the engine, which is a 2.5L, 4 cylinder engine. The SUV is an AWD with an 8 speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. All in all, a 10/10 for the drive.

This vehicle came fully fully equipped. Its crazy how much stuff came equipped in the vehicle. Let me give you a few of the items. Rain-sensing wipers, idle stop n go (I experienced this while test driving), the digital key, smart park assist, and wireless charging. All of these are new to me since I haven’t purchased a car since January 2016. 5.5 years ago. Did I mention the remote start park assist? That is so something that I need in my life. All of this comes in at an MSRP of $37,885, because they are throwing in the floor mates ($195), cargo tray ($115), and cargo cover ($190). Crazy pricing. The dealer is giving a discount of $1,448 knocking the price down to $36,437.

With the payout from the insurance company, this could potentially set me up for a nice car note for a few years.

Off to the next test drive.