2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid v Kia Sportage GT-Line Hybrid v Subaru Forester Hybrid AWD Comparison

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Well, we've got a new entrant in the medium SUV segment,
Sam, which has prompted something
of a comparison test, hasn't it?
Yes, that's right.
They say if you can't beat them, join them.
And I think this has worked really well
for Subaru with this Forester Hybrid because it's
now got Toyota technology under the skin.
Not completely Toyota, mind you, but it's fair to say,
I think, that this is now a much
better medium SUV than it was before.
The question is, of course, how good is it?
Yeah, can it take on the established brigade?
So we've got vehicles like Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage.
Hyundai Tucson, obviously,
reigning Drive Car of the Year champ in that segment.
They're established.
You mentioned Toyota RAV4s there.
This is a key segment for Australian new car buyers.
There is so much competition in this medium SUV segment.
There's a lot of buyers as well,
but think about things like RAV4 that isn't here,
Nissan X-Trail that isn't here as well.
These are three of the best options in the segment.
I'm really keen to see how this Forester stacks up though.
Well, there's a lot that buyers take into account
in this segment, but what's the most important thing?
Well, it's gotta be value for money, right?
How much metal do you get for that asking price
and how much spec do you get included as well?
So it's gonna be really good to see
which of these three is the best.
That's right. We'll take a look at price
and specification. We'll have a look at the
interiors. We'll also take them for a drive,
of course, and ultimately we'll find out which
medium SUV is the king of the segment.
Newest here is the Subaru Forester Hybrid,
which has adopted Toyota's hybrid technology
and mated it up with a Subaru boxer engine and all-wheel drive system.
While the cheapest Forester Hybrid goes for $46,490 plus on-road costs,
we've got the hybrid touring model
and that ups the asking price to $55,990 plus on roads.
And at the time we recorded this video,
Subaru had a list price of $61,692 drive away
for a New South Wales postcode.
This Subaru Forester gets 19 inch gloss alloy wheels,
LED headlights, LED fog lights and LED daytime running lights.
Although I have to point out
this Subaru Forester Hybrid does unfortunately lose its spare wheel.
It's got a puncture repair kit because it's run out of space.
Buyers can choose between two different trim levels
with either all-wheel drive
or front-wheel drive for the Sportage Hybrid.
SX is priced from $46,450 plus on-road costs in front-wheel drive form.
Kia lists this top-spec hybrid Sportage
at $65,738 drive away at the time of recording this video.
This trim-level Kia Sportage gets 18-inch alloy wheels
with tyre pressure monitoring,
a 360-degree camera system, parking sensors at each end,
automatic LED projector headlights and full LED taillights.
Hyundai's Tucson has the lowest entry cost
of a hybrid SUV from these three coming in at $42,600
plus on-road costs for the base two-wheel drive hybrid offering.
It's also the cheapest of these
three here asking for $53,100 plus on roads for the Elite
with the N-Line package just like we have here.
Although, it's not a true apples and apples comparison,
because there is a better equipped
Hyundai Tucson available,
which is priced from $58,100 plus on roads, that would be
more in line with the other two SUVs.
On road costs at the time of recording this video
was $55,772 for our test model, according
to Hyundai.
No matter which model you choose,
the Tucson does feel quite well equipped and organised for
the asking price. Buyers can choose between
three different trim levels, while the top
two can be augmented with an N-line package
that makes a few nice changes inside and out.
Our Elite trim with the N-Line pack gets 19-inch alloy wheels
on the outside, along with automatic
LED projector headlights.
There's tinted LED taillights and a sportier overall appearance
compared to models without the N-Line treatment.
The first thing you think when you sit here
inside the Tucson and close the door is the level of fit and finish,
the attention to detail,
and the quality. This is a really, really good cabin.
Across the range it feels like really good value
for money regardless of which model you choose.
On the inside seats are only heated in the case of this Elite N-Line.
If you want ventilation you'll need to stump up
a little extra for the premium trim level
which also adds a sunroof.
But we do get twin 12.3 inch screens here and a gear shifter that
moves to a stalk on the steering column instead
of a shifter in the middle. The
driver's seat has 10 directions of adjustment
while the front passenger seat is manual.
and let's start up the top here
with those screens you've got a lot of real estate there
which means you've got a lot of information displayed
the driver's display is interactive
you can change that customize it the way that you want it to look
and then of course hyundai's
signature infotainment screen
which is really responsive quick to do the things that you need
to do while you're driving while you're on the move
and a really good unit to use the curve
helps as well and then of course next
to that you've got a pretty clever little parcel shelf
there which works well for smartphones
so they don't slide around the wireless charging we
mentioned that's down here it works well too
and provides a safe place for your smartphone
to sit without flying around
this console design is actually quite smart
so you move back up here again you've got the controls that you need
most frequently i guess is fair
to say largely buttons there is some touch screen here but
Clearly delineated, and you don't need to chop and change out of menus.
They're all there, easy to use.
And that sort of lines up
with the controls here across the steering wheel.
Then you go down one step further.
You've got your USB inputs for charging
if you want, rather than wireless.
But you've also got this second under shelf area,
which when we sized up these cabins,
this floating shelf
and then the secondary one under there is a really clever use of space.
And you suspect one of the reasons that the shifter...
is over here on the steering column
so the ergonomics here inside the cabin are excellent
but again to restate what we said
at the beginning fit finish attention to detail
choice of materials in the Hyundai Tucson
fantastic one last thing too that's obviously
hugely important for these vehicles
is seat comfort visibility is excellent
comfort here in the seat itself is great it is heated
which is fantastic if you're in the
middle of winter as we are when we're testing makes
a big difference and just general
Comfort in the way that you position yourself here,
especially for long drives, is fantastic.
And on that subject, if you're going on longer road trips,
you're going to have people in the
second row. Let's take a look at that now.
Now, second rows are obviously vital in these vehicles.
Medium SUVs, incredibly popular in Australia,
largely used as family vehicles. So they have to
We have to be comfortable back here and the Tucson,
is fantastic. Now it has to be said that all three
of these are very, very close and you're
really drilling down into fine details to try to work out
which one's better than the others. But
this is very comfortable back here.
There's plenty of headroom. It doesn't feel like the
roof is closing down on you. Visibility is good.
So if you're on a road trip and as your kids get
a bit older into their teenage years,
they're going to be comfortable back here. You've got
Got air vents, got a decent light if you need it.
You've got two USB-C ports.
down there to charge devices and perhaps most importantly for people around
that sort of six foot six foot one mark knee room's good room for your feet under
the seats so you can move them around the transmission tunnel is not as
be
big as some so it's pretty good
and if you've got somebody using that middle seat it's not too
bad but I really think
The most obvious thing that lifts the comfort back here
is the fact that the roof feels like
it's a long way away. So you don't feel like you're doing
that. You've got plenty of room
back here. It is comfortable.
If you're in the second row for a longer road trip,
you're going to enjoy the Tucson.
Take a seat in the Kia Sportage and there's a couple of
things you notice. Firstly,
very familiar to you if you've driven a Kia Sportage before,
but something that isn't familiar, this two-spoke steering wheel.
We'll get to that in a second.
As you would expect the Kia Sportage
in top GT line hybrid trim delivers plenty of standard
equipment. On the inside you've got twin 12.3 inch displays within
a single curved unit on the
dashboard. Seats are in artificial leather
with eight directions of electric adjustment for both
front seats. There's dual zone climate control,
heated and ventilated front seats, a heated
Heated steering wheel
Wireless charging pad, a panoramic sunroof and head-up display.
So that makes a quite comprehensive list
of equipment for this Sportage.
Right, now to the elephant in the room, the two-spoke steering wheel.
I've heard this described
as interesting, innovative, different, kooky,
all sorts of descriptive terms. What's hilarious,
four of us at Drive have done the assessment,
split right down the middle. Two of us went,
yeah, I don't really like it.
Two of us went, yeah, I don't mind it at all. That's the design
of it. Functionality is great.
The switch gear on it, the way that it interacts with the driver's
Driver's display there is fantastic.
Things like drive mode, terrain mode.
Changing pages within the display, really easy to do.
Let us know what you think in the comments section below
with the two-spoke steering wheel.
Does it work for you? Do you like it? Do you not like it?
If you don't like it, tell us why.
Wrap-around screen, very similar to the Hyundai Tucson.
Big screens, as we mentioned.
Functionality is great.
Touch, response, the way that commands work.
It's very quick. It's very intuitive. It's easy to use.
Now, something that is really interesting and, again, is a...
Subject of debate for the judges is this tier here of controls.
Now,
What you can do, and we've showed you this with Kias before,
there's a switch here that you touch
and it takes it from the infotainment controls to climate controls.
It is really easy to use
once you've worked it out,
but the fact remains you have to work it out. Whereas with the way
the Hyundai is set up and indeed the Subaru,
you don't really have to learn anything necessarily.
You have to work this out.
Then once you do, you go, right, okay, I get it nice and easy.
On the other hand, though,
This single control panel here,
there's no argument to the fact that it minimizes clutter
because what you've got is one basic line
of controls there that does two very different
things.
So with the touch of a button, as we said,
you go to the infotainment and mapping controls,
then you come back to HVAC for the aircon.
Very neat.
And like I said, really cleans up
where you would need other switchgear.
Moving on to some more of the practicality, heated seats.
Cooled seats in this spec, wireless phone charging,
two USB-C ports in there as well.
These cup holders here are quite innovative
in that they've got adjustable, I guess you
could call them retainers that sort of spring in and spring out.
So you can put...
A smaller coffee cup or a bigger bottle in there.
Decent storage here.
But overall, where this can't quite match
the Tucson is in functionality through here
because Hyundai's moved the shifter to there
and got that doubles here stacked centre console.
You don't get that in Sportage.
And the other thing is some of the choice of materials.
The Hyundai edges it in terms of premium, fit, finish.
And just the attention to detail.
There's some hard plastic here in various places
that you don't have in the Tucson.
Lastly, seat comfort, unsurprisingly, very similar to Tucson.
These are great seats.
They are heated and cooled, as we said.
Good visibility.
You also get a head-up display, too,
in this model as well, which works really well.
You see it if you want to see it.
You don't notice it if you don't want to notice it.
In terms, though, of comfort
and long-haul touring practicality, this is fantastic.
And as we keep saying,
difference between these vehicles is very, very small.
And you're almost nitpicking.
So if you're trying to pick this
between the Sportage and the Tucson,
if you're trying to work out which one's better,
it's really small details.
And this is only marginally half a step behind Tucson.
Once again, in the back seat here of the Kia Sportage,
it is comfortable.
There's no doubt about that.
You'll notice the air vents.
You might look at this and think
there are no USB ports here, but there are.
They're actually in the seat backs,
which is quite clever, useful.
I guess use of space, which might otherwise have nothing in it.
So they're up there, one on either side.
I like these takeaway bag hooks.
They're really useful if you want to grab some food on your way home
and you just want to secure it there so it's not flying around
and you're trying to worry about hanging on to it.
Really clever. More cars should do that.
You get...
A stand I guess you could call it
for an iPad won't really work up there for a phone because
it's too deep but it works well for an iPad
and it's pretty comfortable back here to be honest
even though you've got a huge sunroof up there
which comes right back past your head in the
second row and does eat into the space
a little bit there's still plenty of room plenty of head
room here I've got good knee and foot room
and the visibility is great so once again
Very little details that separate one from the other.
If you're buying the Kia Sportage though
and you use it for road trips and for family stuff often
and this second row gets a workout, it's pretty good back here.
Once you've spent time in the Kia and the Hyundai
and things start to look a little bit similar,
I think it's fair to say take a seat here in the Subaru Forester,
now a hybrid and very different.
All-wheel drive hybrid touring is top spec for the Forester,
which means you get a good dose
of standard kit. There's
an 11.6-inch portrait style infotainment display, a 12.3-inch digital
instrument cluster and a 360-degree camera system,
but we don't have a head-up display here.
Seating is heated and ventilated up front with a combination of leather
and ultra suede used for
the trimming. There's also a dual zone climate control and a sunroof.
Now we mentioned that they're in the spec rundown
but the big ticket item here inside the cabin is
this portrait orientation screen.
There are some things that are really really good about it and
one of them is that when you think about it
that's how you look at your mobile phone all the time.
You look at it in portrait mode
so looking at the screen in portrait mode
kind of makes sense as well. However
There are a couple of things that aren't as intuitive as they might be.
For example, if you put mapping on like that,
you're only getting that section in the middle of the screen
because the bottom is air conditioning controls and the home button
and the top is a notification of what you're playing on the audio.
You can sort of swipe through it
and have different information up there.
I guess the reality is that you could be better served
if the smartphone screen went the whole way
rather than just that section in the middle.
Not the end of the world,
but it's the factor that lifts the other two, the Kia and the Hyundai,
just a little bit above the Forester here inside the cabin.
There's some great stuff about
the Forester, which I'll get to in a second.
The other point worth mentioning is the switch gear.
Really easy to understand on the driver's side over here.
And then, of course, you've got an interactive display there.
Excellent screen.
In fact, that screen for the driver is probably the pick of all three.
however over here you've got a mix of touch
and physical buttons so for example the fan up and
down is a touch screen functionality here whereas temperature up
and down is a physical button here
as is front and rear demist you do get
a volume dial too which we really like
Much more conventional through here.
So you've got inputs and USB ports there,
two cup holders here, conventional gear shifter,
wireless phone charging there,
and a decent center console storage where...
The Subaru Forester really impresses now is the little things,
what we'd call small ticket
items as opposed to a big ticket item.
And by that, I mean the choice of materials. You've got
a really lovely pattern through the centre part of the dash here,
the seats, the stitching,
the leather, the suede-like material here in the doors,
soft touch surfaces. It feels premium.
This feels like a really premium cabin. And again, the areas that
The two South Korean vehicles just edge the Subaru a little bit.
Just things like tech and up-to-date tech,
Realistically, that screen is the big one.
But everything else about the Forester is fantastic.
Comfortable seat, really good glass house,
tall glass areas, so the visibility is great.
Really easy to see out of and position the car.
This is a lovely thing to drive.
It really is.
And that's evident here in the driver's seat.
But if you're a passenger, it's also fantastic.
As we keep saying with these vehicles, though,
the key is just as much in the second row.
Let's check that out now.
Once again, plenty of room back here in the Forester
and making the most out of what is
another
Fairly compact medium SUV footprint,
all three of these cars do it, Forester also does
it well.
One little detail that I really like is in the back
of the seat pockets, you've actually
got a smartphone sized pocket just to slide your phone in,
if you're listening to some
music or something, put it in there,
stays in there nice and safe, doesn't go flying
around.
You get air vents, get USB-C and USB-A charges back here as well.
Seat base is probably a little flatter than the other two vehicles.
They're probably just a little bit more sculpted.
But once again, lots of room.
Headroom's good, even though you've got a sunroof up there.
Plenty of footroom to get your feet under the seat.
Knee room's good.
It's pretty comfortable back here as well.
Subaru Forester is probably...
One vehicle that historically in this segment has always
been seen as the one for adventurers
and people who go camping and kayaking
and mountain biking and that sort of stuff.
Now, if you do that, whether that's true or not,
if you do that, you're going to spend a fair bit
of time on the road getting to where you're going.
And if you're doing it three or four up,
it's very comfortable. It's very practical.
And this builds on all of the things that's
always made the Subaru Forester such a favourite in this segment.
Here's one handy feature in the Kia Sportage
and the Hyundai Tucson which a lot of owners might not
know about. Now there's a button here down near the park brake
which says 12 volt battery reset.
Now you're probably thinking this is a hybrid
car it's not going to run out of battery power but
don't forget we've actually got two batteries in this vehicle.
There's a traditional 12 volt battery
under the bonnet like you would have in any other
car and then you've got your big lithium battery
in the back which will actually power the electric motor.
Now if that 12 volt battery runs out
Car's been parked for a long time,
the accessories have been pulling that power down,
you can actually use this button to boost
that battery back up again from the lithium battery,
which is a really cool feature and it's one of those things I think
that you might not use very often,
you might not use it at all actually, but
that could also save your bacon
and save you from calling up a tow truck potentially. So
it's a really cool feature I think
and something that every other hybrid car should have.
Let's get a few facts down around hybrid powertrains
because some people can still
be left scratching their heads trying to make heads
or tails of new and different
powertrain technologies.
The three hybrid powertrains that we have here are what we
refer to as a closed loop hybrid
which is different to a plug-in hybrid.
Closed loop hybrids have a small electric motor
and battery which is used to supplement and help
the petrol engine which does the majority of the work.
They cannot be plugged in and they don't
have any kind of electric only driving range to worry about.
Rather you only have to fill up the
petrol tank when it gets low just like a normal car.
However that should happen less frequently
Thanks to the improved efficiency of a closed-loop hybrid powertrain.
The smaller hybrid battery in these vehicles
is topped up mostly through regenerative braking and coasting,
as well as directly from the petrol engine.
Then it can use that captured energy to help with small bursts
of acceleration. You'll notice this mostly from a standing start.
This is where the efficiency gains are made mostly,
and this is the first time that Subaru has brought what we would call
a proper hybrid powertrain into the Forester market.
This combines Subaru's well-known 2.5L boxer 4-cylinder engine,
which makes 121kW and 212Nm,
with an electric motor within the CVT transmission.
That makes 90kW and 276Nm.
Peak combined outputs are 145kW,
but Subaru doesn't give us a combined torque figure for reference.
Power goes to all four wheels,
in this case via a permanent all-wheel drive setup.
And claimed fuel efficiency for the Subaru Forester Hybrid
is 6.2 litres, according to the manufacturer's claims.
Combining Toyota hybrid powertrain tech
with existing Subaru stuff really is a smart move,
I think. And it's made this Forester now a genuine hybrid
and a real competitor to the
likes of a Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage,
Nissan X-Trail, all of those other competitors that
have hybrid powertrains.
And the important thing, I think, for buyers is to know that
the application of this hybrid tech, combining the Toyota stuff
With a Subaru engine and gearbox and all-wheel drive system,
works really well overall.
There's a nice combination, a blend, I suppose you could say,
of those power sources.
It's smooth, it's easy, and it works.
We've got a CVT here.
That's the Subaru CVT, which can flare up a little bit
when you press the throttle down and the revs really raise up.
So the driving experience is a little bit different
compared to the torque converter automatic
that you get in the Kia and the Hyundai.
But it's not too much of a big deal, I think.
And I think for a lot of people, they wouldn't really mind at all
the fact that this is a CVT with that kind of characteristic about it.
But one strong element of this Forester,
I think, is some of the ride quality here.
So cruising around at the moment, going over some rougher surfaces.
It handles bumps really nicely,
in particular big potholes and things like speed bumps.
Because we've got a slightly raised ride height here,
we've got plenty of suspension travel on
offer. This thing soaks up speed bumps
and potholes really nicely around town, so that's
a great benefit to have even if you're
not heading off into the bush every other weekend.
And the other thing to talk about here
is the all-wheel drive system in this Forester. That is
the same as what you get in other Subarus.
They call it symmetrical all-wheel drive but it means
we've got four driven wheels in this car all the time.
It's not an on-demand system like you get
in the Kia and the Hyundai for example.
So it's not as reactive, it's really sure-footed and it does
bring benefits in terms of off-road
and loose surface driving but I've got to say missing out
out on a spare wheel.
in this Forester really puts it back a little bit.
Even having a space saver spare instead of that goo kit
would be a much, much better solution.
The Hyundai Tucson uses a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine,
which runs through a
six-speed automatic transmission,
and that makes 132 kilowatts and 264 Newton-metres.
The electric motor adds in 37 kilowatts and 264 Newton-metres as well,
which gives a total
combined output of 172 kilowatts and 367 Newton-metres.
Lots of numbers there.
While the Tucson can be had as a front-wheel drive vehicle,
we've got the all-wheel drive
variant here, which is an on-demand system.
That means drive goes mostly to the front wheels,
but different drive modes and a bit
of wheel slip can send a bit of extra drive into the rear end.
This is different to how the Subaru is set up, most notably.
Claimed fuel efficiency for the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
is 5.3 litres per 100km, which is a
little bit better than the Forester.
Having a competent and efficient powertrain
is such an important ingredient to have
in a medium SUV these days and that is exactly what Hyundai has here
with this 1.6 litre hybrid setup.
Now Hyundai and Kia for that matter they haven't got the same
amount of experience as what you have with Toyota
in terms of how long they've been doing
hybrids but from the driving experience you cannot tell that.
at all this is a smooth and easy to drive
car it actually feels very very similar almost identical
to what you would have in a regular petrol powered
car but i think a lot of people will
appreciate that it just happens to use a lot less fuel
which is the whole point of these
hybrid setups now we've got
a 1.6 liter turbocharged petrol engine so it's smaller
than the subaru's engine but it does have forced induction
and we've got a six-speed
automatic transmission which is different to the CVT in the Subaru
so you get less rev flare when
you're really punching it along here it feels
a little bit more regular I suppose like I said
before and being a slightly smaller engine I think
this generates a little bit less noise as well
in comparison to the 2.5 litre boxer four-cylinder in the Subaru.
Now naturally this is very similar
Similar to what you get.
in the kia as well they are sharing a lot of components
and platforms obviously but there are
some subtle details here
so this hyundai has a slightly firmer ride quality overall now it's not
massive and it's not huge
but i would say that in direct comparison to the kia sportage this just
has a little bit less suppleness
which i guess some people may prefer and some people may prefer
to have a little bit more firmness there as well
so it really depends upon personal
preference there. There's no real standout
of ride quality between these three.
And it's worth really pointing that out I think.
The difference in ride quality
and the driving experience between these three hybrid SUVs,
there is not a lot in it at all.
We've been back to back driving these cars
on the same roads with different drivers
and reaching similar conclusions
but having slightly different preferences and that tells me
that these are all very good overall.
You can't really go wrong in that regard and there will
And there will be just a little bit of personal preference.
In terms of what you might like
in your own driving experience.
So, get behind the wheel and do some test driving yourself.
The Kia Sportage Hybrid has a very similar powertrain setup
to the Hyundai with a 1.6-litre
turbo four-cylinder going to all four wheels via
an on-demand all-wheel drive system.
And like the Tucson, this Sportage can be had
with a more efficient front-wheel drive setup
if you prefer it. In this case,
the petrol engine makes 132kW and 265Nm, while the electric motor
has 48kW and 264Nm,
slightly different to the Hyundai if you're paying attention.
Combined outputs are 173 kilowatts
and 367 newton meters for this Sportage.
Naturally there is not a lot of difference
in the driving experience between the Tucson
and the Sportage. They are corporate cousins using
a lot of the same components
and platforms under the skin. But there are some subtle differences and
the Australianised suspension tune of this Kia which is done locally
It does bring a slightly different sort
of vibe I suppose to how this Sportage handles
and to put it in a nutshell,
it feels better on rougher surfaces, only just.
It's got a little bit more suppleness and absorption there,
going over things like potholes,
going over speed bumps and that sort of thing,
just generally handling rougher surfaces well.
Now it doesn't tend to throw the baby out
with the bathwater in terms of feeling too
Too loose and floaty either.
But there is perhaps an element of personal preference there.
If you want something that's a bit more tied down,
then maybe look at the Tucson.
But otherwise, the hybrid powertrain in this Kia Sportage is excellent.
It's smooth, and it's easy, it's efficient,
and similar to the Hyundai, it's got a driving
experience that is very reminiscent of a regular petrol-powered car.
So nothing really changes for the buyer in that regard.
One thing I do like in this Kia,
and the Hyundai has it as well, the Subaru does not,
is the use of paddle shifters actually
for adjusting your regenerative braking. So it
Almost turns driving into a little bit of a game to a degree.
You can dial in more regen there as you're going down hills
and try and pump as much
power back into that battery as you can.
But this Kia Sportage, just like the other two,
is impressively efficient overall.
You're looking at a vehicle that can
do under six litres per hundred in a lot of scenarios,
which for a medium sized SUV is quite excellent.
Now Sam, we've said a few times throughout
this test that you're talking about
Finite details, like we're really splitting hairs here, right?
Yeah.
So Kia Sportage, still a really, really good product
and a hell of a lot to like about it.
Absolutely.
This addition of a recently updated hybrid powertrain,
I guess rounds out the Sportage
in terms of being a really complete offering now
in the medium SUV segment.
I do like the ride quality of this car.
You can get a sense of that Australian tuning,
just tickling things up a little bit.
But for me, I've got to say...
Not having hybrid power available in every trim level.
Big point.
It's a little bit of a letdown, I think.
And I do like the Hyundai in comparison in terms of just
the interior layout working better from a family point of view.
So, like you said, really, really close margins here.
So, even though it's third, this is still an excellent offering.
Move on to the Subaru.
If there's going to be a second place getter,
I guess, as close as these two are.
That's right.
I think Subaru just edges this.
It's a really good thing to drive.
I do love...
the interior ambience and the elegance inside the cabin
however the portrait orientation of the
screen and some of the tech just doesn't quite feel
as up to date does it yeah yeah that's right
the infotainment is maybe a little bit
of a letdown i mean one thing i do like about this
subaru is that mechanically it is different
to the others yeah you've got a different
style all-wheel drive system that definitely has
its advantages maybe it's not as efficient
as the other two in this comparison
but missing a spare wheel this is sort of the
It's an adventurous car.
It's an almost semi-off-roader.
Yeah.
It really goes one step forward and two steps back
because these other two have space savers
and I'd much prefer a space saver than that goo kit.
than this Subaru has so I do like
the all-wheel drive setup I love the way it drives but that's
one little thing that just holds it back a little bit.
We say it kind of jokingly all the time
you've only got to use a goo kit once to realize
that you never needed to use a goo kit and you
didn't want to ever use one.
Let's move on to the winner then of the comparison and still our
reigning drive car of the year medium SUV is the Hyundai Tucson.
Yes. Great package really well
executed I think you made a point very early
on that the fact you can get this as a hybrid
Right across the range, big tick there.
And just everything that this does, it does well.
It does. The hybrid setup works really well.
It's efficient, it's smooth and easy to drive.
But for me personally, I really do like the interior.
That indicator stalk shifter,
maybe it's not to everyone's taste,
but the fact that the shifter's moved out of the way,
you've got all of this room
to fit all of your stuff on the inside.
And the interior for me is one of the best
out of these three.
So I think it works from that point of view.
In the second row on the boot, it's also very good.
So this, I mean, it's not perfect.
There are little niggles here and there, just like with every car.
But on the whole, this is still the choice.
In boxing terms, you've actually got to go into the ring
and take the champion's belt off the champ, you know?
And the Tucson is the reigning champ and deserves to be so.
So if you don't love the styling
of the Tucson, you prefer the Sportage,
good news is, by that, you get seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty
and seven-year cap price servicing.
Still a really, really good car.
Subaru's Forester is a really, really strong proposition.
Their all-wheel drive system's great.
This is a very, very good car to drive.
And the interior has a really high-quality refinement to it as well.
But ultimately, Hyundai Tucson, best all-rounder.
And let's face it, this segment is about being an all-rounder.
Good value for money across the range.
Doesn't matter which model you buy.
Proper efficiency and a premium cabin.
As always, let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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Now, Sam, there's a comprehensive written review as well.
Where will they find that?
It'll all be on drive.com.au and also on YouTube.
