Compare the2022 Hyundai TucsonVS 2021 Lexus UX Series

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Tucson are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The UX Series doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Tucson Limited has a standard Around View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The UX Series only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Tucson and the UX Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Tucson comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The UX Series’ 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Tucson 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the UX Series. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the UX Series ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

The Tucson’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the UX Series’ (7 vs. 6 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tucson for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the UX Series (3/36,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Tucson’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 10th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 12th.

The Tucson’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 18 more horsepower (187 vs. 169) and 27 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 151) than the UX 200’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Tucson’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (187 vs. 181) than the UX 250h’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Both the Tucson and the UX Series Hybrid have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All Tucsons have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Tucson uses regular unleaded gasoline. The UX Series requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Tucson has 3.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the UX Series Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (14.3 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Tucson has 1.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the UX Series’ standard fuel tank (14.3 vs. 12.4 gallons).

For better stopping power the Tucson’s brake rotors are larger than those on the UX Series:

The Tucson stops shorter than the UX Series:

For better traction, the Tucson has larger tires than the UX Series (235/65R17 vs. 225/50R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Tucson offers optional 19-inch wheels. The UX Series’ largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tucson’s wheelbase is 4.6 inches longer than on the UX Series (108.5 inches vs. 103.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Tucson is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the UX Series.

The front grille of the Tucson uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The UX Series doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Tucson has 17.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the UX Series (108.2 vs. 90.4).

The Tucson has 2.8 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, 3.2 inches more rear headroom, 8.2 inches more rear legroom, 1.6 inches more rear hip room and 3.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the UX Series.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Tucson’s rear seats recline. The UX Series’ rear seats don’t recline.

The Tucson has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the UX Series (38.7 vs. 17.2 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Tucson’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The UX Series doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Tucson has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The UX Series has no towing capacity.

The Tucson has a much higher standard payload capacity than the UX Series (1301 vs. 890 lbs.).

The Tucson has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the UX Series (1305 vs. 890 lbs.).

The power windows standard on both the Tucson and the UX Series have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Tucson is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The UX Series prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Both the Tucson and the UX Series offer available heated front seats. The Tucson Limited also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the UX Series.

The Tucson Limited’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Park Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The UX Series doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Tucson and the Lexus UX Series, based on reliability, safety and performance.