Compare the2023 Hyundai TucsonVS 2023 Toyota Rav4

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload and Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Rav4 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Tucson has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Rav4’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Tucson has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Toyota charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Rav4.

Both the Tucson and the Rav4 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 and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Tucson is safer than the Toyota Rav4:

	Tucson	Rav4
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	24%	29.3%
Neck Stress	164 lbs.	306 lbs.
Neck Compression	14 lbs.	56 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	27/60 lbs.	400/388 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.4 inches
Neck Injury Risk	35%	37.4%
Neck Stress	125 lbs.	258 lbs.
Neck Compression	59 lbs.	95 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	51/13 lbs.	340/190 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Tucson is safer than the Toyota Rav4:

	Tucson	Rav4
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	71	83
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	37	146
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	614 lbs.	835 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

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 Rav4’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Tucson 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Rav4. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Rav4 ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Tucson’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Rav4’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tucson for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Rav4 (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Tucson has a 150-amp alternator. The Rav4’s standard 100-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fifth.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Tucson higher (7 out of 10) than the Toyota Rav4 (6). This means the Tucson produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Rav4 every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Tucson’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Rav4:

	Tucson	Rav4
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	12 inches	11.1 inches

The Tucson stops much shorter than the Rav4:

	Tucson	Rav4
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	134 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	131 feet	140 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Tucson has larger tires than the Rav4 (235/65R17 vs. 225/65R17).

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tucson’s wheelbase is 2.6 inches longer than on the Rav4 (108.5 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

The Tucson Limited AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Rav4 Limited pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Tucson Limited AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Rav4 Limited (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.9 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Tucson has 9.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rav4 (108.2 vs. 98.9).

The Tucson has .6 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front hip room, 3.5 inches more rear legroom and 6.2 inches more rear hip room than the Rav4.

Cargo Capacity

The Tucson has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Rav4 with its rear seat up (38.7 vs. 37.6 cubic feet). The Tucson has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Rav4 with its rear seat folded (80.3 vs. 69.8 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Tucson’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Rav4 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Payload and Towing

The Tucson’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Rav4’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

The Tucson has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Rav4 (1301 vs. 1100 lbs.).

The Tucson has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Rav4 (1305 vs. 1230 lbs.).

Ergonomics

The Tucson Limited’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Rav4 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Tucson’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Rav4’s power window (except driver window), power lock and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Tucson’s standard variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Rav4 LE’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

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 Rav4 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Tucson and the Toyota Rav4, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Tucson third among compact suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Rav4 isn’t in the top three.

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