Hyundai revealed the 2025 Tucson as well as the Santa Cruz at the 2024 New York International Auto Show. Unfortunately, I cannot be there in person to check out each of these vehicles in person and show you exactly what is different from the outgoing 2024 as seen behind me, but I do have most if not all of the feature changes that are going to happen for the 2025 models for every single trim level.
That’s exactly what we’re going to discuss here in this post: the changes coming to the limited and all the trim levels in between.
I do have the color palette updated for 2025 as well, and there are a couple exterior colors that are no longer going to be available, one of which is actually my favorite, so make sure to stay tuned. There’s a lot of information here in this post, but without further ado, let’s go ahead and get right into it.
Table of contents
Exterior and Interior Changes
So diving right in, the 2025 Tucson is a refresh, not an all-new generation. As you can pretty much tell from the outside, really only the front and rear fascias got any changes. The side profile looks pretty much unchanged for the most part.
The interior’s actually got a pretty major facelift, including the entirely new dashboard design, updated technology including the UI and the hardware with the dual 12.3-inch screens, and the return of physical buttons and knobs on the inside with these small HVAC touch capacitive type controls like they have been debuting in the Santa Fe and the Sonatas.
So really, the interior is where the biggest changes are going to happen in this all-new generation Tucson, but the exterior, mainly the front end, is going to get a little bit beefier, a little bit tougher looking, and does have a little bit larger of a lighting signature as a whole.
Trim Levels and Feature Updates
When it comes to the trim levels for the 2025 Tucson, this is going to be identical to the 2024, so they’re all going to be a carryover.
You’re going to have SE, SEL, Convenience, XRT, and Limited for the internal combustion models. The hybrid is going to be found in Blue, Convenience, N Line, and Limited, and then the plug-in hybrid is returning as well in SEL and Limited trim only.
Now, of course, the plug-in hybrid had kind of limited availability for the first half of this generation, if you will, not sold in every state, so hopefully they will expand the availability on that and make it roll out to other states that currently sell some of the fully electric Ioniq models.
I think there is certainly a market for the plug-in hybrid Tucson where it is currently not sold, so hopefully, we’ll see an expansion of that. But really, no change in terms of what trims are going to be available in all three versions of the Tucson.
SE Trim
So next, I want to run through all the exact trim levels and tell you what features are being gained in that trim level versus a comparable 2024 model. Starting with the entry-level SE, you’re going to gain the 12.3-inch infotainment system, which is the CCNC Lite system. So no built-in navigation but does have wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, also supports over-the-air software updates.
It comes with Blue Link Plus, which is free for the lifetime of the first owner, so that is standard on every single Tucson now, which is great to see. You have Sirius XM Radio, front and rear USB-C charging ports. You have the HVAC after blow technology, which essentially ventilates the HVAC system, gets rid of additional moisture inside the system so you don’t have any foul smells or just mildew buildup inside the vents, which is very nice.
You have standard proximity entry with push-button start on the SE, and that will also likely add the remote start capability from the key fob just like that of the 2024 Kona SE, which did add standard proximity entry with remote start as well.
And then finally, you do have front and rear overhead LED lighting inside of the vehicle as standard equipment versus the halogen that were found on the SE. For 2024, you had to get the Convenience or higher to get the LED lighting, so nice to see those premium changes.
Now, there is going to be one feature in specific that I noticed on the detail sheet that appears to be going away or getting downgraded from the 2023 and earlier, and that is the Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist is now considered Blind Spot Warning.
Now, I’m not sure if that means the steering or the actual active assist functionality of the vehicle is going away for the 2025 model and onward, but it is a little bit interesting that that was a note that changed in the detail spec sheet.
SEL Trim
But anyways, moving on to the SEL, this is going to gain 18-inch alloy wheels versus the standard 17-inch found on the 2023 and 2024s. Of course, it has the 12.3-inch infotainment system also with the CCNC Lite system, so no built-in navigation, of course, supports wireless Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, over-the-air software updates as well.
You have the touch capacitive HVAC controls with knobs for the temperature, so this is the trim level where you get the nicer small touchscreen for some of the HVAC ventilation systems, much like that of the Sonata and Santa Fe, which I’ve showcased here on the SEL.
It comes with the HVAC after blow logic, front and rear overhead LED lighting, and you also get upgraded Hyundai Digital Key 2.0 Premium, which adds iOS support in addition to Android devices. So just like that of the 2024 SEL, it comes with a digital key, but this time it’s updated to support iOS devices, which is very, very cool.
And there is one other additional feature lost on the SE, at least according to the spec sheet, and that is the illuminated glove box is no longer found on the standard. You do have to go up to, I believe, at least a Convenience package, if not an XRT or higher, just to get the illuminated glove box. So another interesting small change there, but not a big deal at the end of the day for most people.
XRT Trim
So next, moving on to the XRT trim level, this is the one where it’s going to get some interesting tweaks and changes to the packaging, some of which are positive, some of which maybe not so much depending on the way you look at it. So it’s going to come with the 12.3-inch infotainment system.
I believe the CCNC Lite system, so no built-in navigation, which is actually a downgrade from the 2024 models. Again, this is a little vague on the press documents as they didn’t have the exact labeling in place, but I think it is the CCNC Lite system, possibly built-in navigation.
It comes with wireless Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, over-the-air software updates, of course. It may also come with the 12.3-inch digital cluster, the fully configurable type, but again, Hyundai was a little bit vague on what this package actually includes, so it could be the 4.2-inch, the lesser standard infotainment or cluster rather, or the nicer 12.3-inch, not exactly sure quite yet.
It does have the touch capacitive HVAC controls just like that of the SEL, the after blow technology, overhead LED lighting. It does go from a 19-inch alloy wheel down to an 18-inch alloy wheel, so this is a smaller diameter wheel by 1 inch, which should improve off-road capability, not that a lot of people are taking these off-road in that fashion, but smaller alloy wheel with once again XRT-specific design.
It comes with the premium mirror-type grille in the front of the vehicle with the LED running lights, that to me is an upgrade over the 2024. It has the bridge-type roof rails as well as Digital Key 2.0 just like that of the SEL. So some nice improvements there, but a little bit vague on what infotainment system as well as the digital cluster is found on that trim.
N-Line Trim
The N Line, available only as a hybrid, includes the 12.3-inch infotainment system with built-in navigation, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, touch capacitive HVAC controls, and smart cruise control 2.0 with Highway Drive Assist. It also features driver attention assist, which monitors the driver’s face and eyes to ensure they are paying attention.
Limited Trim
The Limited trim gains several features, including memory driver’s seat with external mirrors, acoustic laminated front side glass, a new 12-inch color heads-up display, touch capacitive HVAC controls, a two-stage heated steering wheel, smart cruise control 2.0, and a fingerprint scanner for keyless operation. It also includes digital key 2.0 premium.
SEL Convenience Package
The SEL Convenience trim remains similar to the outgoing model, with features like a single power sunroof, H-Tex leather, heated front seats, and smart cruise control 2.0 with Highway Drive Assist.
Additional Notable Changes
Notable changes for the 2025 Tucson lineup include adjustable levels of regenerative braking on all hybrid variants, slightly more power from the electric motor, and a few other small enhancements.
