It would be almost perfect, except for some of the "smart" features
I've been driving the 2026 Tucson for a couple of months now, and overall I really like it. Most basic functionality is great, but some of the "smart" features are becoming major annoyances.
1. "smart" cruise control. This is the worst by far, and genuinely a safety issue. They seem to have used the brake control as a crutch. It feels like it's riding the brakes on even the slightest down grades, even when the engine could hold speed on a slight decline. I suspect this would be a true safety issue if someone left the cruise on during long declines. Honestly I think it might even tap the brakes on UPHILL grades when the slope changes slightly. And there is NO documentation in the manual about any of this. Ways it could be improved:
- At the very least, a visual indicator on the dashboard when it brakes
- Option for standard cruise, with no "smart" features
- Option to disable the braking, so it just coasts instead of braking.
- Make it smarter in how/when it uses the brakes
2. "smart" headlights and dashboard backlighting. On a bright day if you drive under an overpass that takes more than a couple of seconds, it will dim the dash and turn on the headlights. Or even if the sun is to the side and the single sensor is in the shadow of one of the window posts, that can be enough to dim the dash. And there is no way to disable the dimming. It makes the dashboard unreadable sometimes with the contrast.
3. head unit start screen, "choose driver." I'm the only driver, yet i need to "continue" through the 10 second timeout screen EVERY TIME. Seriously? And you can't do ANYTHING, including turn it off, without clicking continue. And after the last OTA update now it flickers the "welcome" screen when turning the car off, even if the head unit was off for the entire trip.
4. head unit startup "animation." It's a car, not a 1990's windows screen saver. The welcome animation was okay the first 3 or 4 times I saw it, now I just wish there was a way to disable it.
5. Slow to recognize key on door button press. When my key is in my pocket, sometimes when I approach the car it doesn't recognize the key right away, and I press the button on the door handle and nothing happens. I either have to go into my pocket to find the remote, or wait 2 or 3 seconds for it to hopefully recognize the key. I haven't found any pattern yet, the key fob is always within about 18 inches of the door handle when this happens, with a very think layer of fabric in between it and the handle.
6. No airplane mode, or ability to toggle off the cellular / wifi / bluetooth. I have friends with RF sensitivity. They generally can't ride in the car. There should really be a way to toggle these off.
7. Auto stop: First, it re-enables on every engine start, rather than remembering the previous setting. Second, it's inconsistent. Sometimes if I have 4 traffic lights in rapid succession, it will turn off at the first one, stay on at the second, turn off at the third and fourth. This is with the climate controls completely off, so it's not the AC or defroster or anything like that, and it's clearly not battery level or engine temperature, since it's only a minute or two apart.
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