
1. Protect your knees
A small, soft leather pad on the side of the center stack is designed to serve as a resting spot for the driver’s right knee. It stops the driver’s knee from rubbing against or bumping into plastic. The passenger is not so lucky: he or she has a small storage cubby in that position.

2. Spill all you want
Yes! Essentials seat fabrics, which have been used in a handful of other vehicles, help resist staining, odors, and static electricity. Given that the 2016 Hyundai Tucson, like most crossovers, will frequently be filled with kids, this seems like a smart way for Hyundai to keep the car a little bit cleaner.

3. Feel free to touch that dial
You’ll never miss the first few bars of Blank Slate thanks to XM Tune Start. When 2016 Hyundai Tucson drivers select a satellite radio preset, the system automatically plays the current song from the beginning, rather than jumping into the middle of it.

4. Lean back
In many mainstream crossovers, the angle of the rear seatbacks is fixed. For the 2016 Hyundai Tucson, the automaker has made the 60/40 split rear seats even more recline-able, with a total of 37 degrees of angle adjustment compared to 28 degrees in the outgoing model. So whether you like to sit bolt upright or slouch like, the Tucson has you covered.

5. Open easily
Many modern cars with passive unlocking now provide for hands-free opening of the liftgate, the 2016 Hyundai Tucson goes one step further. With the key in his or her pocket, the owner need only stand behind the crossover for a few moments and the power liftgate will automatically open — no setting down bulky shopping bags, for instance. The Hyundai Genesis and Sonata also have this feature.

Pun intended. When fitted with the car’s optional 1.6-liter turbo-four engine, the 2016 Hyundai Tucson packs a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission borrowed from the Sonata Eco. Very few crossovers offer dual-clutch transmissions, with most sticking to 6- or (in the case of Jeep and Land Rover) 9-speed torque-converter automatics. The Tucson’s dual-clutch should provide snappier, more responsive shifting, while its added efficiency will help the crossover achieve up to 33 mpg in the Eco variant and 30 mpg in Sport and Limited trim levels.
