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New Toyota Yaris Cross vs used Hyundai Tucson: interiors
The Toyota Yaris Cross is one of the cheapest hybrid SUVs you can buy new, but would you be better off with a one-year-old Hyundai Tucson for the same money?...
Interiors
Driving position, visibility, build quality
As mentioned, you sit noticeably higher in the Toyota Yaris Cross than you do inside the Yaris small car. Nonetheless, the Hyundai Tucson sits you even higher and mightier. Both cars have comfortable driving positions and adjustable lumbar support.
The Tuscon has front and rear parking sensors, as well as a rear-view camera. The Yaris Cross has that last item, but our test car's Design trim surprisingly lacks parking sensors of any kind.
Everything inside the Yaris Cross is laid out in a sensible way, plus you get physical controls for the standard climate control, making it a doddle to operate on the move. Everything feels sturdily screwed together, but the interior isn't one you'd call upmarket, with hard, grey plastics dominating.
The Tucson's interior looks and feels more premium. We wish the centre console had physical shortcut buttons rather than its small, rather fiddly touch-sensitive ones, although these are still better than having to mess around with the touchscreen to jump between menus.
Infotainment
Toyota Yaris Cross
Lower-rung Icon and Design models come with an 8.0in touchscreen, while going for Excel or above (or ordering the Tech Pack on lesser trims) increases the size to 9.0in and adds built-in sat-nav. We prefer the smaller screen, because it has more physical buttons, so it’s easier to use as you're driving along. Its responses aren’t the quickest and the layout isn’t all that intuitive, but you can circumvent this by using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto – the Tucson offers these smartphone mirroring options as well.
Hyundai Tucson
Neatly integrated into the dashboard, the Tucson’s sizeable (10.3in) touchscreen is pleasingly quick to respond to inputs and has slick, sharp graphics. It’s also relatively intuitive to use, with shortcut buttons permanently displayed on a touch-sensitive control panel below the screen. The Tucson comes with a premium sound system in this trim level.
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