2016 Hyundai Tucson: Car Seat Check
Families shopping for a compact crossover have too many options. The class is loaded with comfortable, affordable entries – and it just got another member. The 2016 Hyundai Tucson is redesigned with more passenger and cargo room as well as a quieter and more comfortable ride. With easy-to-access Latch anchors and ample legroom, parents will have no trouble installing two child-safety seats in the Tucson.
How many car seats fit in the second row? Two
What We Like
- There are two sets of lower Latch anchors in the outboard seats; they sit just inside the seat bight and are easy to access. Three tether anchors are on the seatbacks and are clearly marked.
- In both forward- and rear-facing modes, the convertible was easy to install and fit well. There was no need to move the front passenger seat forward to accommodate it in rear-facing mode.
- The booster fit well on the lightly bolstered backseat. We did not need to raise the head restraint to fit it, and the buckles are on stable bases, making it easier for kids to buckle up independently.
What We Don’t
- The middle position’s shoulder belt comes out of the ceiling and will impede the driver’s rear visibility when in use.
- Although the infant seat installed easily, we had to move the front passenger seat forward just a bit to fit it. Average-sized passengers will still have enough legroom in the front seat, but taller passengers will likely be uncomfortable.
Grading Scale
A: Plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn’t impact driver or front-passenger legroom. Easy to find and connect to Latch and tether anchors. No fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. Easy access to the third row.
B: Plenty of room. One fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing third row when available.
C: Marginal room. Two fit or connection issues. Difficult to access third row when available.
D: Insufficient room. Two or more fit or connection issues.
F: Does not fit or is unsafe.
About Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks
Editors Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman are certified child safety seat installation technicians.
For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide Classic Connect 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Marathon convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-6 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.
We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. To learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks, go here.
Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.