Because the 2005 Hyundai Tucson is a compact SUV, I didn't anticipate it to have much in the way of towing capacity. After carrying out my research, I discovered that my hunch was true, as the maximum trailer weight rating listed in the chart was 2,000 pounds.
If you didn't have the right equipment fitted on your vehicle (or trailer), your maximum trailer weight rating could be considerably less, around one thousand pounds, to be exact. As a result, you must ensure that your Tucson is properly equipped, in order to attain that higher weight rating.
Please read your SUV's owner's manual thoroughly to familiarize yourself with your vehicle and to ensure that you are adhering to all of Hyundai's specifications and recommendations.
Overall Capacity: Generally speaking, the towing capacity of the Hyundai Tucson's made in 2005 varied from 1,000-2,000 pounds, and these specifications were determined mostly by the engine configuration and whether or not the trailer you were using was equipped with its own brake system.
The Tow Chart:
There were only three maximum trailer weight ratings specified for the 2005 Hyundai Tucsons and all of them shared the same maximum tongue load weight rating, the chart for these vehicles was fairly straightforward. There were very few variations for the vehicle and is why there is not a lot of data in the chart.
In the chart, we can see that there were two different engine options available: the 2.0 liter engine and the 2.7 liter engine. We can also see that there were two different rows labeled "with brake" and "without brake" just to the left of the engine column, which is the only real unclear part of the chart.
This is in reference to your trailer and whether or not your trailer was fitted with a braking system of its own, separate from your vehicle. If your trailer was outfitted with its own set of brakes, the maximum towable weight will be substantially more than trailers that were not supplied with trailer brakes.
Comparing The Data:
By Trim Level: There were four different trim levels offered for the 2009 models, all four of which I listed below and each trim level had a specific capacity range, depending on the engine options that were available for each trim level.
- GLS: 1,000-1,500 lbs.
- Limited: 1,000-1,500 lbs.
- SE: 1,000-2,000 lbs.
- Limited V6: 1,000-2,000 lbs.
By Engine Options: Due to the fact that these SUVs were only available with two distinct engine choices, it was easy for me to break down the data. The smaller 2.0 liter (4-cylinder) engine had a capacity range of 1,000 to 1,500 pounds, while the bigger 2.7 liter (6-cylinder) engine's range was slightly higher at 1,000 to 2,000 pounds, depending on your trailer configuration.
- 2.0L (4 cylinder): 1,000-1,500 lbs.
- 2.7L (V6): 1,000-2,000 lbs.
Other Important Information...
The owner's manual had a number of additional nuggets of info that I felt were worth noting, so I decided to go ahead and take screenshots of them and placed them in the section below for your convenience.
They primarily cover two topics: trailer brakes (which are only briefly discussed in the first image), and tongue load weight ratings (which is set at 10 percent of the trailer's total weight and outlined in the second image).
A Few Helpful Links:
For this article, I relied only on the owner's manual and the 2009 brochure for these SUVs, which I've included links to at the bottom of this section, for anybody interested in learning more. It was easier to compare various trim levels and what options were available for those trim levels when I used the brochure rather than the owner's manual, which had much of the information I was looking for, including many of the screenshots I was able to snag.