2016 Hyundai Tucson: First Drive

What Is It: Five-seat car-based sport utility vehicle, in front or all-wheel-drive

Price: $22,700 — $34,050.

Competitors: Toyota RAV-4, Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Subaru Forester.

Alternatives: Mazda CX-5, Nissan Rogue, Jeep Cherokee.

Pros: Advanced safety features if you’re willing to pay up to $10,000 for them; sizable cargo space.

Cons: Generic, sluggish.

Car press launches usually have the upbeat aura of a corporate motivational seminar, especially in the last few years, as business booms and short memories forget the sins of the past. Sales are up, the future is bright, and we will rule the roads forever. By contrast, the launch of the 2016 Hyundai Tucson felt like a wake, or at least a hangover brunch.

We learned that Hyundai, a company born to sell decent mid-priced sedans, is falling behind. In a marketplace where 56 percent of all vehicles sold are trucks or SUVs of some flavor, Hyundai’s family haulers — the Hyundai Tucson, the Santa Fe, and the Santa Fe Sport — are actually down nearly 15 percent.

“We don’t have enough production, we don’t have enough vehicles,” said a beleaguered-looking Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai’s North American CEO. “One in three new vehicles sold are CUVs [crossover utility vehicles]. People just don’t think of Hyundai.”