The vehicle I am talking about today is the much hyped Hyundai IX35. This is the replacement of the very sucsessfull Tuscon.
Now a few things before we start, Hyundai have been very clever in the past few years in that they have poached a few designers from other companies. Some for exterior looks and some for interior stuff.
The great news is that the IX35 looks very classy from the outside. This car looks much more European than Asian in looks and will definitely get your attention. I saw quite a few on the road already and always looked more than once thinking it was perhaps an Audi A5.
So points for it’s looks.
Let’s move into the cabin of the IX35. Now whereas the exterior design is quite superb, the interior designer came from GM and you can tell. Brushed alliminium radio panel followed by matt plastic does not work for me. It might be your cup of tea but it’s not very pretty. Also, where is the Sat Nav and Bluetooth. Bluetooth should be standard in any car. Then you get to where the Gearbox lever is. More plastic you would not find at a tupperware convention. But you can get used to it. The biggest problem I had with the interior is the LED screen between the 2 dial’s in front of the steering wheel. One has the Speedo and the Rev Counter and in between a display unit for the Trip meter etc. They have somehow ludicrously managed to get everything to fit into this tiny little display meaning you have no idea what you are looking at. It is so clattered, telling you your fuel economy and your temperature and your speed etc. Too cluttered. The seats were comfortable and there is lots of room in the rear for 2 passengers. Also my Taylor mades fitted perfectly in the boot area.
Driving the IX35 though is pretty decent. Now, SUV’s or MPV’s, depending on how you call them are tricky vehicles. The reason is that they sort of should handle like a bakkie but they also want to be a car. This IX35 drives like a car on the open road. It has great power and is quite a lot of fun; however going round corners, the IX35 feels top heavy and rolls quite a llot. Perhaps if the seats were a little more sporty i would have shifted around as much but in general it is very pleasant to drive.
I think for it’s small faults, this IX35 is going to be a mega-seller. It suits its segment perfectly and now it has the looks as well.