Eyebrow-raising ix35

Hyundai's new ix35 is one of the outstanding medium-sized soft-roaders on the market. Rob Maetzig reviews the top model of the range, the CRDi Elite.

The Hyundai ix35 and the Kia Sportage might be first cousins, but there's no love lost when the two South Korean marques are trying to grab market share with their respective medium-sized soft roaders.

Earlier this year, when Hyundai replaced its ageing Tucson with the snazzy ix35, one of the eyebrow-raising features of the new vehicle was its price. It came on to the Kiwi market with prices several thousand dollars higher than the Tucson – and at launch, Hyundai New Zealand reasoned that the new vehicle was premium highly specified product, so its prices had to reflect that.

It was a solid argument too, because the new ix35 range was indeed well-specified and a very good drive, and as such, had to be compared against solid product including the Japanese Honda CRV and the German Volkswagen Touran.

But next month, Kia New Zealand is to launch its new Sportage – which is built on the same floorpan as the ix35 and, in fact, has the same engines. So far the company has announced prices for the petrol models, and they seriously undercut those of the Hyundais.

For example, the base-model two-wheel-drive Urban model will enter the market with a price $6000 less than the Hyundai equivalent. The other petrol models will carry prices a couple of grand less than the Hyundais, and you can guarantee that when the turbo-diesel models arrive early next year, their prices will be lower, too.

So what will Hyundai New Zealand do about all of this – apart maybe from quietly seethe behind the doors of their corporate headquarters in Auckland? Probably nothing, because the fact of the matter is that despite the ix35's higher list prices when compared to the Tucson it replaced, the prices are reasonable.

The difference is that while the Tucson's main claim to fame was that it was a price leader, the ix35's claim to fame is that it is a much improved soft-roader with a definite premium feel about it.

And, of course, the really premium model in the ix35 range is the top version, the $53,990 CRDi Elite.

It's an attractive and well-specified soft-roader, with standard features including full leather upholstery, electrically-operated and heated front seats, dual-zone air conditioning, proximity key, and a reversing camera that displays its image in the rear-view mirror rather than in the centre console, which is where most reversing camera images are located in most other vehicles that have them fitted.

The interior could almost be said to be expressive in its design, making good use of metallic accents on the steering wheel and centre console.

The steering wheel is a four-spoked version that feels particularly comfortable – it's interesting how this can really influence attitudes towards any vehicle. It also has cruise control and audio controls on the spokes.

Although the new ix35 has exterior dimensions that are actually smaller than those of the Tucson it replaces, there is considerably more room inside, thanks to new-age design principles and a longer wheelbase.

There's plenty of room, particularly for those sitting in the back seats, and when all seats are in use, there is 730 litres of load space at the rear.

That's excellent, and it increases to a capacious 1599 litres when the rear seats are folded down. Heaps of room for golf clubs, as I discovered during the few days I had an Elite for road test.

But it isn't the interior or swoopy exterior design of this vehicle that are the standout features of this vehicle. What is really impressive is the 2.0-litre R-series turbo-diesel engine that powers it.

A smaller version of the 2.2-litre unit under the bonnet of the larger Santa Fe SUV, and with variable geometry turbocharging and a third-generation common-rail fuel-injection system, it offers flexible performance that is excellent.

The engine is mated to a new six-speed automatic transmission that also does a very good job, as a tour through the central North Island illustrated. I found the ix35 CRDi Elite to offer comfortable and flexible motoring, and of course the vehicle's on-demand all-wheel-drive system helped provide secure ride and handling characteristics.

The ix35 doesn't drive quite like a car, but it comes fairly close to it.

This new model has had its ground clearance reduced almost to an un-SUV-like 170mm, and that contributes to what I would describe as a neutral ride. It isn't the best medium-sized SUV around in this regard, but it's getting closer to it.

Helping in this regard is the fact that safety is well-represented on this new Hyundai.

The ix35 has electronic stability control which includes ABS braking and traction control, and it also has downhill brake control to help maintain a steady speed on steep descents off the road. The vehicle also has hill-start assist control.

I've got to say I'm impressed with this new Hyundai ix35. Not only is it the latest iteration of a design trend that is seeing medium-sized SUVs become less of the offroader and more of a normal car.

- © Fairfax NZ News