ix35 - Hyundai's new weapon

Hyundai - half of the people on Earth do not even know how to spell the name of this company. What cars is associated with? Good question - usually with nothing, because hardly anyone can name a model, you just know that some of them are. However, the world is changing - successful series of i10, i20, i30 cars and beautifully tailored "SUVs" have entered. And now? Little SUV! Is it really the same company?

I still have before my eyes Hyundai Accent - a round compact with a nasty interior. The new ix35 shows what a stylistic revolution this company has undergone. I don't know what happened in the board - they relaxed, decided to go crazy or changed their way of thinking because of the crisis. Either way, it paid off because it keeps them in the game. The ix35 propagates a new stylistic direction from the manufacturer, whose name in English makes it difficult to pronounce in British, and in Polish simply sounds like “streamlined sculpture”. There is something about it - a lot of folds, soft lines, but take a close look at the front and back of the case. Habitual? I will tell you that these cars, even in the model name, differ by only one letter. The ix35 seems to be just a smaller and “inflated” version of the second-generation Infiniti FX35 - in front and with its aggressive look (also similar to the Ford Kuga), on the side - a lot of Nissan Murano II, in the back - a little Infiniti, a little Nissan Quashqai and most of all Subaru Tribeca. Market mix, but models are good after all.

What can be put under the hood? Soon the flagship unit will reach 184KM, but so far only two engines are available - a 2.0-liter "gasoline" with a range of 163KM and more expensive by 15. PLN diesel of the same power, but only 136 hp. Small? On paper, especially in the all-wheel drive version, with such a weight it looks bad, but in practice you can really surprise. 320 Nm of torque come into play already at 1800 rpm. and we can safely say that she even squeezes into a chair. The first two gears are too short to spoil the fun - before you start wondering if this car is only 136 km away, the engine is already yelling: “Pull yourself together, finally upshift!”. And what is important - you will have to do it yourself, because a 6-speed "automatic" is available for an extra charge of 4,5 thousand. PLN only in petrol version. However, this makes some sense. The diesel comes standard with a 6-speed manual transmission, while the petrol has a 5-speed, just like last century. If such power somehow works in such a machine, who needs more? It's simple - for higher speeds. True, even above 100 km / h, the ix35 diesel accelerates greedily in sixth gear and enjoys maneuverability, but at the same time loses its energy. And here it will probably have the opportunity to show off the 184 hp diesel that will be available soon. It will be the same CRDi l unit, only with increased power, which means it will work just as quietly and culturally.

If this car is so good and cheap, then there must be a catch somewhere. And this is in the interior. The plastic is hard, including in the cab and trunk lining. It is enough to transport something like a desk several times so that the walls of the “trunk” get scratched and look like a birdhouse. On the other hand, so what - the interior design looks great, the "plastic" has an interesting texture, and the clock is exceptionally modern and beautiful. There is something else - maybe the materials are not of the highest quality, but they do not creak and are stacked at a high level. For some, only the blue backlighting can annoy - Volkswagen went through this and didn't like it very much. Probably not for buyers, although in ix35 this color has a more delicate shade.

The small SUV can be purchased in four trim levels - the cheapest Classic and the increasingly expensive Comfort, Style and Premium. Pricing is a topic that a manufacturer will be happy to talk about in the showroom - they are well thought out. Classic with front-wheel drive and 2.0-liter gasoline under the hood costs PLN 79. A lot of? No! The ix900 competes with cars such as the Suzuki Vitara, Toyota RAV35, Honda CR-V and Volkswagen Tiguan - it does not appear in the catalogs. The Skoda Yeti may be a threat, but it doesn't have such sophisticated shapes. The cheapest versions, unfortunately, differ in that they come standard with wheels and a driver who regrets not paying extra for a richer package. This shouldn't be a problem on the ix4 because the cheapest version doesn't just have fancy bells and whistles - everything else is there. Fortunately, Hyundai did not regret the safety - there are front and side airbags, front and rear curtains, active head restraints. DBC & HAC traction control and DBC & HAC descent and hill control are also standard in case someone wants to go off-road despite front axle drive only. The air conditioner can also cool if necessary, but you have to turn the knobs - in this version it is manual. Interestingly, as neatly stated in the manufacturer's brochure, a "cooled glove box" is also included as standard.... I have no idea what kind of invention this is and why cool gloves are needed in winter, but the hiding place is in front of the passenger and in summer you can put a bottle of water in it. A few more useful additions - you do not have to pay for a split backrest, CD radio and fog lights. For full "electricians" too. Even the control of the audio system, by the way, is so-so, additionally placed on the steering wheel as standard. For lovers of modern music - AUX, USB and iPod inputs next to the gear lever, and for environmentalists - an economizer that tells you which gear to choose in order to kill as few cetaceans as possible in the Atlantic. However, this does not mean that the cheapest version has the full option. There are no basic things - a lumbar support for the spine, roof rails and a spare tire, which is replaced by a repair kit.

The test sample, as usual, was generously donated by the manufacturer - the Style version. In addition, it has most of the accessories that are usually considered a dose of luxury, and with all-wheel drive and diesel under the hood, it costs less than 114 thousand. zloty. The leather upholstery on the seats gives the impression that it was made from genetically modified animals in a laboratory, but it is there and looks nice. In addition, the air conditioner is a two-zone “automatic”, there is a bluetooth module on board that controls the telephone, partially heated windshield, a two-color dashboard, and direction indicators are placed in the side mirrors - this is the determinant of richer versions. The list is long, but that's not the point - it has a few unique additions to this class. There is an electronic compass in the interior mirror, and in winter, rear seat passengers can also warm up from below - it is heated. The standard is also a contactless key. The car is "ignited" by a button on the cab, and the transmitter does not even need to be taken out of your pocket. The best part is that while the door is locked with the button on the transmitter, the trunk is not locked. You approach it and it opens. You leave - it's closed. You come back to check if your car is exactly closed for a hundred - it opens. You just need to overcome your fear of technology. Still on the trunk - the manufacturer gives almost 600 liters of capacity, and after folding the backrest 1436 liters. The “trunk”, however, has two drawbacks - the wheel arches are large and limit it a little, and after increasing the capacity, the floor is not perfectly even.

That's all the equipment, it's time to ride. Forward visibility is good, and the side mirrors are as big as Christmas plates, making it easy to drive around town. Reversing is worse because the rear windshield is quite tall, and those little triangular windows in the C-pillars don't help at all. Richer versions have parking sensors discreetly hidden in the bumper, and for 5.PLN, you can even have navigation with a rearview camera. Ground clearance is 17cm and the suspension leans more towards comfort, but that doesn't mean it's soft. On the road, a transverse roughness is felt, and the rear part “crumbles” a little. According to the current fashion, the rear suspension is multi-link, which is why the car rides confidently, but heels a little to the sides, so you should not overdo it when cornering, because you can’t fool the car’s high center of gravity. At least not on our planet. The steering is precise and electrically assisted, it works very lightly and sometimes it feels like the front wheels are floating in the air and you don't know what's happening to them. In turn, the car's traction can be improved for cash - the surcharge for all-wheel drive is PLN 7. zlotys, but as it happens in SUVs, this is not forever. Under normal conditions, power is transferred to the front axle. If any of the wheels slip, the rear-wheel drive is switched on electrically. The mechanism itself is very simple, but, unfortunately, it works with a delay, so when skidding in a turn, the car can increase pressure a little and behave unpredictably. But calm down - everything is monitored by the ESP traction control system, which supposedly has a rollover prevention function. Haven't tested it, but I believe it. The passage is ideal for the modern understanding of the word "locality", that is, a gravel path connecting two national roads. The center differential can be locked at the push of a button, so fine sand and small bumps don't impress Hyundai. It is only impossible to exceed 30 km/h, because then it will automatically unlock. Rushing currents, mud, sweat and tears - huge - inch alloy wheels with road tires will answer this. This is not that fairy tale.

Hyundai has more and more interesting ideas, and with the release of the ix35 it shows that it is not afraid of new challenges and wants to change its image. And it is right. True, it is not perfect, and there are a few things that can be improved. It's also one of the most expensive models the company has to offer, which means it's going to have to convince buyers to get out of the competition it's more pleasant to associate with because it spends more on advertising. However, he has my vote for one reason. Nowadays, even compact cars cost a lot of money, and if this continues, then we will buy new cars before retirement itself, because maybe by then a considerable amount of money will have accumulated in our account. Of course, there are cars smaller and cheaper than the ix35, but in the small SUV class, the new Hyundai is a tidbit - it's just worth the price.

This article was created thanks to the courtesy of Viamot SA from Krakow, who provided the vehicle for testing and photo shoot.

Viamot SA, dealer Marek Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Abarth, Hyundai, Iveco, Fiat Professional, Piaggio

Krakow, Zakopianska Street 288, phone: [phone],

www.viamot.pl, [email protected]