Road Review |
by Tristan Wiggill
Hyundai’s cross-border
appeal
The aBr team were lucky enough to secure the services of a newly face-lifted iX35 SUV from Hyundai South
Africa last month for a trip to Swaziland to cover the Partinform automotive components tradeshow (see the
article and pics in this issue). I say lucky because I somehow doubt we would have made the journey there
and back successfully in one of our own vehicles!
T
hankfully the iX35 was more than up
to the job of carting the team and
their luggage, despite some tricky
driving conditions, and far from perfect
road conditions.
Anyone familiar with the roads between
Swaziland and Kriel in Mpumalanga will
know what I’m talking about. And we did it
all in comfort and with a dash of style too I
might add.
Commandeering the 2.0-litre Executive
derivative which, for R359 900, comes with
a host of niceties over and above lesser
iX35 Premium models - leather seats,
climate control, electrically-folding side
mirrors and cruise control, among others lent us an air of grace.
This particular model also boasts a greater
complement of safety features - more
airbags and stability control, for example,
which should be highly valued by family
buyers.
It should be noted that this model is
two-wheel driven. Many people in SA,
for whatever reason, take the view that
vehicles of this type need to be all-wheel
drive but I disagree.
Enough power and torque is provided
in most conditions, although prolonged
ascents will require some downshifting.
The iX35 is more than capable enough
for its intended purposes and driving
environments.
The new six-speed ‘box was the most
disappointing aspect for me and I often
struggled to find the correct gear.
Those wanting to venture into more
challenging off-road territories should
probably look at cars more suited to that
purpose.
The new 2-litre petrol engine was unfazed
by the addition of several boxes of
magazines, luggage for two people and our
promotional materials.
Then again this is a car well used by the
motoring media…
The iX35 is a very popular car in SA and
it’s not hard to see why: its combination
of attractive styling, raised ride height,
decent specification levels and relative
affordability is a captivating mix.
And the best part was that our average fuel
consumption of 7.5-litres per 100 km for
the roundtrip was also not badly impacted
by the additional weight.
Apart from more practical considerations,
the raised ride height helps to reduce road
noise into the cabin and, with the windows
up, the iX35 is a remarkably quiet vehicle
that allowed my passenger to dose off an
hour into the journey.
| Wheels in Action
104
november 2014
All in all an impressive
vehicle from Hyundai
which goes some way to
explaining the company’s
continued success locally
and abroad.