The Big Chill is a music festival in the Malvern Hills like many others. Except that it attracts quite a posh – and dare I say it – tame crowd. Quite a large proportion of who seem to drive BMWs, Audi TTs and Volkswagen Golfs.
So as well as needing a car big enough for 5 people and four days camping equipment I needed some wheels that would fit in among this moneyed festival crowd. And a Hyundai IX35, in confident white with controversial tan hide interior was my weapon of choice.
My thinking was that if a stockbroker-type asked about it, I could pass it off as a Lexus or an Infiniti (Nissan’s attempt at creating a Lexus-level brand). But there was no need – the Hyundai was just accepted as part of the scene when I parked it behind the far more expensive Audi A5 and next to a TT. Which is quite a compliment if you think about it.
In practical terms the Hyundai acquitted itself even if it didn’t quite impress. A few years ago it might have done, because I would have used a caveat like “for a Hyundai.” These days Hyundai have been enjoying enormous sales success, trumpeting their 5 year warranty and new model line-up. So they need to be better than Vauxhall or Ford, not just close to them.
Equipment-wise I can’t fault the IX35. The test car had quality leather seats, Sat Nav, CD-Player, and I can’t think of a function that wasn’t electric. The dashboard layout is intuitive and everything is clearly labelled (if that sounds normal, you haven’t been in some Peugeots lately where the buttons can be tiny).
The seats were adjustable, comfortable and supportive for 3 hours. The driving position, big mirrors and glass all round provided excellent visibility. The only slight blind spot is the very back of the car, but there is an (optional extra) camera that provides footage onto the Sat Nav screen for that, so parking was never a problem.
This camping trip stretched it’s 591 litre boot capacity to the max, but it faired better than a Mazda CX-7 would have as its boot swallows just 458 litres of luggage.
However the IX35 lets itself down in a few small ways. The first is only a problem on the first day you notice it. At speed, the bonnet metal vibrates as if it’s not properly latched down and might flip up at any second. So you pull over and check it is properly shut. Which it is. Still, to be sure, you open it and close it again, scratch your head and return to the motorway. Where it continues to bow in and out ever-so slightly. It's very odd. The best advice I can give is to look at the road not the bonnet.
The second disappointment is that the 2.0 diesel engine is, as I have said when reviewing the same engine in Kias, a bit agricultural. It clatters at low speed and the noise never really vanishes. Although at cruising speed (especially with the radio on) it ceases to be an issue.
It’s such a shame because the engine delivers impressive 51 fuel economy, 147 C02/km (tax band F= £125) and never labours, even with 5 campers on board.
Where it not for these relatively small flaws I would unreservedly recommend a Hyundai IX35 to you - whether you attend music festivals or not. Instead I recommend it to you only if you can pick one up at a great price – by which I mean noticeably less than its rivals. Which you probably can actually...
What’s the market like?
There are only a small number of nearly new cars on the market but given Hyundai’s scrappage success, and post scrappage momentum, Used Car Expert expects to see several hundred on the market at any one time within a matter of months.
You can save at least £3,000 on nearly new cars over list price, and here and there you will find the odd £6,000 saving shaved off the circa £20,000 asking prices when new.
What else will this budget buy?
First of all there is Kia’s (new) Sportage, which is exactly the same car. But can be priced at up to £5,000 more on the nearly new market - at the moment - while dealers try to get shot of the old-shape models.
A Mazda CX-7 or Ford Kuga are both suitable alternatives. But price wise they too are £5000 - £7,000 more if we look at 1 year old examples and that’s a lot to pay for a small improvement in refinement.
There is also the Peugeot 4007, Citroen C-Crosser and Mitsubishi Outlander, which are also basically the same car (as each other, not the Hyundai). For a variety of reasons we would pick the Peugeot from that trio which is available for very similar money to the IX35. And is a very good direct alternative.
Summary
A Lexus look-a-like that delivers terrific value for money, even if it falls very slightly short on refinement.