Hyundai / ix35 / 5-dr wagon range
Overview
THE plain Jane Tucson is out and the bold new ix35 is in.
Following on from its success with the i30 small car, Hyundai is applying the 'i' badge to its new compact SUV that replaces the Tucson.
A more street-oriented vehicle with less ground clearance and a street savvy design, the new ix35 introduces a new diesel to the range as well as a revised 2.0-litre petrol four and a new 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that replaces the old 2.7-litre V6.
Fuel consumption is down and power is up in all cases.
The six-speed automatic and manual transmissions are new.
Just like the outgoing Tucson, customers have the choice of a price-leading front-drive ix35 or they can step up to the all-wheel-drive model.
Hyundai has thrown a full suite of safety gear at the ix35 which comes standard with electronic stability control and six airbags, including two roof mounted curtain airbags.
Model release date: February 2010
Previous model
THE Hyundai Tucson was released in 2004 as an all-wheel drive available only with the 2.7-litre V6.
It was pitched straight at the Toyota RAV4 and Nissan X-Trail, but offered six-cylinders and a lower price.
The Tucson was the third crossover wagon on sale at Hyundai, alongside the Santa Fe and the now discontinued Terracan.
In 2006, Hyundai expanded the Tucson range with the front-drive four-cylinder model called the Tucson City which allowed for a new price point in the mid $20,000 range.
It harboured no off-road aspirations, but buyers didn't seem to mind, and the front-drive City soon accounted for 90 per cent of all Tucson sales.
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