Hi all,

After having the aforementioned "car" for the last few days as a hire car I thought I'd share my experiences of it now it's getting handed back.

First thing you notice about it, other than the fact it's typically Korean in design, is the interior. Now I know aesthetics are very personal and subjective but I was very disappointed with this and this is the main part about the car I couldn't get on with. The plastics are cheap to the touch (you can mark some of them by gently brushing them with the back of your fingernail) and the design just feels naff and over cooked. Also in terms of ergonomics having the rear demister switch over by the passenger just felt silly and having nowhere to rest your right foot when the cruise was on was also an oversight. The boot wasn't a bad size though and has a cargo cover like an estate to cover luggage etc.

The seats weren't bad but were not very supportive and upon closer inspection were simply cheap un-shaped lumps of foam with covering - very little structure around them. As for the rears though, due to the angle of the upper portions they felt very laid back and almost limo like, especially compared to the bolt upright feeling you get in the back of the Fabia....even the Octavia is upright compared to these.

But in terms of equipment this is where the IX35 excels - it's got loads of it. Heated seats front and rear, Bluetooth, MP3, aux port, hill assist, cruise, auto wipers, auto lights, half leather, PDC, front and rear sunroofs (almost panoramic but not quite), dual climate, push button start, auto unlock (you need to be within 1m of the car for this to work), electric folding mirrors, and loads of other things too. Never got the chance to use a great deal of this kit but I could easily get used to it.

When it comes to actually driving it, this is the cars biggest weakness. Now I know most crossovers aren't going be the most nimble or involving but the Yeti I drove the week previous was far better in this regard (bar the 1.2 TSi engine which didn't suit it much) and it opened my eyes to the fact taller vehicles can be fun. It wallows a lot and feels very under damped, in addition to probably needing fatter anti roll bars to control the body. The power assistance on the steering also felt like it had a mind of it's own and on top of the vague steering in general this made the car feel very uninvolving and a little odd at times. To be more specific, when not turning the wheel at all (so the wheel is static in position) there's little assistance, making it feel quite heavy, but then as you start to turn it all of a sudden the assistance kicks in and it lightens up a lot. This really does feel weird and takes some getting used to, but also makes corrections on the motorway harder than they should be and you find the car can twitch from side to side a lot as you have to compensate left and right and be very gentle due to the freaky PAS, especially in higher winds. But the ride quality wasn't bad, probably thanks to the chunky 225 /65/ 17 tyres it had on it and being quite softly sprung. Again though the Yeti suspension felt a lot more sophisticated in comparison and had a better ride despite slightly smaller profile tyres (I think), it was just slightly more jiggly.

The engine is the next area and again this was a disappointment. 1.7 litres isn't going to be much cop in a car this size and as can be expected it was no Starship Enterprise. For tootling about, and if you expect no urgency whatsoever then it coped quite well, but open roads, motorway slip roads and even motorways themselves (getting up to speed and swapping lanes) made it struggle.

Additionally if you kept the revs below about 3k then it was relatively quiet (not a patch on the VAG CR's I might add) but if you started to nail it with full throttle and/ or revs above 3k it strongly reminded me of a Merc 300 sprinter I used about a year ago, or even a Transit a few weeks back - that is coarse, noisy and very van like. Not that thrashing it was of any use - it simply didn't have the grunt.

Economy wise though it averaged 48mpg for the 3 days I had it and that impressed me somewhat considering it's size and the fact I wasn't driving it gently on a mixture of m'way, town and B roads. Filling it back up suggested it had a 55 litre tank too judging by how much went back in it.

The gearbox was sloppy and the gaiter oddly offset meaning you had to really ensure you pushed it over to the left to engage first otherwise you'd quite often get 3rd and nearly stall it at the lights. Both me and my wife found this several times. Also the gear knob came loose in my hand - I had to twist it back on.....

Reliability wise obviously that is impossible to say only having it 3 days but it had done 10k and I could note the following faults:

1. Gear knob twists on and doesn't feel that secure. It came off as I mentioned and needed screwing back on.

2. Throttle pedal creaks when moved slowly such as at cruising speed.

3. Noise when setting off that I'm certain is a dodgy engine mount. Like metal on metal and only in 1st gear.

It's made me realise though after having 2x crossover style cars in the last few weeks, I want a Yeti or a Kuga. The higher driving position for visibility, the fact speed bumps and pot holes hardly even register and the feeling of security were all appealing. I must be getting old!

Chris,

Nice detailed post Chris, problem with yours again?

Nah, hire car for a work trip. I asked for a Mondeo but got that thing instead. Was a novelty till I actually drove it.......ugh...

Good write up indeed.

You are certainly starting to see quite a few of these around now and I kind of like it , but I have done no more than look at one....

The thing I find odd is that it's Kia "sister" car (whatever it is called) seems bloomin enormous by comparison to the Hyundai !! which I guess is based on the same platform.

You won't be putting an order in then...?

Good write up indeed.

You are certainly starting to see quite a few of these around now and I kind of like it , but I have done no more than look at one....

The thing I find odd is that it's Kia "sister" car (whatever it is called) seems bloomin enormous by comparison to the Hyundai !! which I guess is based on the same platform.

You won't be putting an order in then...?

The wife loved it but she wants a big 4x4 anyway. She thought it was nice to drive too but I think that mostly boiled down to the high driving position. I had the Yeti to compare it to and there's no comparison there - the Yeti is a far better drive, or it would have been with a better engine than the 1.2 TSi.

In terms of toys the Hyundai was great but it felt cheap, flimsy and was just stodgy to drive. The Kia looks a bit more butch IMO but I wouldn't have either. I want a Kuga instead, or maybe a mapped Yeti Elegance CR 170.

My missus has a rav 4 and i wanted a 4x4 / suv type vehicle but wanted an auto. By choosing an auto my options were limited as im not allowed more than 160 co2's. This basically meant i was limited to CX5 / BMW/ tiguan/q3. They are all far too expensive TBH hence why i went the VRS route. Getting in and out of the rav 4 is far easier and i too liked the lofty driving positon. I looked at the IX35 and Sportage with interest but ultimately their autos are woefull and have massive emmisions so they were ruled out. I always wonderd how they would perform as an ownership proposition as the hyundai especially can be got very cheaply. Your review kind of confirms my suspisions.

I wouldnt consider the kuga much of a higher quality alternative though as i sat in one of these when going for a test drive. The interior quality is shocking and while waiting for the salesman i had a good prod about and the dash seems incredibly cheap and flimsy. I never took it for a test drive in the end as there is a severe lack of legroom in the front meaning i couldnt remotely get comfortable. The CX5 and tiguan were far superior in my opinion but then i am a tall person but the lack of quality alone in the kuga put me off. The CX5 would get my cash but at 26K for the one i wanted it was too much this time round.

I have one of these as a hire car at the moment - 1.7 2WD spec and reckon it must be the "base" model as spec is very sparse.  Basic bluetooth phone connection, no sat nav, no auto lights/wipers, no folding mirrors etc, but oddly has heated front seats!

 

Pretty much concur with the OP - plastics are hard and unappealing, seats a ok (just), car wouldn't win any races but pops along ok once up to speed.  An OK'ish car but couldn't get excited.about it.

 

Returned 52 mpg on the trip computer for a 600 mile trip up the A9 from the Borders to Wick and back at an average speed of 38 mph.

Edited 7 September, 201312 yr by slider

My wife bought the top model used, ( they hold their prices very well. The 2.0 diesel is punchy. My wife would not even consider the Yetti as she like I think it is for retired people. It is a doddle to drive the easiest car I have ever parked with direct steering I can reverse into the drive at 25 mph as it has a reversing camera and sensors . I think the point of a 4x4 is to have 4x4 so dont see why people by 2 wd. My wife bought it as it snows first in Yorkshire where she works as a head teacher and could not afford not to get to work, We also live on the moor

Done 2500 miles in this hire car now (goes back next week) and really have grown to like it. 1.7 has been quite perky enough to trawl up and down the a9 a few times, with enough poke to pas when required.

This is a base model and would have liked a few more toys, but was only a hire car.

Has returned a calculated 47 mpg. OK bearing in mind the car was brand new when delivered to me. Personally I couldn't live with that is I was paying the running costs but suppose its in the right ball park for a crossover.