Hyundai ix35 Highlander 2010 review

There's an old saying that "those who rest on their laurels get prickles in their bum." I'm not sure who came up with it, but there's an element of truth in it for the ix35, Hyundai's replacement for the Tucson.

Appearence

It's not in the European styling department, as the new ix35 - in our case a Highlander - looks sharp and modern, rakish and almost curvaceous from the outside. The ix35 is nothing like its boxy predecessor, although it still looks a little big for its 18in alloy wheels, but that's something the styling departments at several Korean brands are overcoming.

Interior

Inside, the Highlander has comfortable leather seats and enough room in the back to accommodate two adults without any real concerns - with an easy entry height as well.

The ix35 Highlander gets plenty of features - automatic headlights, dual front, side and curtain airbags, helm-mounted controls for the sound system and cruise control, full length glass sunroof, keyless entry and go, iPod plug-in capability and dual-zone climate control, heated front seats and an auto-dimming rear vision mirror.

The mirror also has the reversing camera's display within it, which is a small but clear LCD display - polarising sunglasses can make it a bit fuzzy but with familiarity it becomes easier to use.

Something of an oversight - that the Korean carmaker says it's addressing - is the absence of Bluetooth as standard. Given all the other fruit on the features list it seems odd that something that is fast becoming mandatory - and worthwhile if you don't want to blow 3 points and more than $200 - isn't included as standard on the range-topping model.

The top-spec sound system puts out a reasonable noise, but was let down by a temperamental 3.5mm auxiliary input jack and a vibration in the right rear door.

Engine and transmission

The ix35 flagship is only available in automatic with the two-litre R-Series turbodiesel, which produces a healthy 135kW at 4000rpm and 392Nm between 1800 and 2500rpm.

The little diesel is a little chuggy at idle when cold but improves with temperature, displaying a lively demeanour - it has a bit of lag as pressure builds through the turbo system but once it has composed itself there's strong low-down grunt that doesn't taper off in a hurry.

Hyundai claims a combined 7.5 litres per 100km, but the trip computer returned a metropolitan-based 9.3litres per 100km. That offers a 600-700km range, which is a little on the low side for modern-day diesels, thanks to its tiny 55-litre fuel tank.

The six-speed auto is smooth but sometimes is a little tardy, overall the drivetrain was one of the highlights.

All-wheel drive systems

The ix35 runs an electronic AWD system automatically controls front to rear power distribution depending on driving conditions, running front-wheel drive most of the time - meaning its a reactive system.

The driver has the ability to lock it into 50/50 mode, but given the low-slung nature of the wagon and its road-biased rubber, A-grade dirt roads and hard-packed beaches would be about as far off road as you'd want to go in this Korean wagon.

Driving

Ride quality is one of the areas where it seems Hyundai might have skimped a little, as it felt a little choppy on broken suburban bitumen; body control is acceptable and the over-assisted numb steering (which lacks reach adjustment) is easy enough to live with, but some more control and compliance is needed.

A little design niggle that made itself obvious at night was the rear eye-level brake lights, which  reflects heavily on the rear windscreen at night, when the headlights also showed that they aren't up to par.

There's much to like about the ix35 but some elements don't feel like as much forward progress has been made - particularly in light of the brand's improvements in other segments.