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Hyundai introduced the ix35 in 2010, retiring the Tucson name in favour of the Eurocentric, number-based system.
These days, however, Hyundai has moved back the to Tucson name for the new, larger model. The ix35 is a mid-sized SUV, delivering a combination of city- and family-friendly packaging, just enough off-road ability, and traditional Hyundai value. With trim levels ranging from the $9,020 IX35 SE (fwd) to the $19,030 IX35 Elite (awd), the ix35 was available with a choice of petrol and diesel engines, manual and automatic gearboxes and two or four-wheel drive.
When a bunch of electrical functions all go out at once (or within a short space of time of each other) suspicions are always drawn to the car’s body computer. This computer controls all the functions you mentioned as well as dozens of others from the heating and cooling, central locking, lights, wipers, dashboard and much, much more. When the computer starts to die (as most computers eventually do) these functions will start dropping one by one and sometimes in simultaneous batches of failures. Eventually, pretty much nothing will work and the car will not even respond to the key’s inputs.
An auto electrician is the best place to take the car, and as well as the computer, they will also check the car’s battery and charging system and the quality (or otherwise) of the car’s earthing points. Bad earths can cause similar problems to this, but the body computer remains a likely culprit.
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The good thing about modern stereo systems is that they’re (mostly) a universal size so that you can literally take your pick of the unit you decide to fit. So it will come down to your budget and your requirements.
A good upgrade is a unit with Bluetooth connectivity so you can wirelessly connect your phone to access navigation, music and other apps. But don’t forget that the head unit is just part of the stereo system, and you may need to upgrade the car’s speakers to take full advantage of the new stereo.
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If you’ve just bought a new car, it’s very important to discover what recalls have been issued for it over the years and whether those fixes have been attended to.
My list of recalls for this model Hyundai iX35 includes one for a seat-belt tensioner cable that was not attached properly, one for an air-bag retention nut that was incorrectly torqued and could cause the air-bag to deploy incorrectly, one for a transmission cooler hose problem on automatic versions, one for a potential fuel hose leak and a fifth recall for a potential engine oil leak on the 2.4-litre petrol variant.
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For its time, the Hyundai ix35 offered an impressive interior. The dashboard was nicely sculpted, there were good trim options available including leather on top-grade versions, and the space was good for its size. See it for yourself in these images.