Hyundai Getz 1.3
This is it: crunch time. After years of talking about establishing itself as a force in the mainstream car market, Hyundai has finally put its money where its mouth is. And this is the Getz, the machine which will decide if the brand has what it takes in the most competitive market of all.
With the versatile Getz, Hyundai has taken a big step towards becoming a major player in the supermini market. All the car now needs are more refined engines.
This is it: crunch time. After years of talking about establishing itself as a force in the mainstream car market, Hyundai has finally put its money where its mouth is. And this is the Getz, the machine which will decide if the brand has what it takes in the most competitive market of all - the supermini sector. Last month, in Issue 710, we brought you an exclusive debut drive of the newcomer in Korea-only 1.5-litre automatic guise.
However here, for the very first time in full European spec, we put the car through its paces to see if it can stand up against the best. If looks were the deciding factor, then the answer would be a big yes. The Hyundai was de-signed by the firm's new research and development centre at Russelheim, near Frankfurt, Germany, and the motor re-sembles a smaller version of the company's Pininfarina-penned Matrix MPV.
At 3,800mm long, the Getz isn't the largest in its class. But its wheel-at-each-corner layout and clever interior makes it superior to most of its peers for passenger space - bar the Skoda Fabia and Ford Fiesta. The vehicle's lofty roof allows plenty of headroom, and legs won't feel cramped, either. And for maximum carrying capacity, you simply fold and hinge the rear seats forward to create a flat load floor.
While some brittle plastics are used on the door handles and indicator stalks, we found the general fit and finish on our five-door model well above par. Our only gripe concerns the front seats - the driving position is fine, but the squabs are too short to offer proper thigh support on long journeys.
The range kicks off with a 1.1-litre four-cylinder model. However, Hyundai expects the biggest seller to be the 1.3-litre five-speed manual version dri-ven here. With 82bhp at 5,500rpm, this hatchback offers sprightly performance, outsprinting both the similarly engined Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo models in the dash from 0-60mph.
As with its 1.6-litre stablemate, though, the 1.3-litre unit sounds rather gruff and intrusive under hard acceleration, letting down what is an otherwise refined and well rounded pack- age. The ride is a little on the firm side, too, but becomes much better as the speed increases, while the vehicle's responsive electric power steering and tightly controlled chassis make for an enthusiastic driving style.
Hyundai's trump card, though, is its standard spec. While entry-level Fiestas don't even get ABS, all Getz come with this plus luxuries such as a CD player, electric windows, trip computer, EBD and dual airbags. Prices will range from £7,000-£11,000. In a sector where value plays a pivotal role, these extras could be more than enough to ensure the model's success.
