When the Excel disappeared in 2000, we thought the $13,990 deal was dead. Not quite. Hyundai's new Getz now costs just $13,990, with airconditioning.
Hyundai Getz GL is the 2003 Australia's Best Cars winner in the Best Small Car category.
Value for money
Pricing
The Getz GL three-door was launched in September at $14,990 drive away. Air was an $1800 option. However Hyundai's rivals, including Toyota (Echo), Mitsubishi (Mirage) and Kia (Rio) immediately tried to fight the Getz with similar offers of their own.
Hyundai's response was to drop the price of the Getz GL three-door to $13,990 on November 1. This includes airconditioning, but on-road costs - approx $2000 worth - are extra. A four-speed auto is an $1,863 option.
The Getz five-door GL is now $15,990, while the sporty FX three-door is $17,990.
Getz ownership is further sweetened by low insurance premiums; NRMA Insurance recently gave Getz its equal best rating, in recognition of low repair costs.
Warranty
Five-years/130,000 km, the longest warranty on the market.
Standard features
Airconditioning, power steering, a CD player/AM-FM/four-speaker audio system, driver's airbag, engine immobiliser, tacho and 60/40 split-fold-rear seat back are included on the base Getz three-door.
Getz has many smart, practical touches not usually found elsewhere at this price. A shopping or handbag hook is fitted to the back of the front passenger seat. Rubber mats in bins stop things rattling around.
Retained value
50 per cent after three years, which is average for the class.
Design and function
Ergonomics
The driving position is satisfactory for most adults but the absence of reach adjustment for the wheel can cramp tall drivers, who sit knees up and require all the available front seat travel. It can become uncomfortable after a couple of hours.
The wheel is height adjustable and all switches and controls fall easily to hand. The wide, tall screen provides good forward vision, but the tall tail and rear seat head restraints block some of the rear view.
Innovation
Nothing of note here. The Getz is contemporary and conventional by small car standards.
Safety
Hyundai has taken the brave and somewhat controversial step of claiming a four-star NCAP crash protection rating for the Getz, based on its in-house testing. This claim is yet to be independently verified by ANCAP.
Security
An engine immobiliser is standard.
Comfort
The driver's seat itself has plenty of cushion padding and reasonable support from the backrest.
Space and practicality
Access to the Getz back seat is best done via the passenger's side, where the front seat tilts and slides forward in one action. It's much clumsier, and requires two hands, to get into the back from the driver's side.
The back seat is narrower than Accent's but there's greater leg room, three lap/sash belts and a deeper, more comfortable cushion. An average sized driver up front allows two adults to enjoy reasonable space (by small hatch standards) in the rear.
Knee-room becomes tight when the front seat is pushed back. The side windows are fixed and the backrest is too steeply angled for proper support.
Getz stubby rump means it has a much shorter boot than the Accent. It's average in space for a Euro-style hatch, and can be extended to more than 1.1 metres with the 60/40 split-fold-rear seat back.
However the double folding procedure is awkward and strenuous because the seat is heavy and it's difficult to get the required leverage to easily swing it forward.
The extended floor also compromises front seat travel. Three child restraint anchors are located under the tailgate, where they compromise load carrying capacity. A full-sized spare is under the boot floor.
Build and finish quality
Hyundai has now been making small cars for a long time, and each new model has been better than the last. On the road, the Getz feels tight and solid by small car standards.
Getz was designed at Hyundai's Frankfurt studio. It's a clone of the small Euro hatch, because the Euro look is currently flavour of the month.
European styling cues are everywhere. They include some heavily-grained plastics, similar grey tones, dash architecture, upholstery patterns, instruments and some switches.
It's not original, but it looks and feels fine, certainly more than $13,990 worth. Quality is up on the Accent, in materials, fit and finish, while the wands and switches work with improved finesse. The rotary vent knobs are rubberised for grip and better feel. The four-speaker audio system has passable sound quality.
On the road
Fuel efficiency
We did not get the opportunity to do our regular 1000 km test run. A shorter version, a mix of suburban and highway conditions, saw the test car achieve an average of 8.2 litres/100 km, which is a bit thirsty for a 1.5 litre small car.
Performance
Getz is powered by the 1.5 litre 16 valve four-cylinder engine introduced on the later Excels and carried over to the Accent.
The 1.5's 74 kW makes it one of the most powerful engines in the class, and like the Accent the Getz has plenty of zip when you put your foot down and sufficient torque to pull the higher gears from about 2000 rpm.
The manual gearbox action has also been refined with revisions to the synchromesh and reprofiled gears. Shifts are now quite smooth, with none of the 'bucket of bolts' character apparent in previous versions.
Ride
MacPherson strut front/torsion beam axle rear suspension is tuned for comfort rather than speed, so you get a relatively supple ride on most road surfaces. Large lumps in the bitumen will give the front end an occasional whack, but otherwise the Getz is very comfortable.
Handling and steering
Around town and at the highway limit the Getz handles competently, with no surprises.
Push it in a tight bend and it leans hard on the outside front wheel, while undulating surfaces cause the soft front end to bounce on its springs.
The steering is accurate and light, but fairly indirect and remote by small car standards. It suits the Hyundai's dynamic characteristics.
Braking
The disc/drum brakes are quite touchy at light pedal pressures, though acceptably powerful when required. ABS is available (packaged with a passenger's airbag) for an extra $1,590.
Smoothness and quietness
Hyundai continues to improve noise, vibration and harshness suppression. The test car was impressively smooth and quiet by class standards, especially when cruising.
Summary
At $13,990 with airconditioning the Hyundai Getz is a great deal. Some Korean rivals cost similar money, but in terms of quality, refinement, comfort and overall competence they are not in the Hyundai's league.
