Hyundai Getz (2002 – 2008) Review

Hyundai Getz (2002 – 2008) At A Glance

2/5

+Bright, roomy cabin. Rear seat folds to create a flat load floor. Peppy performance. Good provision of convenience and safety kit. Decent ride. Goof (for its day) 4-Star NCAP safety rating.

-Wallowy handling on non-Sport models. Wipers don't clear screen properly. Brakes can be noisy.

On average it achieves 83% of the official MPG figure

The Hyundai Getz was successor to the Hyundai Pony and a much better car, though still a bit behind the contemporary Fiesta and Polo.

Conventional mostly 5-door front wheel drive hatchback with 1.1 and 1.4 petrol engines or a 1.5 diesel.

Road Test 2004 Hyundai Gets 1.5 diesel

Hyundai Getz (2002 – 2008) handling and engines

Get going and, like an advanced driver, you may not want to shift up out of 3rd in a 30 limit. The engine is okay for a mere 1.5 diesel, but doesn't have much to offer under 2000rpm. Don't worry about the slow 0-60 figure, though, because once you find where the power is you can get a move on.

Out on the open road you can trundle along reasonably rapidly at between 2000 and 3000 rpm, which gives you a speed range from around 55mph to around 85. And, since that's where it's happiest, you at least have a bit of grunt where you need it on the motorway.

Come to a corner and it's not all panic stations. The power steering is a sensible compromise between lightness and feel and, while the car is not set up to grip like a go kart, it handles and holds the road quite well. Certainly far beyond the expectations of the average pensioner.

And that's really where the car is at. Its appeal is to sensible, older people, long past the age when style is all important, who want nothing more than a sensibly priced, comfortable, practical, economical car that offers them all they need and won't go wrong.

Which is where Hyundai comes up with its clincher: not a three year warranty like everyone else's, but a full five year warranty. Making it a car that will probably outlast many of its owners.

 

Engine MPG 0-62 CO2
1.1 51 mpg 16.1 s 130 g/km
1.4 47 mpg 11.2 s 141 g/km
1.5 CRTD 63 mpg 11.1–12.1 s 118 g/km

Real MPG average for the Hyundai Getz (2002 – 2008)

RealMPG

Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.

Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.

Average performance

83%

Real MPG

30–60 mpg

MPGs submitted

126

Hyundai Getz (2002 – 2008) interior

Dimensions
Length 3825 mm
Width 1665 mm
Height 1490 mm
Wheelbase 2455 mm

Full specifications

The front is roomy. The seats adjust properly. The steering wheel goes up and down. Everything is within easy reach. You just have to get used to the South Korean positioning of the indicator switch to the right of the steering wheel.

Things are pretty good in the back seat, too. It's a 2 + 1 back seat rather than a 3, even though there are three proper three- point seatbelts. But legroom is okay. There's a handbag hook on the back of the passenger seat. And the rear backrests recline, making a huge difference to rear seat comfort on a long run.

Then we come to the trunk, which is so deep it looks like a lift-shaft. The floor is such a distance down you wonder what Hyundai has done for an emergency wheel. But lift the carpet and you find a full-sized one. The fuel tank is tucked safely away under the rear seats. And the seats themselves tumble-fold, leaving a flat floor for a small dog to romp around on (when the car isn't moving, of course).

All plus points so far. But this is the diesel version and as soon as you turn the key Bob the Builder and his mate start shaking buckets of nails under the bonnet. It's very, very noisy, so you try to turn the radio up to absorb the din and find it's a cheapo DIN fit single CD jobbie with difficult to decipher buttons and a removable front three times as big as the average mobile phone. So if it's removed it gets left in the car, which is pointless. Also, there's no air con or sunroof on the GSI.

And the interior stinks. I mean literally stinks. Must be the plastics, but the pong is awful. Not like something crawled in there and died. Just a really revolting smell that nobbles your nostrils whenever you enter the car.

Hyundai Getz (2002 – 2008) models and specs

Dimensions
Length 3825 mm
Width 1665 mm
Height 1490 mm
Wheelbase 2455 mm
Miscellaneous
Kerb Weight 975–1112 kg
Boot Space 288 L
Warranty 5 years / Unlimited miles
Servicing 10000 miles
Costs
List Price £7,635–£10,130
Insurance Groups -
Road Tax Bands C–F
Official MPG 47.1–62.8 mpg
Euro NCAP Safety Ratings
Adult 4
Child 4
Pedestrian 1
Overall -

On sale until February 2009

Hatchback
Version List Price MPG 0-62
1.4 GSI 5dr Auto £9,600 - -

On sale until December 2008

Hatchback
Version List Price MPG 0-62
1.1 CDX 5dr £8,715 51.4 mpg 16.1 s
1.1 GSI 3dr £7,635 51.4 mpg 16.1 s
1.1 GSI 5dr £8,125 51.4 mpg 16.1 s
1.4 CDX 5dr £9,445 47.1 mpg 11.2 s
1.4 CDX 5dr Auto £9,445 - -
1.4 GSI 3dr £8,225 47.1 mpg 11.2 s
1.5 CRTD CDX+ 3dr £10,130 62.8 mpg 11.1 s
1.5 CRTD GSI 5dr £9,300 62.8 mpg 12.1 s

Model History

March 2002

Hyundai Getz launched in the UK

Tall and small hatchback based on the Clix sports concept car. High roofline provides airy and roomy interior and buyers have the options of three or five doors. Rear seat fully folds, leaving flat floor. Engine line-up starts with 1078cc with 62PS at 5500rpm and 91Nm torque at 3500rpm. This gets it to sixty in 15.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 91mph.

The 1345cc has 82PS at 5500rpm and 114Nm torque at 4000rpm. It dashes to sixty in 12.6 seconds and on to 103 mph. The 1599cc gets 105PS at 5800rpm and 143Nm torque at 3000rpm. It hits sixty in 10.9 seconds and races away to 113mph. Safety is well covered with ABS with EBD, front seatbelt pretensioners, front and front side airbags and three three-point rear seatbelts.

February 2004

Getz 1.3 Sport three-door launched, with 1341cc 81PS engine. The 1.3 does 0-60mph in 11.2 seconds and can hit a top speed 102mph, while returning 45.6mpg combined. DS radio/CD player and 15-inch alloys are also standard. Prices start at £9295.

May 2004

Hyundai introduced a diesel engine to the line-up, with a 1493cc common rail diesel offering 80PS at 4000rpm and stumping up 170Nm torque at 2000rpm. Performance from 0-62mpg is 13.7 seconds, topping out at 106mph.

October 2005

Range update with new engines, including same 110PS 1.5 CRTD engine as KIA Rio, also available with 88PS. New 1.4 16v petrol engine is also available.

October 2006

Atlantic special 1.1 introduced, with air con and Blue Onyx Mica Paint at £7290 on the road.

What to watch out for

01-01-0001:

Annoying rear suspension rattles, possibly from rear damper.

Complaint that rear drum brakes can rattle when braking gently. Has become a very common complaint.

Clutch release bearing of 1.1 can start to squeal after around four years.

Apparently, mass airflow meter of diesel has a lining that produces static when air flows, but the lning material eventually wears away and a new MAF meter is required at £320.

Poor parking brakes.

25-10-2013:

Rear subframe prone to rusting and failing MoT because drain holes become blocked. There had been a TSB recall to clear the drain holes. Nevertheless, when a 2004 Getz failed the MoT for a rusted rear subframe, Hyundai paid £263 towards the cost of replacement. Anyome owning or buying a Getz should chrck for rust in the rear subframe.

04-11-2013:

Complaint of wipers failing to clear screen properly and of noisy rear brakes.