Faults:

Had an impact at around 20mph - the car was declared a total loss, suffered from blatant structural damage.

General Comments:

The Getz isn't the most glamorous car, nor is it the most fun, nor is it the most economical, however after owning one, it will almost certainly hold a special place in your heart! It sufficed for numerous motorway trips to and from work and was fine around town. This car definitely hasn't been designed to be pushed - even after installing 4 new tyres, the car would understeer a lot. I would describe the driving feeling much like an enlarged go-kart, the steering is heavy and has a decent feel to it, the brakes do the job and the go pedal doesn't do much... going... Having said that, the tiny wheelbase combined with the nimbleness and agility means you can outpace many modern cars of a similar category round bends (the fastest car I could consistently outpace was a 1.2 TSI polo)!

After a slight impact (the airbags didn't even go off), the car was totalled, unfortunately. These things are built like a tin can and quite frankly, I'm not sure if they're even worth driving purely due to the fact that the structural elements are not sturdy in any way, shape or form. If you can, save up and buy a CDX, as they come with side airbags. Better yet, work hard and buy a Volvo so to lower the chances of you ending up on the news.

Faults:

Only just bought it, second hand. Everything works, although the belt for the power steering pump slips a bit. Easy fix.

General Comments:

Feels solid and well put together. Loads of space, practical and well thought out, from the shopping bag hook on the rear of the passenger seat to the reclining back seat, and split, fold and flatten rear squab.

I think it looks great: some I've read think the styling is clumsy, but to me it's quite classy, sort of. Well proportioned.

Full size alloy spare wheel, electric sunroof, electric heated mirrors, air con, trip computer... bags of kit for the £460 purchase price. And it's not yet ten years old.

However, it's the Sport model. And it's sporty in the same way as a darts player is sporty. The 1.6 is smooth, but you find you're up to the speed limit before you've realised and it just doesn't feel quick. It's a tall car and there's too much body roll... feels sloppy, wallowy. But I bought it to potter around in and to be good at speed on the motorway, which it is, by the way.

Faults:

Front crossmember/subframe required welding (3 patches) due to rot - don't know if this is common, but for the keen DIY welder, I found this job pretty painless.

Alarm tends to go off for no reason if locked with the keyfob - Haven't yet worked this out, but locking the car with the key solves it for now!

Damp weather sputtering/poor idling when sat for a while - sorted with a squirt of GT85 spray and a plug-clean, and so far so good. Never fails to start even in the bleakest of weather.

Bought a set of retro/flat wiper blades 22" driver side, 13" passenger side; at motorway speeds the "regular" wiper blades seemed to lift off the screen and not wipe effectively.

General Comments:

It certainly won't win any fashion awards, but if you, like me, need reliable, dependable, economical and comfortable day to day commuting wheels, then you really could do much worse than grab yourself a Hyundai Getz...

Around town this car shines, with its high driving position and lots of head room up front, excellent braking and very easy and quick steering (ideal when squeezing into those tight spaces). It gets from A to B with no fuss, no real frills or indeed thrills, but at this price range we aren't looking at super cars! The Getz is a doddle to drive, and ABS and power steering as standard is reassuring, and the brakes themselves are very responsive. Everything about this car says "easy to use" and it really is a doddle to drive.

The CDX model is well equipped, with electric windows all round, electric mirrors, air conditioning, remote central locking (which can be temperamental and cause the alarm to go off without reason), and possibly the best heater I have experienced in a long time; much better than heater in my previous car, a Rover 25 diesel.

I have taken this car on a few long trips (100 miles +), although I mainly use it to commute around town to and from work, and it has proven very reliable, and surprisingly comfortable; but comes at a cost; the 62 BHP 1.1 engine is really rather underpowered for the weight of the car, and I found overtaking anything required I plan a week in advance! It seems to deliver its power mid range, and I find it performs at its best when driven almost diesel-like; it's not an engine that you'd want to thrash too often as it sounds almost pained at high revs, and motorway cruising at 70 mph, although manageable, I find the car seems much happier at 60 mph with much less road and wind noise. At 30 mph the car is superbly quiet, almost inaudible, and the 1.1 engine is very quiet at idle; in fact when I first bought the car, especially after the diesel Rover, I thought the engine had died when I sat at the traffic lights!

I'm a bit split on the economy front; I'm happy the car is cheap to insure and tax (UK £130 for the year), but I'm a little disappointed with the fuel economy, and reading numerous other reviews stating much the same, I find for the size of the engine, it is a little thirstier than other similarly sized cars, but not to the point it becomes wallet-busting. Parts seem very cheap, I've not had a problem sourcing basic parts for servicing, and under-the-access to the basics is good.

Overall the car has served me very well; it feels quite European, and the fit and finish is remarkably good for a Korean-built small "budget" car; the switches and buttons have a good, solid feel and you will get used to the indicator stalk being on the right! Only gripes really are that it is not the most engaging drive, and overtaking or hill-climbing is a bit daunting, but I feel the larger engine models would eliminate that doubt; it really is just the sluggishness of the 1.1 that lets this car down overall, but if town and city commuting is all you'll really use the car for, that shouldn't be too much of a worrying factor. If you need dependable wheels without the badge-snobbery, a good, smooth drive for such a small car and reasonable economy to boot, I urge you to give the Getz a try; it might surprise you!