Should you pony up for a used Hyundai iX35?

We're not sure exactly what was going on in Hyundai's marketing department at the end of the first decade of this century, but somebody was definitely having two bob each way.. Up until 2010, the Tucson had been Hyundai's mid-sized SUV entrant, but that badge disappeared the same year as the ix35 hit showrooms as the Tucson's replacement.. But after just five years on sale, the ix35 was itself replaced by none other than the Tucson..

Confused?. Us too, but to keep it simple, if you're shopping for a Hyundai-made mid-sized SUV built between 2010 and 2015, the ix35 is the badge you need to look for.. Meantime, leaving nomenclature out of it, the LM (as it was known internally) ix35 was a bread-and-butter kind of family SUV with familiar overall proportions and nothing too confronting mechanically..

It could be had in three trim levels (Active, Elite and Highlander, in that order) and with a range of driveline options.. There was a 2.0-litre petrol engine with 122kW, a 2.4-litre petrol with 130kW and a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel with 135kW and lots more torque than the petrol variants.. The 2.0 petrol was available with either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission and was front-drive only..

The 2.4 petrol and the turbo-diesel were fitted exclusively with the six-speed automatic and were all-wheel drive, although they used on-demand AWD, and operated as front-drivers in most conditions.. Conventional wisdom says late-model Hyundais are pretty stout things, even if they don't offer much in the way of driving excitement.. The ix35 makes sense if all you want is a roomy (for its size) box with which to move people and their belongings..

But even then, there are some reliability problems to note, and driveability was never anything better than average.. Overall, there are better, more entertaining choices in a second-hand SUV of this type.. Again, it goes against the mood for this brand, but the ix35 did have some serious reliability issues that, even though they didn't affect every example, should make you weigh things up carefully before making a purchasing decision..

Something very wrong was going on in Hyundai's engine department at this point in history.. All three of the ix35's engines suffered (to some extent) with some serious issues that saw Hyundai replacing entire engines under warranty in an attempt to stay in favour with its customers.. The problems mainly centred around engines that consumed excess oil (to the point where some owners were caught out with empty sumps between services) and rattling engines that were signalling their death knock..

The consensus is these problems were caused by poor manufacturing accuracy, leading to cylinder scoring, at which point the engines became noisy (particularly when cold) and started to burn oil.. The fix was to either rebuild the engine with a new crankcase or, more commonly, replace the whole engine.. Other issues reported over the years have been interior trim peeling (most notably steering wheel covers) and flaking paint caused by a bad batch of paint that affected other carmakers (including Toyota) and was traced to the top coat not adhering properly to the undercoat at the factory..

This model Hyundai has had its share of recall notices over the years, some of them more serious than others, but a couple posing a definite safety risk.. They include a recall to check the seat belt tensioning system, and a driver's airbag that could have been assembled incorrectly and not deploy as it was designed to.. Leaks were another ix35 recall theme, with oil leaks from the sump, fuel leaks and transmission fluid leaks all creating recall notices..

There was also a recall to check some cars for a brake system that could allow brake fluid to contaminate the ABS module, leading to braking problems.. You can check out the full details including what batches of cars were affected at:. https://www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au/ If you're buying a petrol ix35, the ones to avoid on the basis of the engine problems and oil burning were the ones from the first generation built between 2010 and 2013..

If, however, you're after a diesel version, the post-facelift cars (2013 to 2015) seem to be the problematic ones.. Either way, you'd want to know the service history of any second-hand ix35 and be prepared to shell out for a pre-purchase inspection which would include a compression test and perhaps even a bore-scope examination of the engine.. The number of ix35s still floating around with 250,000km on board, or even more, suggests the engine problems were a bit random and clearly didn't affect every car..

We'd still be a lot happier, though, with an example with less than 160,000km on its odometer, along with an up-to-date and complete service history as some proof of it having a chance at going the distance.. A car with a factory replacement engine (and documentation to support this) would also be preferable to one with no history.. The turbo-diesel ix35 was always the better one to actually drive thanks to its beefier power and torque delivery..

The added safety of all-wheel drive only reinforces this view.. The petrol versions do the job, but they can feel breathless and stretched a bit tight at freeway speeds when fully loaded.. Right now, you'll find sellers with early-built, high-mileage examples of the ix35 with an asking price of about $5000 or even less..

But these are best left to speculators.. Better value is to be found in the $8000 to $10,000 price range where you start to find diesel examples with much more moderate mileage showing.. Don't forget that service history..

Hyundai is a big brand not just in Australia, but globally.. So, spare parts are not hard to find.. Neither is a workshop that can navigate what is, fundamentally, a pretty straightforward vehicle..

There's a huge online market for parts to suit cars like this one, but be wary of online sellers you haven't used before.. Don't rule out parts recycling yards for spares like body panels and some mechanical parts.. Despite the problems some owners experienced with this car, Hyundai managed to sell plenty of them here, with sales peaking at about 18,000 per year at one point..

That gave it a huge chunk of the market in its segment, but those mechanical problems took their toll, leading to the badge being replaced by the revived Tucson model in 2015.. Some owners were forced to walk away from their ix35s when the cost of repairs became more than the value of the car itself.. But the sheer sales figures when things were looking good mean there are at least a couple of hundred ix35s for sale on the bigger online sites..

Had the Hyundai ix35 been a ground-breaking car in terms of its packaging or how it drove, maybe you could forgive the potential mechanical issues.. As it stands, however, the lack of dynamic prowess combined with the chance of mechanical mayhem down the road means there are simply better choices out there.. It's often said that the South Korean carmakers have progressed swiftly on their journey from novelties to mainstream makers of quality products..

But the ix35 proves there can still be glitches along the way..