Freude Mobil. Review on Hyundai Getz Prime

Freude in German means Joy, and no, I'm not copying BMW's slogan, its what I truely feel with this car I've had for over 3 years now. Getz as we all know, has been discontinued by Hyundai, and too many people criticised it for its mileage, for its cost, and what not. In this review, much like my other reviews, you will find a frank, unbiased fact based conclusion, with certain personal views of mine which may/may not be accepted in general. I would love it if you carefully consider each fact I've derived and compared against before drawing an overall conclusion.

The car has done nearly 30k kilometers till date. Each service was done on time and till date it has had no problem. No rattle, engine as smooth as ever, and the most comfortable hatchback I've ever driven(I've test driven almost all hatchbacks till date). The engine is so silent you cant feel the car is running and the noise isolation is so good you can hear nothing in the inside. The 1.36 litre(i'd like to call it 1.4) 4 cylinder engine is one of the best petrol engines I've seen in a hatchback. Let me compare the car, technically, with the latest hatches of today so you people have a little more of facts to read:

Getz: 1.3 litre 83 bhp 4 cylinder engine/14 inch allow wheels/wood finish centre console+armrest/tiltable back seats/front driver arm rest

Polo/Fabia/Jazz/Punto - 1.2 litre 3 cylinder engine(except Punto which has 1.3 as well and Jazz has a 1.2 litre 4 cylinder engine), no driver arm rest, no tiltable backseats, no wood finish console+armrest)

Avg mileage of Getz - I've enjoyed the drive so much that I never bothered to check the mileage, but I can assure you from my experience its on average 9-10 kmpl in the city, whereas others I mentioned above average 11-13 kmpl in the city.

Price of Getz GLX - 5.2 on road - Others car's average price(considering middle specification variant is about 6.2-6.4, and high end about 6.8-7.1(on road). Lets assume Getz is cheaper by atleast a lakh(its missing a passenger airbag, and car information system which became a standard only after 2010)

The cost of Getz is even more reasonable as it has a bigger engine which of course translates to more value. Lets assume now the Getz gets 2-3 kmpl lower than other hatches because of the bigger engine, but with the 1 lakh Rs. saving, it actually buys you fuel(at present value) about 1400 litres x 10= 14k kms. Thus even if the Getz gives 2-3kmpl less other cars have to be driven atleast 60-80k kms to match the price savings on the Getz(every 5 litres worth petrol driven saves approx 1-1.5 litre over the Getz).

Technical figures apart, Im not even trying to justify the price I paid for the Getz, I might replace it sometime, but its just one brilliant car, its designed well, its engine is silent, the seating in the back is highly comfortable, it has the basic necessities - ABS/1 airbag/power windows/hydraulic power steering. Sure it lacks dual airbags/muti information system/electric power steering which Fabia/Polo/Punto/Jazz have, but these 3 features alone do not justify a 1+ lakh price difference. I love driving and the Getz's ride, handling ability, road grip, ability to cruise at 100+ easily and at 120 with very little effort, pickup, all have floored me everytime I turn the keys. It is a solidly built car and you can feel the thud when it closes. Its simple yet beautiful design, till today looks good and not outdated, and in my opinion better than the i20/Jazz/Polo. The wiper/indicator stalks are crisp and precise, the gear change is soft, smooth and very very precise.

To conclude with, Getz is a gem of a product from Hyundai, its sad they don't make it anymore. Which gives me all the more reason to say this review was written from my heart, and not to promote the product in any way. It has accomodated 5 people comfortably, with no strain on the engine. The nearly 1.4 litre

engine prevents the car from slowing down when a.c is in use and it accelerates from 0-60 kmph in less than 4-5 seconds, cruising at 40 at 2nd/3rd gear is a breeze and you cant even feel the speed. It overtakes and handles the road like it was built for serious driving. Overall my best car till date and an ideal city car.