This is the Hyundai ix-onic. Ok, so the name's a bit silly, and it looks a bit too much like a
Ford Kuga to our peepers, but compared to the
Tucson it will replace it's an absolute peach.
The car you're looking at here is the show stand special, ready for
Geneva, but take away the motor show silliness (the big wheels, too expensive to produce tailpipes and special plastic aerodynamic rear screen) and you're still left with a tasty bit of mini-SUV.
Plus, if the engine numbers are to be believed, it's a real step forward in the green stakes. Powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine featuring stop/start technology, the ix-onic emits just 149g/km of CO
2 yet pushes out 168bhp. Compare that to the 159g/km emissions of a front-wheel drive diesel Ford Kuga and it looks very clean indeed.
Designed in Germany with European tastes in mind (apparently), the ix-onic will hit showrooms in milder production guise with the Kuga,
VW Tiguan and
Renault Koleos in its sights - to name but a few rivals in a burgeoning niche. The Hyundai offers four-wheel drive and a 4x4's butch proportions - but takes up the space of a common-or-garden hatchback.
There are no pictures of the interior as yet, but it has magnesium trim, leather seats and 'ice blue' cashmere carpets. Lovely. There's also a top-notch stereo, though we'll have to take Hyundai's word for it until we get a demonstration on the stand at Geneva. We're digging out our Whitesnake CDs as we speak, so you'll find out shortly...
Mark Nichol - 19 Feb 2009