Family Values: 2014 Medium SUV Comparison

When Hyundai released its ix35 Series II late last year, it assured us that the stiff ride and uneasy handling traits of its predecessor had now been addressed. It further stated that the revised model’s suspension tune had been benchmarked against those of the class-leading Mazda CX-5 and agile Volkswagen Tiguan. That gave us an idea.

Given that motoring.com.au has previously awarded the CX-5 top honours in not one, but two previous comparison tests, we were keen to see just how true Hyundai’s claims were, and thought we’d take the opportunity to conduct a direct comparison.

We also considered the Toyota RAV4 was worth a look-in – owing largely to the fact that its dynamics were vastly improved in view of the preceding model – and thus entered it as a wildcard in this comparison.

To sort the chaff from the wheat, we tested the SUVs on a variety of roads including inner-city, urban, highway and gravel. As near as possible the models selected were comparable, and were diesel-powered, automatic, all-wheel drive variants.

Needless to say, the results were intriguing.

In total, the Hyundai ix35 was awarded 34.15 out of 37 points, giving it a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

Standard equipment includes dual front and side airbags, rear side airbags, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, electronic stability control, three-point seatbelts in all seating positions, active head restraints for the front seats and intelligent seat-belt reminders for the driver and front passenger.

In total, the Mazda CX-5 scored 35.10 out of 37 for an ANCAP safety rating of five-stars.

As standard, the CX-5 comes equipped with dual front and side airbags, side airbags for the rear seats, front seat-belt pretensioners, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, electronic stability control, three-point seatbelts in all seating positions and intelligent seatbelt reminders for all seats.

This gives the RAV4 an overall score of 34.56 out of 37, and awards the Toyota a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

The RAV4 comes equipped with dual front and side airbags for the driver and passenger, as well a knee airbag for the driver as standard. It also comes with seat-belt reminders, head restraints and three-point seat belts for all seating positions. Anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, emergency brake assist and electronic stability control also come as standard.

This gives the Volkswagen Tiguan a combined score of 92, awarding it a five-star EuroNCAP safety rating.

Standard equipment includes dual front and side airbags, rear side airbags, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, electronic stability control, three-point seat belts and head restraints in all seating positions and intelligent seat-belt reminders for all seating positions.