It's Gold, Gold, Gold For Hyundai
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SYDNEY – October 20, 2010: Hyundai Motor Company Australia’s i20 Elite compact hatch has been named Wheels Magazine’s Gold Star Cars 2010 outright winner.
Hyundai also secured four category winners, plus two top three
placings:
The Wheels Gold Star Cars awards provide critical insights in helping buyers choose their next car, by identifying the cars which offer the best all-round ownership proposition.
An expert panel of Wheels Magazine judges evaluated each vehicle against ten different criteria including service intervals, retained value, fuel economy, purchase price, warranty, safety, insurance costs and of course the driving experience.
The Hyundai i20 was declared the overall winner across all classes, achieving an overall score of 86.68 ahead of all other category winners including the Volkswagen Golf 77TDI, Mini Cooper D, BMW 325i Exclusive, Jaguar XF 3.0D Luxury auto and Holden Commodore SS amongst others. It edged out strong performances across the board with an industry leading five-year warranty, excellent fuel consumption and affordable insurance premiums.
The i20 also took out the ‘Light Under $21K’ class ahead of the Mazda 2 Maxx hatch and Volkswagen Polo 77TSI. i20’s impressive combination of outstanding fuel economy, a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty, affordable insurance premiums and a suite of standard safety features, including a 5-star ANCAP rating was hard to beat.
‘Small Under $26K’ went to the Hyundai i30 SLX CRDi. The i30 continues to deliver excellent results having already received multiple awards since launch. The diesel engine has few rivals in this class and offers an outstanding annual fuel bill of $824, several hundred less than its petrol counterparts. Combined with impressive 12-month service intervals, low annual insurance costs and resale value retention, Wheels calls the i30 SLX CRDi a “well-deserved winner”.
The ‘Medium $31-46K’ class winner was the all-new Hyundai i45 Elite. Fending off strong competition, i45’s impressive combination of Euro-style, safety and polished performance ensured it was hard to ignore in this hotly contested category. The award speaks volumes about i45’s first-class quality, specifications and exceptional value. With fuel consumption of just 7.9L/100km, 12-month service intervals and five-year warranty, judges claimed the i45 was “as good as it gets in terms of hassle free motoring”. The i45 Active entry level model came third in the sedan/hatch $26-31K class.
The Hyundai Santa Fe finished at the top of the ‘Medium SUV’ class for the second year in a row. Against premium European competitors, the Santa Fe Elite was recognised for its winning combination of standard equipment, low annual insurance premium, five-year warranty and excellent resale at 61 percent+. Santa Fe’s fuel economy figure of just 7.5L/100km offered a saving of well over $500 per year compared to its petrol rivals.
The new ix35 Elite model came second in the ‘Compact SUV’ class.
“We are delighted with the success of our products in the 2010 Wheels Gold Star Cars awards,” said Hyundai Motor Company Australia’s Marketing Director Oliver Mann. “These awards highlight the reasons why Hyundai’s new range of product continues to be so popular with savvy Australian buyers.”
