German automotive website Auto Zeitung today presents a few details on the Hyundai ix25 SUV plotted to challenge the Ford EcoSport, Renault Duster and the Honda Vezel.
The sporty crossover is characterized by wide wheel arches and a distinctive grille following the style of its elder brothers brand Santa Fe and the ix35. Tipped to measure under 4.25 m long, the ix25 would have a 1.1L three-cylinder engine with 75 hp in the base variant, while a 1.6L diesel engine outputting 75 PS and 90 PS will be strapped to the higher variants, believe Auto Zeitung.
The German journalists expect the ix25 to be introduced in markets outside Korea next year.
Meanwhile Chinese automotive website Sohu has spied Kia's version of the Hyundai ix25 on local soil revealing some interesting possibilities.
Earlier test mules of the ix25 revealed a torsion beam rear suspension, while the Kia has a more expensive multi-link suspension. The website is claiming that 4WD would be offered at the launch, and projector headlamps, LED daytime running lamps and rear disc brake are in the equipment package of the top-end Kia model.
The chassis, dimensional parameters, handling and price would be identical, Sohu notes. Most features would be shared between the two vehicles to shrink cost and time-to-market.
The Chinese-made ix25 and its cousin from Kia would get more powerful engines than those discussed by the Germans. Sources are yet to send the publication a clear message, but they expect 1.6L and 2.0L engines on backbone variants, with a 1.6-liter GDI engine on the top-spec variant.
To be made by the Beijing-Hyundai joint venture, the ix25 would world premiere at the Auto China 2014 which opens on the 20th of April, followed by the launch of the Kia version in 2015.
[Source - Sohu and AutoZeitung]
