Hyundai Solaris is one of the most popular and best-selling Korean cars in Russia. The car belongs to the B-class and is a budget segment. The machine has been mass-produced since 2011 at the Hyundai Motors factory in St. Petersburg. This model is made in several bodies. The most common is a sedan. However, there is also a Hyundai Solaris hatchback. We’ll talk about him today.
Appearance
Externally, the car is practically no different from its older brother. Front - the same slanting halogen optics and a large, streamlined bumper with foglights in the shape of a boomerang. Also, the machine has a pronounced lateral line.
At the rear, the Hyundai Solaris is a typical representative of subcompact hatchbacks: a small trunk lid, a modest bumper and vertical taillights. At the bottom there are reflectors, and in the center there is a cutout for a European license plate.
What do the reviews say about the Hyundai Solaris hatchback? Owners note all the same problems that the sedan has. So, this is a very thin coat of paint. After two or three years of operation, numerous chips appear on the body. Headlights also sweat. Although the metal does not rot, which is a big plus.
Sizes, clearance
The Hyundai Solaris car has the following dimensions. The length of the body is 4.08 meters, width - 1.7, height - 1.47 meters.
The ground clearance is the same as on the sedan (16 centimeters). However, along with a shorter wheelbase, the car has a slightly better geometric cross-country ability. But on light off-road cars Hyundai Solaris (hatchback) behaves badly. Still, this is a city car.
Salon
Interior design can be called modern. The machine has a V-shaped front panel with several aluminum inserts. The steering wheel is a four-spoke, with a small set of buttons. In the basic configuration, there are no column adjustments, but they are present at the maximum.
Seats are fabric in all cases, with mechanical adjustment. The front seats move only back and forth - there is no height adjustment here. The seats have not very pronounced support rollers. But in general, judging by the reviews, the interior is convenient for the city. Noise isolation is worse than on the "Sonata", but characteristic creaks and "crickets" are not observed. On the center console, depending on the configuration of the Hyundai Solaris hatchback, there may be a simple radio or digital multimedia system. But navigation is poorly developed in it. Visibility inside is good. Dead zones are excluded. However, hard and hard plastic constantly hints that you are far from in business class. Although the exterior looks very decent.
Trunk
The boot volume in the Hyundai Solaris hatchback is 370 liters. This is 95 liters less than the sedan. However, this volume can be expanded by folding the back of the rear sofa.
As a result, the trunk will increase to 1345 liters. Additionally, there are ratings on the body. However, none of the owners uses an overhead trunk - there is enough staff volume in the cabin.
Technical specifications
The Hyundai Solaris hatchback is equipped with the same engines as the sedan. So, the basic is an atmospheric four-cylinder engine of 1.4 liters. This is an engine with a 16-valve timing mechanism and a distributed injection system. The maximum power of the unit is 107 horsepower. The torque is 135 Nm. Reviews say that this motor loves high revs. To dynamically accelerate, you need to twist the motor up to five to six thousand revolutions. This unit is paired with a manual or automatic transmission in five or four stages, respectively.
In the luxury trim levels, the Hyundai Solaris hatchback is equipped with a 1.6-liter naturally aspirated engine. This unit is equipped with distributed injection and a 16-valve timing mechanism. Engine power is 123 horsepower. An automatic or mechanic is provided for the Korean hatchback Hyundai Solaris as a gearbox. However, these are completely different boxes. Manual and automatic transmission have six gears. With them, the car is more economical and accelerates faster.
Power Issues
In general, the engines on the Hyundai Solaris hatchback are reliable. They have a high resource and simple design. However, some motorists were faced with such a problem as floating speed and detonation. The latter appeared at a speed of around 2.8-3 thousand. The dealer recommended replacing spark plugs and ignition coils.
Automatic transmission also has pitfalls. So, the automatic transmission selector did not stay in one position (staggered left-right). The dealer did not recognize this malfunction as a warranty case.
The mechanical box had the following "disease." When the reverse gear was engaged, a characteristic hum was issued. This is a fairly common problem, judging by the words of the owners of Solaris. The dealer replaces bearings and clutch elements. After 2012, this problem was resolved at the plant level. The new Solaris no longer has such problems.
Chassis
The car is built on a front-wheel drive "trolley" with a transverse power unit. An independent suspension with A-arms and MacPherson struts is in front. A dependent beam with helical springs and telescopic shock absorbers is located behind.
The suspension design is imperfect. So said not only experts, but also the car owners themselves. Blame the rear beam. Because of her, the car was very soft and roll in the corners. The controllability of the car at a speed of 100 or more kilometers per hour was especially impaired. And with the boot loaded, the rear suspension often pierced.
On models of recent years, the suspension design has been revised. So, the manufacturer clamped the springs, making the chassis somewhat stiffer. The roll problem has gone, but now the car has become very tough - literally bouncing on bumps.
The resource of the elements of the chassis itself is very small, the owners say. So, ball bearings, steering tips, stabilizer bushings and shock absorbers quickly fail.
The brakes
Front mounted disc brakes, rear - drum brakes. This scheme is practiced on all models, regardless of configuration. The drive is hydraulic, with a vacuum booster. In general, the car slows down well. However, it is still better to refuse an aggressive driving style. The resource of the front pads is about 30 thousand kilometers. Rear go about 80-100 thousand.
Security
Regarding the issue of safety, we can confidently say that Solaris is in no way inferior to other modern cars. As a result of crash tests, the car received four out of five stars in a frontal impact with a 40 percent overlap. In the basic configuration, there are two airbags and belts with pretensioners. The hatchback is also equipped with an ABS system and brake force distribution.
Prices, configuration
The Korean hatchback Hyundai Solaris is now sold on the Russian market in several trim levels:
- "Active". This is the initial configuration, in fact, a “dummy”. There is no air conditioning, acoustics and anything else (except perhaps a couple of front power windows). The cost of this version is 779 thousand rubles.
- "Comfort". This is an average grade. This includes options such as central locking, power mirrors, heated seats, air conditioning, radio with USB port and audio buttons on the steering wheel. The cost of the Comfort version with a 1.4-liter engine starts at 804 thousand rubles.
- Elegance. This is the most expensive equipment. Its cost starts from 900 thousand rubles. This price includes full power accessories, heated mirrors, air conditioning, LED running lights and alloy wheels.
In addition, an authorized dealer provides for the installation of a number of other options. Of course, all this for a fee.
Conclusion
So, we found out what the Korean Hyundai Solaris hatchback is. As you can see, the car is not without flaws. However, given the cost, we can say that this is one of the most affordable foreign cars in this class.