Hyundai Problems

Comparing utes and SUVs is tough. I get complaints from Grand Cherokee owners, the HiLux is being replaced soon and the Outlander is nothing special. The Colorado SUV is probably best for you but drive a Hyundai Santa Fe before you commit.

Get her to stretch to about $15,000 for a Honda Jazz or get a second-hand Hyundai i20 with plenty of warranty still in the deal.

The i30 is great value and a very good car. It gets The Tick from me.

You need to take the problem directly to Hyundai and make them aware of your frustration. Approach it calmly and armed with all of the information you have from past attempts to fix the issue, and ask for the company's help in not only fixing the reception problem, but also to restore your faith in the Hyundai product. If you don't want to pursue that course take the car to an independent radio specialist who should be able to sort it out for you.

No, we haven't had any more reports of this issue, but it sounds serious. Hyundai has fixed your car before, so I would return it as you are doing and press on them the danger of the situation you found yourself in when it happened. Lemon laws where you could get a replacement car don't exist in Australia, and the consumer laws we do have are pathetic and few people have the fortitude it takes to pursue it to the end.

The CX-5 is the better vehicle, but the Hyundai is likely to be cheaper and with much longer to run on the factory warranty.

We checked and you are correct, the dash lights should be on during the day and they should be brighter than they are in darker conditions or at night.

We don't have space for dyno graphs but try to mention the power delivery in stories. The new breed of smaller-capacity turbo engines — among them Hyundai's 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine — will give you the bottom-end grunt you seek.

If you've got a big budget you could go for a European van like the Mercedes-Benz Vito or VW Transporter, but it's hard to go past the Hyundai i-Load. It's well specced, comfortable, you have petrol or diesel engine options, and it's a no-brainer.

You should test drive the Skoda Octavia and Hyundai Elantra, which both get The Tick from me. The Octavia flies under the radar but is a very good car. The Elantra's recent update improved it vastly and it also has great warranty and service support.