Car Stories: Goodbye, Getz
The Getz was a car misunderstood by the Indian consumer. However, there is one owner who completely understood it and now bids his Getz a teary-eyed goodbye. Keep the tissues handy
It was a sultry summer afternoon in Mumbai. I had alighted the famous Mumbai local train and my friend Fevin was waiting for me in a car that had been long forgotten by many – the Hyundai Getz.
The Hyundai Getz was India’s very first premium hatchback, it opened the market for cars like the i20 and Polo. It was also quite safe at the time. Awarded 4 Stars in both 2004 Euro NCAP and 2008 Australasian NCAP, the GETZ was easily the safest car on the market when compared to rivals like the Maruti Suzuki WagonR and Alto.
However, when the Getz came to India in 2005, the idea of a ‘hot-hatchback’ was still new for people in the country. Initially, the then-new features like power steering, power windows, rear window defogger, rear reading lamps, remote fuel lid opener attracted a number of customers and the Getz was awarded the best hatch award of 2005.
In the first year after introduction, the company sold more than 3000 devices every month. Yet, as time went on, the car’s popularity began to decline. The reason was pretty Indian in itself – while people liked the idea of a hot-hatchback, people started valuing fuel efficiency and the after service costs, something the Maruti Suzukis trumped up on.
As a result, we see very few Getz on the road as Indians have always been on a tight wallet and value affordability and mileage a bit more than safety. At the time, Hyundai was determined to bring safe cars for the people, the buyers wanted safe cars for their wallet. As a result, the Getz was discontinued in 2011 after getting lackluster response in the market for the facelift.
And that is why I was quite surprised to see my friend with his very RED Hyundai Getz. But I wasn’t just surprised, I was also happy to see the Getz in action because, after all, it wasn’t a bad car. The Getz’s only fault was that it was a bit too good for its time. The Getz seemed like Fevin’s first love. Just as I got into it, he started telling me about how he learned to drive the car and why he hadn’t sold it even after 17 years of owning it.
Fevin’s a proper car addict and it showed in his Getz. After all, the car had mods like a Wagner intercooler, Remus exhaust with muffled resonator and KN air filter. The best bit of tinkering with the shiny red Getz was the engine remapping which took the power output to 116 bhp, torque to 139 Nm and top speed to a whopping 184kph. One Hundred and Sixteen Brake Horsepower. In a Getz.
3 months after having that ride in his Getz, he tells me that he’s having to sell the car to a Hyundai dealership. I was surprised as the car had looked in pretty pristine condition. All the upgrades had made it look as good as new. He told me that cylinder 1 and 3 were not working and piston 1 had broken. He was sad, and so was I after hearing about it.
This article comes as a final goodbye for the Getz. Or, a last hurrah via which the car’s story has been told. To sum it all up I’d like to use the one sentence Fevin used about the car: “This car is my first girlfriend.”
Goodbye, Getz! *SOB*
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