1996 Hyundai Excel Reviews

Driver's side interior door handle replaced (broken).

Timing chain replaced at 80,000 - Still had a few K's in it.

Except for a few minor repairs, I am very satisfied with my Excel.

Reliability is excellent.

I could not ask for better fuel economy.

The seats could be a little more comfortable, especially on long trips.

The 1.6 EFI makes for impressive acceleration from a standing start.

Reverse gear can be a little tricky to get, however I have been told that this is due to there being no synchro-mesh on reverse gear.

Target for vandalism/theft 3 times.

Failed mass flow sensor.

Failed water pump.

Weird problem with starter - fixed with after market relay switch.

Various rattles here and there.

Manual transmission is sloppy and loose - don't expect to engage reverse in any kind of hurry.

Indicator stalk has never been fantastic.

Besides a few things going wrong - this is a really nice little car with good performance /economy and pretty good reliability.

I had trouble initially because the servicing before I bought it was with Castrol Magnatec - sludging up the engine. This has been fixed with regular oil changes using Penrite HPR 15.

Let's face it - X3 sprints are a budget package. But road noise is no worse than many other cars; it cruises really well; accelerates well; brakes well; handles in corners OK. I've taken it on some long trips and it's been cool.

Steering alignment has held up really well. Clutch is fine - although I am very gentle during gear changes.

Nothing has gone wrong that wasn't easily fixed:

The thermostat went once early on yet was fixed within the day.

The fly wheel came off due to overtightening of screws by maintainers, causing total power loss to auxiliary systems (power steering, alternator, water pump etc) yet this was covered by maintenance team.

This car and I have travelled a lot of places together. Having spent the last ten years driving about, and thankfully doing some overseas travelling along the way to reduce the km's, the Hyundai Excel has been very reliable, reasonably cheap to run, easy to maintain and relatively comfortable for the price.

The hatchback is definitely not a family car and one with the rear doors would be needed to make things easier, however, for a single person about town, there isn't much that can beat it in terms of maintenance and running costs, manoeuvrability and power.

I've never had a problem with it's mechanics.

The only thing I would mention is that when I bought it, the rear vision mirrors' paint had faded pretty badly.

I bought my car in very good condition, when I was 17. I have serviced it regularly and maintained it well.

It is a very economical car. Perfect for youngsters and elderly, who want a cheap, but reliable option. Not a good choice for the family minded, as it's a little squashy in the back if the front seats are occupied by passengers with long legs. For city driving, I get about 7 Liters per one hundred Kilometers (of Unleaded Petrol).

Spare parts seem to be relatively cheap compared to other car makes.

It's very easy to drive. Hydraulic clutch makes it great for the not so strong. Perfect vision all-round gives the driver ease at parking and more confidence on the road.

Drivers Inside door handle, the plastic has broken, but have not needed to replace it as yet, it still works.

Replaced Timing chain @120000KM, instead of 80000KM, heheheh.

Rear hatch is starting to leak, the car was hit in the rear some time ago.

Rear center brake light keeps blowing.

The little hundi in a great cheap run around car, I drove our one for a year as a tech courier, it never has any problems. The motor is only a 1.5Lt, but it is very quick off the mark. We still have the car, but only use it as a run around car. I would recommend these cars for a second car or first car. They are basic inside, but have all the normal features.

I had to replace 2 water pumps. One at around 110,000km and the other one at 150,000. The second replacement was done due to a noisy pump.

3 times I had to replace the leads also...

Besides these problems, I have never had a problem with the car.

This car is superb around town. It's cheap to run, easy to park, and reliable.

This is truly a car worth every cent.

I only wish I had the twin cam engine for more power.

Overall, this is a wonderful car that I will keep for many years to come.

Nothing.

A lovely little car that handled and ran well. Had quite a bit of poke as well surprising a few larger cars. Get a 5 Speed EFI if you can, they really go!