Hyundai Rises Up

Hyundai Rises Up
We all know that Hyundai has made significant progress in the last six years.
But how do their products stack up against Honda, Toyota and others?

Accent:
A cheap, affordable car, but with standard features aplenty. Includes SIX standard airbags, 15'' wheels, heated dual power mirrors, Power windows and door locks, and more. A better alternative to Yaris and Aveo, and starts at $10,415 USD.

2007 Elantra:
A cozy, comfortable econo car. Better styling than before, along with more features.
Has a 138 hp inline-4, standard ABS, Six airbags, opt. 220 watt stereo w/ 6 cd changer, and on Limited power locks, windows, heated leather seats, AC, and trip computer. More interior room than Corrola, Civic, Focus, or Sentra.- Looks like the Civic has some competition!

2007 Sonata:
Truly a great value, the Sonata comes feature-packed for $17,000. Standard with ABS, ESP, and, you guessed it, six airbags. A 234 hp V6 makes driving a bit more fun. Not ready for the Accord, Camry, or Altima, but can take on the Malibu and Fusion.

Azera:
A gorgeous design IMO, (In black, atleast) sets the Azera apart from the dumb-looking Avalon. More interior room than a 760i. (Not quite as fast, though). EIGHT standard airbags, power folding mirrors, LED brakelights, and 263 hp V6. Gives the Avalon and Lacrosse a run for their money, but desperatly needs interior refinement.

Tiburon:
The ignored model in the Hyundai family, the Tiburon is actually kinda good. Four airbags, 440 watt audio system and a 172 hp engine power it. Nowhere near Mustang, Eclipse, or anything else. Needs a redesign.

Tucson:
Bad handling, bad exterior design, bland interior design, and a smallish engine plague this otherwise smart cute-ute. Still a good value, but not up to CR-V, Escape, or even Equinox standards.

2007 Santa Fe:
No longer an awkward and confused SUV-thing, the Santa Fe has grown up. A lot. A much more stylish design, bigger dimentions, and more fearures are all new. Tons of airbags, ESP, ABS, EBD, a stylish interior, and a 3rd row seating make this a strong competitor to Rav-4, Grand Cherokee, and Explorer. Only $20,945.

2007 Entourage:
At first people didn't think it would be made, but then Hyundai quietly announced the Entourage, a Kia Sedona twin. A gold safety rating from IIHS, 17'' wheels, power doors, climate control, trip computer, ABS, ESP, heated leather seats, and a power liftgate, all for under $30,000. While no sports car,(but 250hp) it is still a better value over Sienna and Odyssey. But who would be proud to say they have a Hyundai minivan?


As you can see, Hyundai has "almost-there" cars, and if they put some more effort, they could top Toyota! (Eventually)
While not perfect at all, Hyundai has gone way up since it was started in 1947.
Hyundai means "Modernity" in Korean. It is properly pronounced as " Hyun-dae"
-
So now you know.



justbrownjustbrown - 9/20/2006 9:41:09 PM
+2 Boost
Azera:
A gorgeous design IMO, (In black, atleast) sets the Azera apart from the dumb-looking Avalon. More interior room than a 760i. (Not quite as fast, though).

I love when these car companies compare themselves to the likes of BMW, Audi, Merc and Lexus. Seriously!?......thats all i can say


chewychewy - 9/20/2006 9:41:35 PM
+1 Boost
Inteiro volume and room are different. Japanese and Koreans especially go for voulume, but have the same or less space as others. Geman cars usually have much less volume but about the same amount of actual usable space. For the same reason houses aren't sold in cubic feet, but rather in square.


chewychewy - 9/20/2006 9:42:24 PM
+1 Boost
Interior volume, and, Koreans especially,


mstangpny07mstangpny07 - 9/20/2006 9:56:09 PM
+1 Boost
Huu76:
Don't know if autospies supports Korean text, but this is it:
?? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ???

The site is: http://www.worldlingo.com/en/products_services/worldlingo_translator.html


mstangpny07mstangpny07 - 9/20/2006 9:59:53 PM
+1 Boost
^Guess not.

Chewy:
Passenger Volume in Cubic Feet:
Azera: 106.9 cu. ft.
760i: 104.0 cu. ft.
Slightly bigger.


awsomeaudiawsomeaudi - 9/20/2006 10:19:48 PM
+1 Boost
Azera= sucks and has one of the worst brakes
760i defeats the azera in every category even popularity
Accent = sucks just like the rio breaks down easily
tiburon= cant compete with anything in its market
santa fe = ugly just like its little brother
tuscon = (see santa fe)
vera cruz= ugliest thing ive ever seen
IS THERE A FUTURE FOR HYUNDAI AND ITS RELAIBILITY AND THEIR COMPARASIONS


kart1kart1 - 9/20/2006 11:10:59 PM
+1 Boost
awsomeaudi: you forgot one thing, 760i doesn't beat Azera in every category. The Azera is about $80k cheaper and its worth all the money ;). Just messin with ya.


OmranOmran - 9/21/2006 2:15:38 AM
+1 Boost
I really cant believe that people is comparing BMW to Hyundai! and guess what; Azera to 760i!!


00JT00JT - 9/21/2006 2:36:24 AM
+1 Boost
Still the main reason in purchasing a Hyundai over Honda or Toyota is price.

BTW Sante Fe is car based or unibody chassis. Grand Cherokee is Ladder Frame design. The Sante Fe better competes with the Toyota RAV-4, Mazda CX-7/CX-9, Ford Edge (yet to be released), and Ford Freestyle.

The Azera is nice, however IMO the Avalon still has the superior interior. The leather on the Azera looks like it will wear out much quicker than standard Honda or Toyota leather.

Sonata was made to be better than the previous Camry. If it came out three years ago it would have made a bigger splash.


bigslick83bigslick83 - 9/21/2006 9:47:24 AM
+1 Boost
if toyota becomes completly stagnant, then it would still take decades for huyundi to catch up in quality, reputability, and production.


kart1kart1 - 9/21/2006 1:52:41 PM
+1 Boost
I agree - The only reason to buy a Hyundai over Toyota or Honda is price.

If you look at the resale values though - just stick with Toyota/Honda.


bigslick83bigslick83 - 9/21/2006 4:06:35 PM
+1 Boost
yea if your a senior citizen on a fixed income (and i mean this in the utmost respect) buy one of these because it will prob be your last car, and you wont have to cry when you find out your 3 yr old car is worth $2500.


mstangpny07mstangpny07 - 9/21/2006 4:57:25 PM
+1 Boost
I wasn't comparing the Azera to the 7-Series.
I was merely using it to show how big the interior is.
(And that's what they said on the website, anyways.)


austintysonaustintyson - 9/23/2006 6:36:27 AM
+1 Boost
Toyota is over rated.. not a Hyundai lover but my brother and dad have had them. Never a problem.. brother had over 175K miles on his .. dad has 55k on his. Resale sucks..


duncan36duncan36 - 10/13/2006 4:18:44 PM
+1 Boost
Original post is quite good. The Azera is a good effort blighted with a mediocre interior. The car itself reminds me of a mid-90's Acura. Stodgy handling, but very tight package. Unfortunately Hyundai couldnt match a decade old Acura in interior quality however.

The overall pricing structure of Hyundai is going bonkers however. Accent is $1000+ more than a comparable 2007 Aveo, which has a better interior.
Sonata was overpriced and now relies on a ton of rebates to be competitive.
Then theres the new VeraCruz that looks like its going to be priced at between 30-40k.
You dont go from having a badge nameplate with the street cred one notch over a Yugo to battling Lexus and Infiniti in just a few years.
The Japanese makers built their reptuation by producing cars far better than the competition and far cheaper than the competition for a good 20 years before they started producing luxury cars and charging a premium price for their vehicles.

Hyundai is going to learn a harsh lesson in branding with their new pricing structure. You dont build brand equity overnight it takes decades. Hyundai has only been competitive in quality in the past few years.
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