Edmunds CarPool

I've not yet read any publication talk about the keyless entry and start yet this is quite a big deal on a vehicle and brand like this, would you not think?
 
So how does it work exactly? Is it like the BMW? Does it have a start button too?
 
I love the vehicle, but I think the nav system omission is a serious deal breaker for many. I've seen consumer comments about people getting the Avalon over the Azera for that very reason. And really, it does almost become synonymous, luxury with nav. You can't picture a luxurious interior without that bright large screen in the middle.
 
Oh and in Canada (yay for us again), no Xenon lamps are offered. I'll never get that one...

As attractive as the interior is, this vehicle is extremely unattractive to me. I realize that these crossovers are designed to appeal to everyone, but this grill disagrees with me quite a bit.
 
I'm sure it's a wonderful car-thing, but I'd have trouble taking this over an Acadia or an Enclave simply on the basis of aesthetics.
 
I am shallow.

I'm impressed. But is the Lexus crowd ready to rub elbows with Accent owners when it comes time for an oil change? Not being one myself, I can only imagine that luxury car buyers often want all the vanity and service that comes with the name plate. On the other hand, the Veracruz has plenty of non-luxury-badged crossover competition, a market where people are willing to spend $35K but still want a sense of value in their purchases. So I doubt Lexus has much to fear from Hyundai, but perhaps Mazda, Chevy, et al do.

It's the same problem VW had with the Phaeton, the Toureg, and the Passat W8. Hyundai is an econo brand in this country - wishing won't change that. People will not spend $35K+ for it (or at least not in significant numbers).
 
Their best bet is to start a new nameplate ala Lexus, but even then they'll face headwinds. Toyota was an established and respected brand that sold on value, not the deal, when they launched Lexus. Hyundai and Kia still sell on the deal, i.e. "look what we give you for less".

"Haha, I love the moon buggies comment Karl. Spot on."
 
I always love it when someone says "I couldn't own a minivan. I don't want to be seen driving one of those around."
 
My response is: "Yeah those minivans sure are dorky. Better to be seen in something that looks really hip and cool, like...um....a crossover. Yeah...they just scream cool..."

So funny how the once value-priced lexus line is now the target of a new value leader. I guess an RX is around 44k for the same feature content. Not a bad bit of savings but if the car takes a usual 50% Hyundai hit, then the Lexus ends up cheaper in the long run.
 
Too bad minivans have such a bad rep. And MB fumbled the luxury version by making the R class a yacht with 5 doors.

I'm tired of all these Veracruz - RX350 comparisons. Wouldn't the new Toyota Highlander be a more appropriate model to compare it with? The price difference is not nearly as large and both have 3 rows.

If you compare the Veracruz to Highlander the Toyota gets smoked in terms of feature/luxury content for the price...which is fine by Hyundai, I'm sure. Same with Pilot, Pacifica and CX-9.

rasidas,
Ditto what Karl said. Plus, haven't you seen the Hyundai commercials? They're trying to show what a value their new models are compared not to others in their respective classes, but to luxury brands. BMW, LR, and Lexus are the ones I've seen. They have one commercial where a lady gets in to a Veracruz, thinking it's her RX350.

I dont agree that all crossovers look alike. The shapes are similar (just like most sedans have similar shapes) but the Devil is in the details. The Veracruz is extremely homely looking on the outside and it totally lacks a premium design. The inside is fine as far as I can tell but the exterior doesnt look like a $36,000 vehicle. That said, it definitely matches the RX (also not too attractive) for much less money. The closer you look at the RX the more you realize there are better options out there for the money. In fact, the 2008 Highlander is a better option for your money.

"Mirth" is either too young to remember the primary demographics of Honda and Toyota years ago, or needs to read up on some history. Both were considered "econo brands" for many years. Neither had the panache they have today. In fact, when a person bought a Honda or Toyota, it was "the deal" as well - "look what I got for the money." Give Hyundai a decade or two in this country, and you will find they will be considered in the same breath as the Japanese marques. Those who have the understanding, and an understated ego, will get a great car during this transitional time for much less than they will pay in the future for the same brand.

Karl, Thats kinda funny ,After All the testing ,Motorweek clearly states that , The veracruz is more in league with the Highlander and the Pilot ,But hey! maybe they are wrong and you are right, So now ,not only have Hyundai surpass every one else,they are now a threat to lexus, keep dreaming toyota haters.

"So now ,not only have Hyundai surpass every one else,they are now a threat to lexus, keep dreaming toyota haters."
 
Oh, so now the rx is not a well dressed toyota?

A well dressed toyota what? Please explain

Haha, I love the LR vs Santa Fe ad, hilarious.
 
The Sonata vs BMW one is kinda funny at the end, but it's rather pushing it.
 
Still interesting viewpoint they use, but obviously a guy shopping a BMW will not cross-shop Hyundai.

The '08 VC will add navigation in Oct/Nov.

The RX is a toyota camry based crossover, correct? assuming so, it would be a badge engineered highlander anyway. What I was saying was that if the Veracruz can hold it's own with the upmarket cousin of the highlander in terms of build quality, interior appointments and driving dynamics, then it should be able to do the same verus the highlander. It's not about hating Toyota, it's about the competition upping their game.

Im still wondering how the RX350 is the "benchmark" as Id easliy take an Acura MDX Sport over it without question and not because its an Acura. Ive owned 2 Lexus vehicles a 1996 ES300 and a 2000 GS400 and while both were nice cars they left me a bit cold when it came to driving dynamics.
 
I will say that Lexus service is TOP NOTCH and I dont see Hyundai getting anywhere close. All my service visits were WELL above average. Once my wife got a loaner vehicle because while she was getting the oil changed in the GS the tech found a knot on the sidewall and advised her not to drive it. She kept the IS300 loaner until the tire came in the next afternoon and the price of the tire was competitive also. They also detailed the GS!

As a Veracruz owner, I could not resist commenting.....
  
I am a previous Lexus owner - RX300. Though I thought long and hard about ordering the Veracruz, I now am very happy with my purchase and agree with the points in Karl's review. It is an amazing car. Quiet, well designed, smooth and well put together.
 
If you don't own a VC - [I do, a 2007 Limited w/Ultimate,] it is kind of hard to speculate or comment accurately. You have to DRIVE this car to appreciate what the few owners of this great car know first hand. It is a great car, with superb quality and design. Will it put Lexus/Toyota out of business? No. Will it make their engineers take a VC apart and wonder how Hyundai can deliver such value? Yes.
  
The overrated Nav system. Let's face it folks. The Nav system is essential for the UPS driver. He/she goes to many different addresses daily. For the rest of us, it is a toy. From our standpoint, it is a thing that we will put in the Costco address and in the three times we use it, drool as it magically gets us there. After the toy has been played with, we realize that it is just that - a toy. So, do you want to pay $1500 for a toy that you can only use in one car, or, do you want to pay $199 for a Magellan Maestro 3100 that you can use in any car? Simple answer.
 
Just the fact that Hyundai is being compared to the Lexus is a great feat. Motor Trend did an comparison between the Lexus 350 and the Veracruz, and guess who took the top spot....
  
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/suvs/112_0707_hyundai_veracruz_lexus_rx350
  
Do yourself a favor. Test drive one. You will be amazed by the experience as many professional reviewers have.
  
It is a great car and I don't think that Karl was off at all with his observations.

I really dont understand how any Toyota fan could be on here making fun of Hyundai. Hyundai is copying Toyota and delivering Toyota like products for less money. I dont like the Veracruz's look but it sure as hell doesnt look worse than the RX350 and its much cheaper.
 
I think this new Hyundai RWD sedan will show the Toyota fans of the world that Hyundai is dead serious about being a serious player. 380hp from a Hyundai? Hell, Lexus JUST got to that level of power this year.

The loaded Veracruz Limited AWD, Highlander Limited AWD, Enclave CXL AWD, and CX-9 GT AWD are all $36,000.
 
I fail to see Hyundai's price advantage on the high end. Hyundai does not have more equipment.
So low end Veracruz may be a good deal; high end Veracruz, it's no cheaper.
Veracruz appears to be no deal.
This notion of "Hyundais are cheaper" is passe, they're charging as much as the competition for the Veracruz. Check the prices!
 
On the other hand, the midsized Santa Fe is a great deal.

Karl, when will Edmunds complete a long overdue cross over comparison? Now that Hyundai, Toyota and GM all have new crossover vehicles that can take on the Pilot, a matchup surely must be in order.
 
For the record, I also think a great comparison test would pit the top crossovers against the top minivans. For example, an Oddesy/Acadia matchup would surely help those carbuyers still on the fence between the two vehicle types choose the vehicle that is right for them.

Totally correct Longhorn. Auto show season (Frankfurt/Tokyo in the next six weeks alone) will be keeping us busy, but a crossover comparo is in order. Like the idea of a crossover vs. minivan story, too.
 
Thanks

I like Mirth's Idea.
 
I think a new name is needed for a new image. In a world of one-upping your neighbors, you don't really get the chance to "convince" you neighbors your Hyundai is equal or better than their RX..
 
I've been saying it for a while, some brands need to re-new themselves. If Hyundai wants the luxury segment they have brand themselves for it.

In my former life, I got to test drive our company's diesel version of Vera Cruz for vehicle evaluations - in short, I worked at a competitor. The diesel version impressed me so much that I looked into buying one here in the States (in Korea, the version that I drove, a fully equipped one, cost like $45000.00), but to no avail-not yet, anyway.
 
The diesel V6 in no way sounded like a diesel, the torque was plentiful for this beast, and interior looked high quality (yeah, but scrap off the outer paints and you will see ivory plastic).
 
This was the last Hyundai vehicle that I tested before I left my job, but it has me anticipating for the upcoming products like the BH and others. Hyundai is really striving in terms of product development, and it SHOWS.

Yes, Honda and Toyota used to be the "cheap" brands (about 30 years ago, but okay). But today they still are not considered "luxury". That's what Lexus and Acura are for. So, again, I think Hyundai is chasing their tails going for the $35K+ crowd - they need a new brand (and maybe another decade in the market).

Hyundai are not chasing the luxury or premium brands yet. They're chasing established non-luxury players like Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Honda, etc. And they've succeeded........the point they're making in their adverts is that if their products can be compared to luxury brands then they sure are as good as the established non-luxury players. And we're here comparing a Lexus to a Hyundai! Wow! Beware, Mazda, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, etc....

"The loaded Veracruz Limited AWD, Highlander Limited AWD, Enclave CXL AWD, and CX-9 GT AWD are all $36,000. "
 
Don't know about the Highlander or Mazda, but you would be hard put to get an Enclave fully loaded for $36K. More around $42K.