May 2, 2009
I was interviewed by the Canadian Business News Network on Hyundai's growth and success in the U.S. market in recent years. Here's the clip: http://watch.bnn.ca/headline/april-2009/headline-april-28-2009/#clip166531
October 21, 2008
Remember when buying an Acura or Audi or BMW or Lexus or any other premium brand meant you got a premium car? The idea was pretty simple: If you wanted a premium car ownership experience you had to pay a premium price and purchase a premium vehicle.
As I drove the new 2009 Volkswagen CC recently it occurred to me the only thing separating this car from its Audi brethren was the emblem on the grille. Interior materials, performance, high-tech features, heck even exterior styling and "presence" were all up to Audi standards.
So was the price, of course, with a VR6 4Motion model starting at $40,000 (though $27,000 will get you into a base 2.0T car, which is still quite nice and a much better value).
June 27, 2008
I spent just over 300 miles in a new 2009 Hyundai Genesis yesterday, driving it on twisty roads, freeways and a race track (including drag racing a 750i and back-to-back slalom runs against an E-Class).
There are plenty of facts and figures to throw around, but the really important ones you probably already know: The Hyundai Genesis offers more performance/luxury/space/fuel economy than comparable premium brands that cost a lot more money.
That philosophy has been the hallmark of Hyundai's success over the past decade, as seen in everything from the Elantra to the Veracruz. The Genesis continues the tradition, though with an untraditional V8 engine, rear-wheel drive and luxury features normally associated with BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz.
August 31, 2007
Can a $36,525 Hyundai possibly be a good deal?
Possibly, but I'm honest enough to admit that it seems unlikely. For a Hyundai-badged vehicle to approach $40,000, and still be a good deal, it would have to offer a stellar combination of performance, comfort, luxury, refinement and feature content. And it would have to do these things better than the established players while costing less.
Well, if those are the requirements, I guess the $36,525 Hyundai Veracruz is a good deal.
August 22, 2007
We all know Chinese cars are coming, and while no U.S.-sold brands are anxious for extra competition, some are more vulnerable than others. After looking at Automotive News' coverage on the future of Hyundai and Kia it's clear both brands want to be well beyond the "great car for the money" phase before the Chinese arrive. Personally I think they've already gotten there, as I don't see the need to qualify a Hyunday/Kia purchase with a "not bad for the money" or "at least the warranty means you're covered" remark.
May 8, 2007
Word on the street (and on certain Web sites) insists there's a Hyundai pickup truck in the making. Technically anything is possible, but we have it on good authority that Hyundai has backed off any plans to produce an open-bed vehicle. The costs are simply too high and the margins too low. Neither a midsize nor fullsize body-on-frame model washes out in the accounting department, at least in the short- to mid-term...
November 20, 2006
About the only negative thing I could think of after driving this car was its name. It makes me think of the guy who does the voices of Moe and Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons
(love the show, but I don't want to think of those voices when poeple ask about my car). Otherwise there's little to fault regarding Hyundai's Azera. We just put one into our long-term fleet, so expect to see an introduction soon...
September 6, 2006
I've been driving our long-term 2006 Hyundai Sonata
for a few days now, and I must say it really is a fine automobile. If you're not stuck on having "Honda" or "Toyota" on you car somewhere, this is a fully worthy family sedan candidate. (If you are
stuck on having those other badges, buy one of these and get your local Honda or Toyota dealer to sell you an emblem and some adhesive). However, I must say I'm disappointed in the AM radio reception...
May 11, 2006
I took our long-term Hyundai Sonata
home last night and was again reminded of how close this car is getting to the class leaders (Accord, Altima and Camry). It's really down to fine gradients as opposed to any blatant deficiencies. For instance, I'm a real stickler for steering feel, and Honda still pretty much owns this, (though the Camry and Altima are as close as they've ever been). Now comes the new Sonata, which is a also within a tire tread of the Accord...
March 4, 2006
The last 24 hours proved an interesting point for me -- you don't have to bend metal or bust glass to wreck a car. Last night I drove a 2005 test car home with 13,000 miles on the odometer. And by the time I got home I was convinced it should be euthanized and turned into a parts car. Let me clarify that I really liked this model and my feelings were not a reflection of the car's design but a reflection of this
car's condition. For starters, before I even got into it I saw that the floor was covered with leaves and other debris, and most of the interior surfaces were grimy (or worse). Then I started it up and immediately noticed the "150 MILES PAST SERVICE" light glaring at me, along with the low fuel light. I put the car in gear and started driving it (and planning my requisite fuel stop) but before I got half a mile I noticed the steering felt terrible. I typically love the steering in these models and had never felt steering this screwed up, let alone in a relatively low mileage example. I made my fuel stop and drove the 47 miles to my house, but just before I got there I stopped at another gas station to check the tire pressure. This car calls for 32 psi when cold, but the tires were all between 24 and 26 psi after a one hour/47-mile drive (I would guess the pressures were around 20 psi when cold). The good news is that fixing the tire pressure did wonders for the steering/handling. The bad news is that in the process of airing up the tires I noticed that every wheel had massive scarring and curb rash. A clear sign of "parking by Braille" methodology. So even with a full tank of fuel and the proper tire pressure I basically felt like this car was used up...at 13,000 miles
February 20, 2006
Our next comparison test should prove popular, as it will pit two of the best selling cars in America against two promising upstarts. We gathered a 2006 version of the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata and put them up against the all-new 2007 Toyota Camry for a good ol' fashioned family sedan throw-down. With the Hyundai winning our last family sedan shootout
against the Camry and Accord, and the Fusion showing well during our recent full test
, this one is too close to call before every scoresheet is tallied. Expect the results to be published soon...
January 8, 2006
2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. It's 7 inches longer and has a third-row seat. But the front end has a bit of B9Tribeca in it -- tall fenders and big grille. This is a case where less is more, and it looks good (through it appears to have no front bumper, which is a dramatic change from the days when SUVs where supposed to look "rugged")...
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