I just came back from the Chicago auto show and other than drooling over the new XJ was very impressed with the latest models from Hyundai. Long gone are the disposable hatchback ****boxes of the late 80s/early 90's. They made a huge turn around.


New Elantra great looks, luxurious interior, and gets 40 mpg! That's VW Golf diesel territory.

New Sonata=WOW

Genesis and Equis lots of car for the money





On the other hand. VW's latest generation of cars are really pathetic looking. Whoever is in charge of their styling department needs to be shown the door asap.

New Jetta and Passat are steps back in styling design and so bland and boring they could made a librarian fall asleep.

New Touareg is smaller and again so bland looking. Bleh

What the heck is happening I used to love VW's designs.

 

You are right about new VWs, I was never a fan of VWs anyway, german cars ehh, I do love the 7 series bmws and the Z8 but other than they just dont make sense to me, about Hyundais, sure the brand really improved their cars but still they are missing one thing in their car, their cars have no souls still.

 

I believe that Hyundai has made more continuous improvement in their line-up during the past three years than any other carbuilder on the planet. Their high-end models will continue to steal business from Lexus/Infiniti/BMW/Audi and perhaps even Mercedes....

 

I looked hard at the Hyundai Genisis before returning to Jag. Great exteriors and inspired interiors. But, the suspension on most Hyundai products, including Genisis, is lacking to say the least. I was lucky to have a friend who had a new Genisis. Take my word for it. The Genisis loses it's mind over rough and broken pavement.

Few cars boogie like a Jag. I doubt this suspension issue on Hyundais will be corrected anytime soon as complex suspensions are damned expensive and Hyundai is focused on a mkt. that could not care less about it.

 

A car may look nice and have allot of gadgets yet have no underpinning.

There is a big difference between a $30,000 car and a $70,000 car. Its often in the design of the chassis, suspension, drive-line and engine. The total of these will make the difference and give one the thrill of driving a well designed car.

We should be comparing a Hyundai to the Nissan's etc. and a Jaguar to other well designed European luxury cars.

Some will pay for the difference because it is worth it to them and some just want to get from point A to point B and do not need nor recognize the refinements.

Some feel a smooth quiet ride is valuable (Lexus etc) and others won't settle for a boring car with no spirit.

 

I was not comparing Hyundai to Jaguar, not at all. I was just saying they have come a LOOONG way. The new Elantra looks great and gets 40 mpg! If I was looking for a new small sedan I'd get it in a heartbeat. Much nicer than Civic, Corolla, or Mazda 3. Only car that is comparable is the new Suzuki Kazashi but it's overpriced in my opinion.

Would I take an Equis over the new XJ or even an X350? NO WAY. Just saying they make nice cars now.

 

Every time I look at new cars, I use Jaguars as a baseline. The new Equis is around $60 grand, and the Xf is around the same price. It may be bigger, and have some same/similar features, but the Xf has better performance, and way better build quality.

Back to VW. The new Jetta looks loads cheaper than the old one. Yeah, they advertise it for $15 grand, but comparing that to a Hyundai...

All this being said, I still couldn't see myself driving around and owning a Hyundai with a bland interior. Screw it, I'll stick with the Jag. I started with the Xj40, went to X300, I'll go to X308 in a year or two, and after that, I'm not sure, but I will still own at least one Jag.

 

AJ,

You are dead right. Hyundai is comming up fast. Put a super charger on their V8 and a sophisticated suspension under the Genisis and Equis and they come up winner.

 

I am quite impressed also with what I have seen of the recent Hyundai's. It is getting time to replace my wife's 2000 Acura TL. As much as we have loved that car we just can't get past their latest styling direction. I was trying to talk her into considering a Jag XF that is a year or so old (that would end up at the upper end of our budget) but her preference is really for a new car since we replace cars so infrequently.

To me, the Genesis reminds me of the Lexus situation when Lexus was first introduced in the early 1990s. The original Lexus was really underpriced compared to what they were trying to compete with (Mercedes and BMW) and as more people bought them they were taken very seriously. Lexus had gotten more expensive over the years which is why we ended up with the Acura--it really outclassed the Lexus 300 that it competed with but for several thousands less. Similarly, the Genesis seems to out-class vehicles that it is competing with but pricing lower. Of course they are trying to move past the 'econobox' market they had first chased so they have to give something extra to get their new upper-end vehicles in people's driveways.

Doug

 

i think the new 2011 XJ is about the best lookin car iv ever seen(wife agrees also).

OK that said,, around three yrs back a big VIP from HYUNDIA, made a statement to press,

that within 5yrs Hyundia WILL manufacture the best automobiles in the world, and that counts everyone, including MB,JAG etc.

and they are closing the gap FAST.

only time will tell, if not the best, it will be close, and price cant be beat!

 

Hyundai is making cars that at a quick glance look great but when u get critical they still fall short. Case in point, the Equus back seat has no foot room...front seats don't allow for feet to be under the seats as the seats are solid to the floor. Very poor design for a car who's brochure touts how the front seat take a back seat to the back seat.

 

I thought the Equus had plenty of rear seat room. It seemed fine when i sat in it.

 

It is interesting how Hyundai has changed over the years. Sure see a lot of them lately.

 

Than you must be much shorter than my 5'11" frame. It isnt much bigger than the Genesis. The rear seat person sits knees to chest position. Ridiculous to omit such a basic thing as underwear "toe" room. Also the recline feature is a joke. Legs can't even come close to being extended.

 

Actually, I just so happen to be 5'11", and my friend who is around 6'2" was quite comfortable. Now, if the rear seats were moved all the way back... Whenever I go to a car show, or test out cars for practicality, I sit myself in the drivers seat, and one of two friends in the back (tall and short) to see how much rear legroom is in the car with regards to practicality. Surprisingly, there is enough legroom in the Cadillac CTS Coup, just less head room.

 

And their V8 engine, while a solid unit, is nothing to write home about. I doubt we will see any up grades to Hyundai drive trains as it would propel them into a cost segment they don't want to be in.

 

I sure see allot of McDonalds lately too

 

Interesting discussion.....

Over here in the UK its all Hyundai's and Kia is another manufacturer coming up fast, offering 7 year warranty's and decent cars for the money.

Decent in their market sector IMO and probably offering the best value money for a-b motoring. However, real car enthusiasts will usually opt for another choice unless its down to ££££

The upside for the consumer is, that they're making the other manufacturers sit up and take notice......the customer wins at the end of the day

 

I've actually considered a Hyundai Sonata as an alternative car to the Jag. One thing I did notice is that the price difference between a 2007 Hyundai Sonata V6 and a 2005 Jaguar S-Type V6 is negligible. That pretty much sealed the deal in favor of the Jag.

 

You are right about Hyundais' having no Souls...

Now Kia. They DO have a Soul and you can buy a Kia Soul for about $18,000.00.

Sorry, couldn't resist...