[diabloo]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Actually, the other thing is people think Hyundai A.S.S is horrendous. Having had to deal with them on close quarters, I find them to be as good as Maruti.

BTW, though not reach but their A.S.S is on par with MUL. Also, they have better sales team than MUL.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

For that you will have to leave the Fiat threads for a while and look into the Hyundai's.

The fact that people like you are prying Hyundai threads is the reason enough for me to not warrant a look or a read. Grow up!

[NevGin]

Good points made all round. I will brief you through my family's car ownerships: Ambassador, Original Jap 800, Maruti Flat roof van, TATA Estate, 800 New Shape, Ford Ikon 1.6 clxi, Ford Ikon 1.6 Nxt, Opel, Corsa Sail 1.4, Maruti Swift Vx (Silver), Maruti Swift Vx (Red), Honda Civic, Hyundai i10 A/T, Maruti A Star.

Of the above, we still have the last 3 cars. We had 2 Swifts simultaneously, so much was my conviction that it was the best there was on the roads that that point that fit my budget and performed well.

Like McLaren, I will admit that at no point did I ever consider buying a Hyundai car. About 3 months back we bought the i10 A/T. I am so happy with this car, its plastics, mouldings, fit and finish and not to forget it performs brilliantly. I will admit it might not be the most fancy looking of the lot but once behid the drivers seat its a different story.

+1 McLaren. I am sure there are many out there who thought the same but maybe did not express it. Reminds me of the Saturn's in the US. I always stuck to the Japanese German cars even when there. Sometimes I wish I'd bought a buick or a cadillac.

[mclaren1885]

Hyundai Getz: I wont go into the details of this car. However, its plastics are way better than the swift. Its well built, doesn't rattle. To top it all its got a brilliant motor powering it. However, people think it handles like a potato which isn't a fair comment. It won't handle like a Swift or a Palio (so be bound to be disappointed if that is your benchmark). But thats only because Hyundai has gone more towards the comfort ride side of setting up suspensions.

At its last days, the Getz was being sold with huge discounts which put it on par with the Swift, Palio on the OTR price. Yet, many a times, I have read posts like "Stay away from the Hyundai". Yes, it was a lakh more expensive than the swift or palio, but even those who could afford it were often scared away from buying it saying its a Korean and its surely not worth paying a lakh extra. For a lakh extra, what one got is a better engine, more importantly a car that doesn't rattle like the swift . Equally good after sales.

However, what I am afraid of is, with the downfall of the Getz, I hope history wont repeat as it did with the petrol cars.

With the phasing out of the OHC Vtec, GTX, Esteem, Baleno, Lancer, there are no driver's cars left that one can buy off the showroom in today's times. Unfortunately, looks like the same is going to happen with the diesel hatchbacks as well. All are going the FE and more FE way. Sigh!

A pic of what could perhaps be one of the last pocket rockets in the diesel hatchback category.

Thou shall be missed.


Actually, I would like this thread to serve for bidding farewell to two of the better cars I have come across in my life.

[aaggoswami]

The clear answer is this : Arent there many perceptions for all the car manufacturers ?

About Hyundai :

1) They came out with Santro with a safety flag on it. Actually the first generation santro was not the one to be sold in EU. EU Santro was Atoz from S.Korea. First Gen Santro and Atoz were different. But Hyundai went on to sell the car with a " safer than Zen " tag.

2) For Santro, Hyundai ended up with ads that were not good for its image. They compared it with Ikon also and said that their engine is great as compared to others. This was against the Zen too. Actually even today, Hyundai small petrol engines are not as good as Suzuki's. Zen's G-series was in a different league.

3) About Accent : This car shares a bit of its history with Lancer. Gloabal Automotive Alliance was one group under which, both Lancer and Accent came up. Was this car so good that it deserved success ? IMHO no. Baleno was much better than Accent and even after the reduced pricing, Accent was still selling more.

4) Verna : What about ride and handling ? Is this sorted out ? Hyundai is quite experienced but still makes this car. Hyundai could have done better. It sells because of diesel.

5) Sonata : The first generation Sonata was a success because it was priced a bit low. The Accords' engineering is better than that of Hyundai.

Hyundai just cant match others because :

6) Copied designs. From Santro to Sonata, they dont have originality.
7) Lies in marketing: Apart for useless motor of Santro ( that me, the 1.0/1.1 cant match Suzuki G10 or F10 respectively ) compared to the G series, next in line is Getz. Hyundai had advertised Getz to be European Car Of The Year 2002. That car was actually Peugeot 307.
8) Petrol unit line up. Suzuki at the lower end and Honda/Toytoa above it beat Hyundai.


Its not perception, but an image they have earned.

PS : Above is just MO. No offense to anyone.

[AyAn!]

Hyundai's a relatively new player in the automotive world, so its the mentality of the poeple to think twice about Hyundai.
Decades back when Toyota,Honda and other Japanese players began to globalize their operations,most people had this notion that they were nothing more than tin boxes with wheels.They were more biased towards big American and European names.
But today,we can be sure as hell, that Japan is more or less on top.Be it quality or quantity.
So its the same situation with Hyundai.People who do understand cars,feel Hyundai always plays second fiddle to Japanese cars.They borrow their looks and end up looking pretty ordinary.Even ugly.
Hyundai must bring originality and individuality to how their cars look.Like the i10
See the i10 looks original,and its one of India's bestsellers.
And improve their petrol mills too.. These things sorted,Hyundai will slowly become one of the world's biggest players.It will take time.Just like Honda and Toyota.
Today Kia is quite a well-respected brand in Europe.Things are definitely on the rise.

And speaking of India.people just can't shake off brand Maruti from their heads!!

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

The fact that people like you are prying Hyundai threads is the reason enough for me to not warrant a look or a read. Grow up!

ET, like wise here. And I can give you a count of members who have blocked any thread with the name Fiat on it, go figure. That said, lets cut out the personal digs here shall we. Its you, who needs to mature up and learn to take things in a dignified manner than make personal digs.

The hyundai diesels are by far, the best diesels that the common man can afford in our country.
Each of their diesels have been spectacular compared to all of their competition, petrol or diesel.
The accent CRDi would run rings around other c segment sedans when it was launched. The verna still does. The getz leaves everyone in the dust in its segment and a few segments above it too.

if I wasnt stuck with the swift d, I'd be plonking down money to buy the getz. So instead, i push and pull and torture the little 1.3 that fiat put in my suzuki, just so that I can keep up with a stock getz/verna.
handling be damned- the getz/verna/elantra- all of them will reel back the so called better handlers effortlessly given half a decent straight.

and its not like they are bad handlers.
the verna feels just as safe as my swift( you know I love my mad swift)
The elantra will go around corners faster than pretty much any swift or palio.
and with upgraded rubber- the getz is not far behind the swift.

I have always wanted a GetzD- but when I went hunting for a diesel hatch, the idiots at hyundai priced it way too high above the swift. mind won.
Now they cut prices

[tortoiseNhare]

I can't see a perception problem with Hyundais. Rather, many of them in their respective segments seem to be priced like a "more equal" one. My first choice while I got a new car (Palio!!) last year was a Getz CRDi but It was about 50 grands south of my budget.

When it comes to cars like Elantra and its ilk, they are way out of reach for consideration of the middle class / salaried class consisting of 80% of car buyers in India.

[AbhiJ]

For me, Hyundai's are perfect transport. They are cheap to run, cheap to maintain, and as reliable as their japanese competition.

Hyundai make sensible cars ... usually. TeamBHP prefers fun cars over sensible cars.

The getz CRDi is the only mental (and great) car they have sold in India..

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

Hyundai make sensible cars ... usually. TeamBHP prefers fun cars over sensible cars.
.

Hehe, not really. A majority here prefer sensible cars. We don't always follow our hearts because our traffic and roads need us to buy sensible cars. And there really isn't too much anti-Hyundai bias here AFAIK.

[Shan2nu]

Performance is not the same for everyone.

While some enjoy riding the torque wave, others seek thrill in engine speeds that rise beyond the clouds.

Shan2nu

[lamborghini]

I was one of those people who said that Hyundai was a lousy car maker when I joined, but after seeing their recent launches, I have totally changed my outlook on them.
Sure, I would not buy a Verna over a Fiesta, but love most of the other cars.
In fact, I convinced my friend to get a used Sonata Embera in the states, and my cousin to get a Getz over a Swift in India.
However, I feel there are biased opinions towards all car makers.
Ford are expensive, fiats are expensive to own and have poor resale and FE and whatnot, Maruti has poor quality cars, etc.
I think rather than a thread only for Hyundai, we need to ask people why they are so biased towards a certain brand, specially when buying one.
I have seen many threads in the what car section saying that so and so doesn't want a ford, or a Hyundai, or a fiat, when in fact, they haven't owned any of them!

[agentsmith2]

Hyundai is launching Genesis Hyundai Genesis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia to counter the branding issue in US.

Gensis is supposed to do a Lexus for Hyundai. Toyota had a similar downmarket brand problem before they launched Lexus, IIRC.

[kb100]

Hyundai Genesis just got named the " The North American Car of the Year 2009" beating all the vaulted names in the business! Its is also the car of the year in CAnanda ... in fact its winning awards everywhere !

Hyundai Genesis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quoting from North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards ... Just look at the cars they beat!!!

2009 North American Car of the Year nominees

Audi A4
BMW 1 Series
Cadillac CTS-V
Dodge Challenger
Ford Flex
Honda Fit
Hyundai Genesis
Jaguar XF
Lincoln MKS
Mazda 6
Nissan GT-R
Pontiac G8
Toyota Venza


EDIT - Some more ...

Hyundai’s all-new flagship, the Genesis sedan, launched to significant anticipation culminating with its coronation as the 2009 North American Car of the Year – the first time a Korean brand has ever achieved the honor. But Genesis didn’t stop there, accumulating honor after prestigious honor to become the most decorated new car launch of the 2009 model year. At last count, Genesis tallied more than 20 top honors from the most prominent media outlets and automotive organizations in North America.


Genesis’ trophy case includes awards and accolades from the likes of J.D. Power and Associates,Motor Trend, AutoPacific, Cars.com and leading consumer publications. Genesis is built on Hyundai’s all-new, performance-driven rear-wheel-drive architecture. It offers two powertrains, the Lambda 3.8-liter V6 engine producing 290 hp, and Hyundai’s all-new Tau 4.6-liter V8 engine producing 375 hp. With technology rivaling more expensive luxury sedans, convenience features like push-button start and navigation system, and five-star safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), it’s clear that Genesis is among the best new cars of 2009. But at a starting MSRP of just $32,250 and max price of just $42,000 for a fully loaded Genesis, it’s no surprise the competition was left in Hyundai’s rear-view mirror.

“Genesis was developed to rival the world’s best luxury sedans so we knew it would be a great car, but we didn’t know how it would be received by the automotive community,” said Scott Margason, director of Product & Strategic Planning for Hyundai. “As the awards accumulated, we realized not only how well designed the Genesis was, but how far the Hyundai brand had come. Consumers and automotive industry influencers really embraced the idea of Hyundai producing a luxury product.”


Genesis Sedan Awards

1. 2009 North America Car of the Year
2. Motor Trend– America’s Top 40 New Cars
3. J.D. Power and Associates – Automotive, Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) - Most appealing midsize premium car
4. J.D. Power and Associates – Vehicle Launch Index (VLI) - Highest ranked 2009 all-new or redesigned vehicle
5. The Car Book 2009 – Best Bet (intermediate category)
6. About.com – Best New Car
7. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance– Best New Model (sedans $30,000-$45,000)
8. NADAguides.com – Car of the Month (April)
9. NADAguides.com – Top 5 Luxury Cars
10. NADAguides.com – Best Car Buy - Top luxury cars under $35,000
11. Autotropolis.com – Car of the Year
12. Cars.com – Car of the Year
13. On Wheels – Car of the Year
14. AutoPacific – Ideal Vehicle Awards - Aspirational Luxury Category
15. AutoPacific –Vehicle Satisfaction Awards - Aspirational Luxury Category
16. Consumer Reports– Top-Rated Vehicle (upscale sedan category)
17. Consumer Digest– Best Buy (luxury segment)
18. MyRide/Autobytel – Car of the Year
19. Ward’s Auto World– 10 Best Engines (4.6 liter Tau V8)
20. Automobile Journalists Association of Canada – Canadian Car of the Year
21. Automobile Journalists Association of Canada – Best New Luxury Vehicle Under $50,000

Source: HYUNDAI GENESIS IS CLASS OF THE 2009 MODEL YEAR WITH MOST TOP-CAR HONORS | PressReleasePoint

HYUNDAI - TAKE A BOW!!

PS: We will still have Hyundai haters!