[satish_appasani]

Shocked?

Was going through a column on USA Consumer reports 'Best Cars' and was shocked on reading about Hyundai Sonata at the end of the column.

Read the full column here:http://money.cnn.com/2005/03/04/pf/a...reut/index.htm
The winners are
Best Family Sedan - Honda Accord Hybrid
Best Upscale Sedan - Acura TL
Best Luxury Car - Lexus LS430
Best Fun Car - Subaru Impreza WRX/STi
Best Small SUV - Subaru Forester
Best Midsized SUV - Lexus RX330
Best 3-row SUV - Honda Pilot
Best Minivan - Honda Odyssey
Best Green Car - Toyota Prius
Best Small Sedan - Ford Focus sedan (latter dropped because of a failed crash test)

Some other facts:
The standing order of reiliability region wise is Asian, American, European. European cars are more unreliable than American cars. MB, VW, Volvo below the average. Only Audi has crossed the average line.

Nissan Quest, Volkswagen Touareg SUV, two of the most unreliable vehicle.

The most reliable brand overall is Subaru.

So now, who wants to buy Sonata?

[GTO]

Not shocked at all. Simplicity of design and continuously evolving manufacturing techniques make the koreans the ones to watch out for.

Fantastic job Hyundai. Pat on the back.

GTO

[Rtech]

Fantastic job Hyundai. Pat on the back.

Agree totally.

But I still wouldn't buy one!

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Rtech

Agree totally.

But I still wouldn't buy one!

Seems more of an issue with attitude than anything else. I bought Hyundai once, and the experience has been so good that I would buy another - just waiting for the right product.

[Rtech]

You're right Steeroid. It is more a mindset than anything else. As a car, there is not much to find fault with. Conversely, as an enthusiast, there is not much to get excited about either.

[Shan2nu]

Seems more of an issue with attitude than anything else

i don't think so. I wouldn't buy a Hyundai, agreed. But, at the same time, i wouldn't even consider the Corolla, the NHC, the Camry, Accord A/T just bcoz they're not what i'm looking for.

Skoda RS, Honda Accord M/T, Mondeo are the kinda cars i can relate to.

Let Hyundai launch a car that's better than the 3 mentioned cars and i'll surely consider it.

Shan2nu

[jesal]

no doubt about this. getz has some rockin reviews as well. i have a hyundai now for 4 years and havent spent more than 15000 rs. on maintaing it in these years. its all in the mind

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Let Hyundai launch a car that's better than the 3 mentioned cars and i'll surely consider it.
Shan2nu

Firstly, most people buy a car to facilitate their lives rather than to endanger it (and that of others) through traffic light GPs and street races. Secondly, at least one of the cars you mentioned - the Mondy, of which we own quite a few that we picked up at the equivalent of 3.7 lakhs apiece (brand new) - is a pain to be sitting/driving in on our roads. I personally would prefer to reach 100 in a couple of seconds less, as long as I can do so in relative comfort (when I'm dishing out >10 lakhs in India, they'd better be comfortable) and can sustain the speed.

IMHO, speed - much like alcohol - is to be enjoyed responsibly and what matters is not how fast you get to your limits of your engine but how long you can extend that pleasure. I dont need a road-ripper to be able to do that.

Secondly, there is the question of reliability and cost of service. The former is the reason why you can buy a Toyota blindfolded, and the combination of these two factors is what is making Hyundai a force to reckon with today. From Africa to South America to South East Asia, the Accent is the 'new Corolla' - reliable and economical transportation.

There arent many traffic light GP contenders in Hyundai's stables, so I guess the only one that might interest you would be the Coupe AKA the Tiburon or Tuscany, which is an economical 'sports' car that is based on the Elantra floorpan and comes with the Sonata's 2.7 litre V6. I did read that BVR Subbu is planning to bring it to India.

As for the attitude, we'll see in a few years when they're #5 worldwide.

Cheers

Steer

[Shan2nu]

There arent many traffic light GP contenders in Hyundai's stables, so I guess the only one that might interest you would be the Coupe AKA the Tiburon or Tuscany, which is an economical 'sports' car that is based on the Elantra floorpan and comes with the Sonata's 2.7 litre V6. I did read that BVR Subbu is planning to bring it to India.

Fair enuf, that sounds like a good car. Even Top Gear reccomends it.

Shan2nu

[Rtech]

Even Top Gear reccomends it.

Lol Shan, you sure treat TG as you godfather!

And steer, looks like we have a diehard Hyundai supporter with us. Or should I say another die hard supporter.

However, something to chew on, it may just be that buyers of more expensive cars have higher expectations, so a small noise or peeve which a Hyundai buyer may overlook is taken seriously in a BMW or Audi. Less expensive cars are always going to be leading these sort of surveys. You will never see a Roll's up there will you?

Reliability and desirability are completely different things. Problems per 100 vehicles and 10 year warranties are not the stuff of dreams

[Shan2nu]

Lol Shan, you sure treat TG as you godfather!

I was just being nice, for obvious reasons!!!

It's not a bad car. It's got a 2.7 ltr V6 engine with 172bhp. 0-60 in 7.4 secs and a top speed of 137mph.

However, for 2 grand more, you can get a Civic Type R with a 2ltr, 4 cylinder engine producing 197bhp, 0-60 in 6.5 secs and a top speed of 146mph.

So you see, there's no harm what-so-ever, in considering one off these............ on my way to the nearest Honda dealership.

Shan2nu

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Rtech

Lol Shan, you sure treat TG as you godfather!

And steer, looks like we have a diehard Hyundai supporter with us.

However, something to chew on, it may just be that buyers of more expensive cars have higher expectations, so a small noise or peeve which a Hyundai buyer may overlook is taken seriously in a BMW or Audi.

I wouldnt call myself a die-hard supporter of any specific brand, but I hate to see a bias that is based on a perceived 'image' and not on hard facts. This is the single biggest problem with Indian automags as well - their credibility is questionable on account of this bias.

As for the expectations, the cars that were discussed in context were the Honda City, the Skoda Octavia and the Mondeo. By no stretch of imagination can these be compared to Beemers or Audis.

The Hyundai I own in India is much better in quality when compared to the Fords and Fiats that it competes with. I also felt that it offered better quality than a Honda Civic that I had in South Africa (not comparing engines, but cars).

I speak from personal experience accumulated on a few vehicles ranging from the E240 to the Smart car, including unheard-of (in India) models like Proton Perdana and the Seat Toledo. Lest you jump to conclusions, I did not own these - they were company cars except for the Smart and a Freelander.

Cheers

Steer

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Fair enuf, that sounds like a good car. Even Top Gear reccomends it.

Shan2nu

Shan. I guess a 'car' for you is a means of getting from 0-60 in the least amount of time.

That said, the coupe is not a 'fun' car because it comes with the H-matic (Tiptronic?) transmission. What fun is a sports car if you dont have manual gears? As for being a 'good' car, I have no idea how good it is in other aspects such as safety, comfort, et al.

Out of interest, what do you drive?

Steer

[Shan2nu]

That said, the coupe is not a 'fun' car because it comes with the H-matic (Tiptronic?) transmission. What fun is a sports car if you dont have manual gears? As for being a 'good' car, I have no idea how good it is in other aspects such as safety, comfort, et al.

I know, that's exactly why i mentioned the Civic Typre R.

Out of interest, what do you drive?

Well, i drive a Honda City Vtec.

Shan2nu

[vinsanity]

Its just because everyone thinks about the 0-100 in x secs etc some dont consider the hyundai.. But as far as "a family car for a middle class family who needs a car for daily use in a city where the traffic is crazy" is concerned, hyundai is the best buy, ya we have the maruthi..
Never liked the sonata though..