Japan VS Korea SUV

[Jun aka Pekto]

Besides having more room, what made us choose a 2006 3.3L Sonata V6 was the service part. 10-yr bumper to bumper versus the regular 10-yr powertrain. We don't know if we'll keep the car that long. But, it's a good fall back just in case. We also have something like 5 years of free oil changes.

Our Hyundai service center (same group as our Ford dealer) have very courteous personnel. Service is prompt and thorough. Same free shuttle bus ride to home and back, nice waiting area with plasma tv/cable, comfortable sofas, free coffee, and doughnuts.

Then once the service is finished, we get a survey in the mail asking how the service was and to report any unpleasantries/complaints against the service center.

OT

That fact is, Korean cars has gone a long way.The Sonata is a great car and the VeraCruz can't just be ignored but then when you look at it in plain view, it's still a Hyundai (and i hate myself for saying that but then it's all because of image and perception).

I wouldn't go so far as saying the Sonata's a great car. The interior's a little plasticky cheap:


But, it is a wonderful road-trip car. More than adequate power (235 hp) for a mommy-car. Very quiet, comfortable seats, ergonomics just about perfect (for me and the wife). Compared to the 8 or 9 other sedans we test drove, she got the hang of the Sonata dash layout the quickest.

The Azera has a much better interior. It outclasses the Sonata in everything which is why it's outselling the Sonata in Korea. But, we got our car for $20k which included the full compliment of safety features such as 5 airbags and ESC. So hey, we're satisfied.

If the new 3.5 Camry was around at the time, it might've been a much tougher choice. But, I doubt Toyota would offer the same service extras as Hyundai did with us.

It's approaching the 2-yr mark and so far so good. There's a disconnect with Hyundai's older models and the new generation starting with the Tucson. I'm far less receptive with Hyundai's old models while I'm the opposite with the new generation.

[Blackraven]

With the Veracruz 3.0 Diesel, parang biglang nawala yung stigma ko on high-end Korean cars. With the Elantra naman, my fear of Korean budget/compact cars also vanished.

But most important for me was the Veracruz. Stunning is the best word for it.

Just one year after the release of the Santa Fe and they really pushed harder to raise their own standard.

Also, I think the Philippine-market Veracruz gets the "Smart Entry System" (keyless system ala Toyota Previa & Camry 3.5) na wala sa USA market.

The Koreans now finally have something to compete against the Nissan Murano and I believe that their efforts have indeed paid off with this.

A WORLD-CLASS LUV (LUXURY UTILITY VEHICLE).

You should see yung TV commercial nito sa Korea kung saan there are groups of Japanese, Americans and Europeans reacting about the Veracruz. They are constantly monitoring it because they see it as a threat to their high-end vehicles.

Here's the vid:


A quote from the TV CM: "What's the reaction of the Germans and the Japanese on this?"

The LUV....Veracruz.

[toink]

And you think that doesn't happen to Japan-made SUVs?

Here's my short checklist of problems in my Japan CBU SUV:

- front & rear shock absorber replacement
- steering has an inherent pull to the right
- defective front disc brakes
- aircon foul up
- dirty throttle body
- etc, etc, etc

And oh, all those happened before the 40K mark.

Japanese quality my arse... in the end, pare-pareho lang sila halos ng mga Koreans, American, Europeans.

I have to agree. Honda City iDSI ko dati wala pa 3 mos. sira na power windows and after 3 weeks busted na tail lights.

Mazda3 ko naman pumapaling sa kaliwa hindi naman nagawa ng casa then after 14mos. pudpod na rear tires w/ only 12Tkms. on the odo I don't race & do drifting just on a regular use.

[yuichi]

I have to agree. Honda City iDSI ko dati wala pa 3 mos. sira na power windows and after 3 weeks busted na tail lights.

Mazda3 ko naman pumapaling sa kaliwa hindi naman nagawa ng casa then after 14mos. pudpod na rear tires w/ only 12Tkms. on the odo I don't race & do drifting just on a regular use.

and dont forget the local Civic Lemon thread and D4D woes.

[Camgen6]

There's a disconnect with Hyundai's older models and the new generation starting with the Tucson. I'm far less receptive with Hyundai's old models while I'm the opposite with the new generation.

* Jun, I very much agree with you. And all Hyundai line of vehicles are all new, none of the older generation I like but these new generations are very different. Para bang may 10-15 year gap from the previous gen to the current ones.

[Blackraven]

Here's what I'm thinking.

I still disagree that Korean cars are better than let's say Japanese cars.....well at least as of 2007.

Will they be better than the Japs? With the recently-launched Veracruz now on sale, I think this is starting to become a possibility. Best prediction that I can make of is that Hyundai/Kia group will be carrying a heavy onslaught that will go past year 2010 & beyond.

So I still say that they are behind the Japs but with what I've seen with Veracruz, they've been catching up real fast. Fast to the point na the Veracruz = Murano quality.

The tides do change rapidly.

Siguro in 30-40 years, Hyundai/Kia could highly be the next #1 automaker (once Toyota steps down from that position).

Pero here's the thing: When you're #1, you would never hold that position forever.

The Europeans had their time, the Americans had their shot of fame, the Japs are enjoying their current leadership position of being "automobile kings" atm up until the end of this decade and (probably up to the next as well). When it's time, the Koreans take over #1 spot, they to will start employing cost-cutting measures, slack off on quality, use inferior parts with cheap service support, etc.

Then once the Koreans lose their spot, the Chinese car makers will be the ones to take their place (even if their cars are like **** atm). Once the Chinese "fall", siguro maybe African cars will takeover.

Lesson here: No one can dominate for more than a decade. The cycle seems to be that domination for each "group" would only have 10 years to hold on to the #1 spot (if ever, 20 years at most).

It's like being the economic powerhouse.

Last three-four decades ago, it was USA and Western Europe leading economic growth. Ngayon the shift is going into Asia (with India & China leading the front). Within that frame, the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) will be the new power.

After the economic dominance of BRIC ends, Africa naman ang susunod. Then same goes to whoever is next in line.

In reality, no one ever "owns" the "trophy". It will get passed on to the next one in line and once after their time has passed, it will get passed on to another candidate.

[mbeige]

Tambutso, you must know that the question you asked is very broad and the answers will be based on a lot of personal, subjective experience and hence will definitely be biased. There will be some cases when the opposite will be true, and a Japanese "lemon" will appear, and the opposite is also often true.

There is no single car that will be able to represent its parent company. The question asked is very broad but the general consensus is that the only way to truly know is to experience it yourself and check the cars out at the dealers, go for a test drive, and see which one you'll like more.

And when you attempt to define "better", be specific, really specific.

Build quality?
Performance?
Longevity?
Off road ability?
Carrying capacity?
Handling?
Daily abuse?
Comfort?
Accessories/equipment for all-option cars?
Safety?
Maintenance costs?
DIY friendliness?
Engineering design (easily replace spark plugs? belts a PITA to replace? etc)

Etc...

[Jun aka Pekto]

* Jun, I very much agree with you. And all Hyundai line of vehicles are all new, none of the older generation I like but these new generations are very different. Para bang may 10-15 year gap from the previous gen to the current ones.

I'd say Hyundai's current models, aside from the Veracruz, is a model year behind equivalent Japanese models. Say maybe.....2-3 years which isn't really bad. Some things can be improved upon and it seems Hyundai's applying lessons learned from the 06 Sonata to 07 Azera/07 Santa Fe and so on to the 08 Veracruz. I can't wait to see how they'll apply lessons learned from the Veracruz to that V8 concept sedan.

I consider the Veracruz to be the first model that can go toe to toe with Japanese equivalents, at least here. The Santa Fe's pretty close. But, I'm much more convinced with the Veracruz after an in-depth examination (short of actually driving the thing) of it while my Sonata's having an oil change. The Hyundai dealer gave me the keys to one, told me I can drive the Veracruz around town, and then walked away. He said they knew where I lived. He He

[Orido]

I still think that Japanese SUV's are better than Korean SUV's.. Kasi as I see it korean SUV's are tuned more for on road use thats why its more comfortable than the japs i.e. Sta fe vs Fort thats more of a difference talaga in what the Japs and koreans percieve of an SUV.. kasi with the japs they always tune their SUV's with on/off road compromise.. i.e. the ladder on frame chassis of the fort and the sonata derived chassis of the Sta fe.. ok sabihin na natin 90% of SUV owners will not use their vehicles off road pero there is still the 10% that will use it and hindi natin alam kung kelan pala natin kelangan ang off roading capabilities ng SUV natin.. and in the long run I still believe na the Jap quality and durability and Jap SUV's will last longer and more easier to maintain than the Koreans...

[maverickjazzy]

i can only cite an example, although these are not car manufacturers but this somewhat mirrors the car industry. im talking about the consumer electronics competition between samsung and sony. for years or probably since the 70's, sony has been lording it all over the world when it comes to consumer electronics. now in 21st century, samsung has caught up and overtaken sony as the biggest consumer electronics company in the world.

im not saying that hyundai would surpass toyota in terms of sales or quality but the koreans are a persistent and hard-working people just like the japanese, and i wouldnt be surprised if that happens, the same way that many were surprised when samsung suddenly becomes the biggest consumer electronics company