Japan VS Korea SUV

**gregg_g** · May 9th, 2007 07:40 PM

Originally Posted by Orido

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..

Sorento is a ladder on frame chassis type SUV, fyi

**yuichi** · May 9th, 2007 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by 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...

Rav4, Outlander, Forester, Murano , Xtrail and others are Car-based Jap SUVs for on-road driving like Santa Fe.
Hyundai Terracan is an off-roader, and very good indeed and I would choose it or Sorento over Fortuner for off-roading.

Btw, Santa Fe 4x4 CRDI now available here.

**oliver1013** · May 9th, 2007 07:52 PM

The way I see it the japanese are leading the pack with the koreans closing in fast...will the japs keep their lead or can the koreans sustain the momentum? only time can tell

**Orido** · May 9th, 2007 09:21 PM

Sir greg.. ok so the sorento is a ladder frame chassis but is it proven against the dependability and durablity of the toyota, nissan or mitsubishi??.. kasi khit na ladder on frame nga ang sorento.. and suspension tuning niya is for On road use with slight off roading because of its height.. kasi the sorento is designed to be an American SUV with Asian packaging.. hence the great kit that comes with it.. And in terms of off roading capabilities the Fortuner is the leader bar none in its class!.. especially the 4X4 guise especially having a center locking diff and high ground clearance even in stock form it can go up there with the big boys!! and not to mention the tried and tested Toyota 4X4 technology and experience that go back since the first LC and thats over 30 years! kaya naman toyota parin ang vehicle of choice ng mga terrorist at mga allies!.. not just toyota look at the hordes of Nissan Patrols,Toyota LC series, Mitsubishi Pajeros that the UN, Red cross and other relief agencies is using world wide. The japs are helping the world everytime with their ever dependable and reliable Utility Vehicles!!

**Drave** · May 9th, 2007 11:06 PM

There's no doubt that in the near future the koreans may be at par or even surpass the japanese in terms of quality and reliability in their vehicles but that time is not yet now.

There was a time when japanese cars were mocked upon by the americans and europeans due to their poor engineering and unreliability, but after decades of perseverance, look at them now.

Since we are talking about cars, the key factor is still metallurgy. Japanese steel is at par with the americans and the germans and you'll notice this with precision parts. The koreans, I guess, are still lagging behind in this regard, but not for long. The vera cruz has proven that they can now make their own engines and not import it from the japs or europeans.

Technology makes the learning curve logarithmic. Give them (koreans) 2 more generations of vehicle models and you'll see.

I have one question though, are current model korean cars 100% korean in terms of powertrain, suspension, chassis, and bodywork?

**yuichi** · May 10th, 2007 12:19 AM

Originally Posted by Orido

Sir greg.. ok so the sorento is a ladder frame chassis but is it proven against the dependability and durablity of the toyota, nissan or mitsubishi??.. kasi khit na ladder on frame nga ang sorento.. and suspension tuning niya is for On road use with slight off roading because of its height.. kasi the sorento is designed to be an American SUV with Asian packaging.. hence the great kit that comes with it.. And in terms of off roading capabilities the Fortuner is the leader bar none in its class!.. especially the 4X4 guise especially having a center locking diff and high ground clearance even in stock form it can go up there with the big boys!! and not to mention the tried and tested Toyota 4X4 technology and experience that go back since the first LC and thats over 30 years! kaya naman toyota parin ang vehicle of choice ng mga terrorist at mga allies!.. not just toyota look at the hordes of Nissan Patrols,Toyota LC series, Mitsubishi Pajeros that the UN, Red cross and other relief agencies is using world wide. The japs are helping the world everytime with their ever dependable and reliable Utility Vehicles!!

the height of the Fort gives a huge disadvantage though, coz of an unstable base. btw, i read a Top Gear Ph mag last year, Everest was chosen over a 3.0 Fort on an off-road test.

sorry, ot na.

**Orido** · May 10th, 2007 08:06 AM

the height of the fort is there because toyota knows that when it floods here in the Philippines you will need a tall ride height to pass through them safely.. and who says that the Fort is unstable?? as I have also read from Top gear mag last year they have nothing but praises for its Off roading capabilities??.. and also C! mag says that it is the best in on/off road compromise.. and the "unstability" of the fort due to its ride height is none is existence!! I have been driving our fort for months now mix highway and city and some off roading I never felt such a thing.. this is because toyota tune its suspension with an aggressive anti roll bar setting and stiff spring rate thats why even with a tall stance the Fort corners flat even in aggressive hard cornering.. Now toyota tune it this way because of their experience know how in making the best compromise for their utility vehicles.. unlke the Koreans where they have relatively not much experience making reliable and durable utility vehicles.. have you seen any SF or sorentos being used in any world trouble spots or calamities??

**yuichi** · May 10th, 2007 08:24 PM

hahah! so i'll buy a Fortuner coz it'll help me during calamities, while a SF or Sorento would'nt, is that right?

im not driving a Fort, but everybody knows that the taller the "body", the wider the base. the anti-roll bars and spings would just reduce the effect of body roll.

read the April 2007 issue of Top Gear mag comparing the handling of the SUVS in different aspects like high-speed tight cornerings.

**Blackraven** · May 10th, 2007 10:52 PM

Originally Posted by Drave

I have one question though, are current model korean cars 100% korean in terms of powertrain, suspension, chassis, and bodywork?

For the Veracruz, everything is from the Hyundai/Kia main factory sa Ulsan, Korea.

Same for the Santa Fe for all markets except USA/Canada & Central/Latin America. Those units for Americas come from the Hyundai factory in Alabama.

Pero for the Veracruz, everything is 100% straight from the source in Korea and that's how it should be if you want the best quality possible.

Korean car = made in Korea; Japanese car = made in Japan; Euro car = Made in Europe.

Take a look what happened to Volvo. For example, yung Volvo S60 dapat made in Sweden lang siya. Three years after its launch, they started making these sa Belgium and exported these outside Europe. Patay, quality ranks went downhill for the company. S40 is now being made in Malaysia for export to Australia/NZ and the latter downrated them for lousy quality plastics and incosistent wiring. Volvo was then perceived to be an unreliable car brand (worse than Audi)

Now, it looks like Volvo learned there lesson. Starting 2006-2007, all new S80/V70/XC70 vehicles will be made in only one factory: Gothenburg, Sweden.

If you want the highest quality possible, get it straight from the "SOURCE".

Simple as that

**Drave** · May 11th, 2007 12:20 AM

Originally Posted by Blackraven

If you want the highest quality possible, get it straight from the "SOURCE".

Simple as that

Gotcha! Para bang ayaw nilang mapapahiya...

I guess it would also help a lot in adding to their image of reliabiity to join car races (touring, wrc, dakar, f1, 4x4 or whatever). This is what many car companies are doing as part of their marketing. It would also create a following among buyers. Ika nga, kung talagang magaling ka, ipakita mo, lalo na sa extreme conditions.