What happens with Hyundai/Kia get their act together?

[Polyal]

While they might be selling quite well at the moment based on price and kit I am still a bit "ify" on overall quality and performance (not sport performance, just general robustness).

So, what happens when they actually start building things that are appealing like this? Could you be swayed?

http://www.carsales.com.au/news/2015...on-outed-49282

If that thing got a decent TDi/petrol turbo and a AWD system then I could see it doing pretty well. I think its a stunning design.

So, if they had a decent drive train could you jump?

The Mondeo wagon is a good looking ship aswell but that thing has heaps more presence. But the Ford has a sorted driveline.

[Boza]

I'm still not convinced wsith kia hyundai are ok from what I hear a mates mrs bought one of those new kia cerato or whatever they are and everything that could go wrong did in the frirst 4 weeks of owning the car and the interior trim is starting to fall apart 6 months on so I;m not convinced about kia's just yet

[vztrt]

Have a look in the Santa Fe and you'll see Hyundai can do it. But your paying for it. The IX35 on the other hand is more what you would expect from them 10 years ago (in terms of quality finish).

Hyundai can get it right but your paying a premium. They're not a budget brand anymore.....especially for what their asking.

[Xauterus]

Hyundai really seem to have their stuff together these days. A mate of mine who is a real car enthusiast started with a i30 diesel for his son, then his daughter bought a velostar and he just bought a new Hyundai SUV.

What is interesting is when they started selling them in the USA they offered 10 year warranties.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Polyal

While they might be selling quite well at the moment based on price and kit I am still a bit "ify" on overall quality and performance (not sport performance, just general robustness).

Robustness?

There are still plenty of Hyundai Excels still on the roads who have been abused across multiple owners and they're still kicking.

There are also plenty of "Ford" Festiva's still getting about also.

I'd say Hyundai/Kia are pretty "robust".

Hyundai/Kia has one of the best small diesel engines on the market at the moment with their 2.2L 4 cylinder diesel engine.

They would certainly be on my list to check out thats for sure, I wouldn't just cross them off right away.

[xisled]

My parents have a 2011 Kia Sportage, it’s been great, never broken down runs great, still has under 100k on the clock.

Only down side is the so called leather seat and some trim parts such as steering wheel are really wearing. Apart from that the car is faultless.

[Polyal]

What about driving dynamics? Ride quality?

[Whitey-AMG]

Originally Posted by Polyal

What about driving dynamics? Ride quality?

If people really woriied about those things there wouldnt be a single camry on the road......

It's all about the tech , bout the tech , NOT THE TRAVEL......

[pigglesworth]

I hire cats often for when. Ride Ride quality on the new Kias and Hyundais I've driven recently is generally pretty poor, due mainly to the stupidly stiff suspension designed to make people feel its 'sporty' and not designed for family cars that will encounter (often rough) australian roads. And i don't just mean rural roads, normal older urban streets can be irritatingly unpleasant to drive down when a vehicle has very little suspension absorbing shocks from the road. I also hated the seats on these cars; very narrow and firm resulting in substantial discomfort on long trips.Though the Kia (Cerato) did handle fairly well. The 6 speed auto was a clunky, indecisive piece of junk though.

To be honest though the worst new car I've been in recently is my sister's brand new Yarris (so its not just a Korean thing). Suspension so firm that it was irritating and fatiguing just driving down an average standard rural hwy on a recent holiday, and when we drove down a corrugated dirt road it literally felt like I was operating a whipper snipper. All this would be fine if these cars were quick (I.e. you could utilise some of the handling benefits traded off for ride quality) but they aren't.

Anyway, to end my rant, I haven't been particularly impressed with any of the smaller Korean hatchbacks / sedans I've driven recently. Though I must admit they're a streets ahead in terms of 'drivability' and visual appeal than their model offerings from say10 years ago in the same price brackets.

[Road_Warrior]

They've come along way no doubt about that, and cars like the Santa Fe and Genesis prove they are capable of turning out stuff that is equal to the so-called "higher end" Japanese cars like Honduh, and other makes like VW and Renault etc.

I'd probably spring for a Hyundai over a Toyota or Mazda, depending on the application.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Polyal

What about driving dynamics? Ride quality?

I have bought 2 new cars in the last 2 years and these items were never part of my buying criteria.

Gadgets, warranty, value for money and running costs were my priority.

[STINKY NINJA]

Hyundai have their had their act together for a while now,what happened to ford australia ever geting their act together???

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by STINKY NINJA

Hyundai have their had their act together for a while now,what happened to ford australia ever geting their act together???

They are starting to now, it is just unfortunate that Ford's Australian made cars won't be able to share in some of that. With some more investment and an export opportunity or two, oh what could have been...

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

They are starting to now, it is just unfortunate that Ford's Australian made cars won't be able to share in some of that. With some more investment and an export opportunity or two, oh what could have been...

Ranger/Everest?

[STINKY NINJA]

Shouldnt have really gone off topic there,my mistake.
Hyundai have known for a long time their cars can mix it with the best of them in terms of reliability and popularity and i guess the prices have gone up to suit,i think some still knock hyundai because of the early crappy cars they made,those days are long gone.

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by STINKY NINJA

Shouldnt have really gone off topic there,my mistake.
Hyundai have known for a long time their cars can mix it with the best of them in terms of reliability and popularity and i guess the prices have gone up to suit,i think some still knock hyundai because of the early crappy cars they made,those days are long gone.

People have short memories.
Look at the Ford model T it was an abysmal car!!!!
every Hyundai ever built was many many times better than the model T
how we could possibly look at Ford as a quality manufacturer after producing that and the exploding pinto oh and the mustang 11, and Edsel


Jokingly Yours

JP

[STINKY NINJA]

Originally Posted by jpblue1000

People have short memories.
Look at the Ford model T it was an abysmal car!!!!
every Hyundai ever built was many many times better than the model T
how we could possibly look at Ford as a quality manufacturer after producing that and the exploding pinto oh and the mustang 11, and Edsel


Jokingly Yours

JP

Your post makes no sense at all?
I know hyundai are good cars thats what my post says...
Did you even read my first post?
wtf

[Ratmick]

I had a Hyundai hire car, an iX35, in Tasmania in January.

Build quality was pretty good, albeit the interior was a bit bland (not that I can comment driving a 2010 Focus). There's also not a great deal of room for what is a medium-sized SUV though, and less luggage space than the Focus.

Performance-wise it was a bit disappointing. Pushing the accelerator just made it change down one or two gears and get a bit louder, not add a great deal in get up and go. So while it's not going to rip your arms off, or get your pulse going, it did what it was designed to do and moved four adults across Hobart.

Would I buy one....probably not, not a big fan of baby SUVs and there are better options anyway.

FWIW it wasn't even in the same universe as my step-father's 2000 Excel, a bigger POS I'd have trouble finding...although it's still going, it's like a cockroach.

[XR5]

I can still remember when they first hit the scene so for me that probably sways my opinion being that I wouldn't buy Hyundai or Kia regardless of their current product. First impressions count I guess.

But in saying that there is a whole new generation of buyers now who they are trying to sway and appeal to that would have no experience of their first efforts so they will have no dramas I think.

[Kieron]

I was out test driving a bunch of SUV's late last year, drove the Santa Fe and the Sorento (also the new and superceeded CRV, new Xtrail, new Cherokee and Grand Cherokee), both had the same turbo diesel and I was highly impressed by it. Sante Fe had a damn good ride and handled quite nicely too, overall very impressed and may have bought one but the price puts it up in the large SUV class. Sorento was the outgoing model, a generation behind it's Santa Fe cousin but was still fairly decent and with a 7 year warranty, you couldn't go to far wrong.

I ended up buying a Grand Cherokee but thats because I wanted one ;)

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by Polyal

What happens with Hyundai/Kia get their act together?

What do you mean?

They've had their act sorted for years, especially Hyundai.

Got into the market with a cheap car that used basic Mitsubishi running gear; the things may have had bits falling off the body after warranty but they ran on vapour and drove just about forever.

Every model had improvements to the plastics, cloth, suspension, engine, etc and stayed with proven and reliable running gear.

They built up a reputation that makes Toyota shudder with fear.

The latest models drive well, are fairly cheap to fix, have very good quality build for the dollars and are basic enough for most handy people to work on.

Hyundai have been getting their act together for 15 years.

Shame none of our locals could.

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by STINKY NINJA

Your post makes no sense at all?
I know hyundai are good cars thats what my post says...
Did you even read my first post?
wtf

Originally Posted by STINKY NINJA

...because of the early crappy cars they made,those days are long gone.

Long gone like the Model T days and the dark days of 70's American fords!
It was a topical joke.

JP

[Hawkeye84]

Of the Korean companies....Hyundai is considered the "winning team", they pretty much tackled the korean business culture when they had that scandal years ago where an employee leaked his sentiments toward korean management and business culture.

Companies like Kia, LG, Samsung are still struggling with the hierarchical korean business culture, some do it better than others, but the sucessful ones have found the balance between eastern and western cultures.

Of the Kia product lines, its the ones coming from the european factories/european designed that are your picks (rio, pro_cee'd gt, sportage and optima) the rest of the korean fleet, although good value - you can really tell the difference in quality, design and dynamics when compared to the european fleet.

The new kia optima, from which is based on that concept should be coming end of this year

[danzvtil]

Mine is there

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Tell me what sporty looking car can you get leather, push button start, LEDs front and rear, cornering lamps and shiny alloys for a tick over 20K?

They certainly have done something right.

[SpoolMan]

Peter Schreyer former head designer at Audi, since making the move to Kia/Hyundai the styling of these cars has improved so much.
Love the wagon and clever name to SPORTSPACE.

[Freiherr]

Two cars in our household are Hyundais.
2008 i30 diesel with 130,000 km and a 2010 Santa Fe diesel with 120,000 km.
Both have passed their 5 year warranties and never had any mechanical problems.
How good are those Korean batteries! Both our Hyundais are still on their original batteries.
When you are on a good thing, stick with it. Wont be changing our 2 Hyundais yet and the new XR8 on order will just be for church trips on Sundays.

[1TUFFUTE]

Meh. I don't care how good they are....or how full of gadgets they are, if they don't make me happy driving it hard then I don't want to know about it. If Hyundai evolve into a company with a good performance car with good street cred then I'll take a look.
But I'm one of those who loves cars and thinks just buying a car to get from A to B is missing a huge opportunity to add some value to a very large portion of your life.
No thanks.

Plus a couple of friends cars, 2hyundais and a yaris are complete BORE fests, falling apart inside and SLOW not too mention expensive at times to repair. I realise not all of these cars are the same but still.....

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by johnydep

What do you mean?

They've had their act sorted for years, especially Hyundai.

Got into the market with a cheap car that used basic Mitsubishi running gear; the things may have had bits falling off the body after warranty but they ran on vapour and drove just about forever.

Every model had improvements to the plastics, cloth, suspension, engine, etc and stayed with proven and reliable running gear.

They built up a reputation that makes Toyota shudder with fear.

The latest models drive well, are fairly cheap to fix, have very good quality build for the dollars and are basic enough for most handy people to work on.

Hyundai have been getting their act together for 15 years.

Shame none of our locals could.

What do I mean?

Well yeah sure they have the cheaper end of the market nailed and are now starting to branch out. But even so the Genesis still gets comments about lack of refinement, harsh ride and the power train not best in class.

Hence my comment, when they start getting better (not decent, just better) drive trains and work out that harsh suspension tune doesn't equal a "sporty" good ride then it will make Fords life alot harder.

But once all these other factors start to get better you would also expect the price to increase aswell so that advantage is gone.

The Veloster for example, while its different, quicky, and generally does the job its never really compared in any hot hatch comparisons. And if it was then its not going to get near the Focus ST, Megane etc.

I know plenty aswell that have made the switch from local to Korean, with mixed results, but its very rare that when someone drops $30k+ on a car they tell you the truth about how they feel about it.

The reasons for getting a iX35 over a Tex is usually always price.

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by Polyal

What do I mean?

Well yeah sure they have the cheaper end of the market nailed and are now starting to branch out. But even so the Genesis still gets comments about lack of refinement, harsh ride and the power train not best in class.

Hence my comment, when they start getting better (not decent, just better) drive trains and work out that harsh suspension tune doesn't equal a "sporty" good ride then it will make Fords life alot harder.

But once all these other factors start to get better you would also expect the price to increase aswell so that advantage is gone.

The Veloster for example, while its different, quicky, and generally does the job its never really compared in any hot hatch comparisons. And if it was then its not going to get near the Focus ST, Megane etc.

I know plenty aswell that have made the switch from local to Korean, with mixed results, but its very rare that when someone drops $30k+ on a car they tell you the truth about how they feel about it.

The reasons for getting a iX35 over a Tex is usually always price.

They have the "cheaper end of the market" and the middle secured. That's two thirds. Now they're going for the top end. That pretty much says that they have "their act together".

I'm in the industry, I've seen the growth that Hyundai has gone through over the past 15 years. Heard the talk from the public about "cheap & nasty", "I'll never drive one", it's not our main car, it's the run around". To the change over the years of "best car I've ever had", "never had a problem with it", "it's our main car", "I'm buying my third Hyundai".

Hyundai have had a plan for years, they still have a plan. It's working. Just look in the local car park. And it is not only because of price. The quality improvements in build and material is visually perceivable in each model. This is not just my opinion, this is what my customers tell me. This is why some keep buying the next model.

The Territory was ground breaking when it was first released, one of the best cars that I've ever owned. However, there were issues that took some shine off.

Have a look at how manufacturers like Hyundai act when the market complains; they bring the next model out with huge quality fixes. The same way Toyota did during the 1960's & 1970's. My father worked for Borg Warner, he told me stories about Japanese engineers coming over to discuss the problems that the automatic transmissions were having, then they'd go back to Japan and improve theirs.

Toyota now build cars across the price range. Hyundai are following, the end game is not over yet but Hyundai has a huge market and that can only come if you have your "act together".

[mik]

Originally Posted by pigglesworth

I hire cats often for when. Ride Ride quality on the new Kias and Hyundais I've driven recently is generally pretty poor, due mainly to the stupidly stiff suspension designed to make people feel its 'sporty' and not designed for family cars that will encounter (often rough) australian roads. And i don't just mean rural roads, normal older urban streets can be irritatingly unpleasant to drive down when a vehicle has very little suspension absorbing shocks from the road. I also hated the seats on these cars; very narrow and firm resulting in substantial discomfort on long trips.Though the Kia (Cerato) did handle fairly well. The 6 speed auto was a clunky, indecisive piece of junk though.

To be honest though the worst new car I've been in recently is my sister's brand new Yarris (so its not just a Korean thing). Suspension so firm that it was irritating and fatiguing just driving down an average standard rural hwy on a recent holiday, and when we drove down a corrugated dirt road it literally felt like I was operating a whipper snipper. All this would be fine if these cars were quick (I.e. you could utilise some of the handling benefits traded off for ride quality) but they aren't.

Anyway, to end my rant, I haven't been particularly impressed with any of the smaller Korean hatchbacks / sedans I've driven recently. Though I must admit they're a streets ahead in terms of 'drivability' and visual appeal than their model offerings from say10 years ago in the same price brackets.

id say thats about par for the course with any little car, have you driven a hiundies getz over some rail way lines ?......... im still looking for my back teeth !