Don't count me in with the haters. It's true that the Excel and some of the 1990's-vintage Hyundais left a lot to be desired, but I made it clear, in the write-up, that, with new management (because it is a fact), they clearly changed, starting around 2000. The 1997 Tiburon, which I sampled, was probably the first sign of a significant improvement. By the mid-2000s, IMHO, they were competing with the Japanese in overall quality and reliability.....with one of longest warranties in the business.


The price alone drew in a lot of sales. People who couldn't afford any more (or who had lousy credit) were scooping up new Excels and Ponys like it was going out of style. Strangely, Mitsubishi did not sell very many Precis models here in the U.S. under their own name, even though it was an almost identical rebadge....apparantly Hyundai was also undercutting them in pricing.

And, there were also at least some signs that this tendency of low-income/uneducated people to buy the Excels also contributed to its bad reputation. A lot of these buyers knew little or nothing about auto care, neglected basic maintenance, and ran the cars into the ground.



Hyundai/Kia is now the world's third largest automaker.



I'd buy a Genesis product before I would some Lexus models. In fact, several years ago, if you remember, I came very close to a new AWD G80....it was in second place behind my Lacrosse.

 

Glad you enjoyed it. I myself enjoy writing about, and sharing my memories of, vehicles from the past.

The Accent (at that time, also a rebadged next-generation Mitsubishi Precis) was a notable improvement over the original Excel. A Scoupe (2-door coupe version of the Accent) won the Pikes' Peak Hill Climb, a difficult and dangerous motorsport, in 1992...but, by then, so many people were dissatisfied with their Excels that the damage had been done, and would continue to plague the company for years, even after their products became credible.

 

i didn't. i said your post triggered them.

yes i do remember that. that gen g80 is very nice. they offered the solid 3.8 v6 and the meaty 5.0 v8.

 

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Perfect car for a young person in college to "rice" out. lol
Out of high school in the late 1980's I hadn't heard of ricing yet so not sure when that caught on.

Ricing out a "40yr old virgin" car is a good way to add some Shizaam and sportiness to an otherwise "non-chick magnet" car, that's what I would do anyway if it was me. haha

I didn't see anyone singing high praises for them, that's for sure. lol

Did you trade your Genesis on your current Lexus or the Hyundai Santa Fe?
Ok, be honest, did the thought ever cross your mind to buy a Hyundai Accent back in the day?

 

Starting in the mid-2000s or so, praises COULD be sung, in many cases, for Hyundai products, but, despite increasing quality and sales (and a new 10-year warranty) some of the public still stubbornly clung to an anti-Hyundai stance that, by then, was clearly outdated, Even 10 years after that, some still clung stubbornly to that straw.

 

genesis was a 3 yr lease. it's a bit complicated but bottom line, before it was due i got (bought) the Lexus LC500 and when Genesis time was up i returned it and leased the Santa Fe.

no because i was always fortunate enough to have been able to own a nicer car than that.