ArmyofOne

So here are my thoughts on hyundai...They may very well be my next car purchase. For several reasons, value being one of the biggest...but warranty is the highest on my list. My wife and I love the 2010-11-12 Hyundai Santa-Fe. It is perfect for our needs. Problem is, its outdated look has us holding out for the redesign. I know if I buy one now, in a year or 2 they will totally redesign it. I know this because all of their other designs have totally left the Santa Fe in the dust:




^Santa Fe




^Sonata

Hmm, oddball much?

mmarshall

Definitely.

joshthorsc

Hyundai and Kia is definitely heading the right direction. If I ever need a new gas saving commuter, you can bet I will definitely be looking at their cars.

Fulorian

Except for the fact that JD Power and Consumer Reports have been testing their vehicles for 25 years? Hyundai's reliability has been on par with Japan for the last 5-10 years.

"I haven't been paying attention and have an existing negative mental image left over from David Letterman jokes in the 90s" is not the same as "there is no hard, factual reliability data on reliability of Hyundai vehicles".

They would be bankrupt right now with their 10/100 warranty if their quality wasn't on par. They would be on their way to bankruptcy with their new price guarantee trade-in program if their vehicles depreciated anywhere near what people still think they do.

I know there's a lot of bitterness among rabid fans of the Detroit Three about Korea's emergence as a player on the field. They actually -do- have labor laws, and in fact, their workforce in Alabama is as happy and proud of their product as any manufacturing workforce out there (I have a lot of family in Alabama). They have stronger unions in Korea than in the US, in fact - the Veloster has not yet released because their workers went on strike - because they tried to reassign workers to different factories. They literally went on strike because they didn't want to work with new co-workers, and they said that it would be 'breaking up their family at the plant' (their words, not mine). This really sounds like an oppressed minority working in a sweat shop, doesn't it?

And yes, they have restrictive tariffs on cars - just like we have restrictive tariffs on trucks. It happens, why does it matter to you?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i think the tuscon is nice too, and i don't know all the years/lineage, but it looks like it's already a modernized design, kind of like hyundai's version of the awesome kia sportage.

E6BAV8R

Testing vehicles over the past 25 years has absolutely nothing to do with long-term reliability. That's like saying if I was test driving a brand new Lexus at the dealership for the past 25 years by driving it around the parking lot for 5 minutes, without ever purchasing one, I've been driving a Lexus for the past 25 years. While theoretically correct, I'd be in no position to comment on long-term reliability.

As far as being on par with Japan, it depends which Japanese OEM you are referring to and your definition of "on-par". As you will see, 1-7 is all Japanese. Here is the Consumer Report Reliability for 2011:

1. Scion
2. Honda
3. Toyota
4. Infiniti
5. Acura
6. Mitsubishi
7. Lexus
8. Hyundai
9. Porsche
10. Mercury

Here is 2008:

1) Scion
2) Acura
3) Honda
4) Toyota
5) Lexus

People watch Letterman?

Well that is a huge assumption to make, and there is no data to back up that claim; as we don't know the inter workings of their business and profit margins on every single product they make or purchase through external contracts.

I have no bitterness, as I'm not a fan of the Big Three; and I drive a Lexus. I don't know anything about how unions work in Korea, and what it takes to go on strike. The workforce in Alabama has nothing to do with labor laws in Korea. Increasing union and labor laws to build a factory in the US is simply the cost of doing business that they deemed was necessary to exponentially attempt to grow their product. Korean government subsidies will substantially effect this; as it is simply going out of one pocket into another.

It doesn't - I don't drive a truck.

flash92sc

iTrader: (20)

I'm still gonna drive my 95 Sc and I haven't bought a new car since 1989 but I did my homework looking for dd for my wife n we bought 2011 sonata se. It is an amazing car. 4 cly 200 hp 5 spd auto with manual shift even paddleshifters on the wheel also handsfree Bluetooth phone xm satellite radio . Interior style and materials that look and feel as good as my e46 BMW I'm thouroughly impressed plus my dealer doubled the 10 yr 100000 to 20 yr 200000 if you take it there for service Pretty awesome I think. And it looks like a big Lexus. A little 

SaintNexus

Please tell me how you did that? That's pretty freakin awesome! 20 year warranty?!

spwolf

tucson is new, santa fe is old... accent is older too as is azera and veracruz.

rest of the lineup is getting update by the end of the year, if not already.

spwolf

p.s. Sonata is not actually doing that well. They have steering problem with car pulling to the side, which is still not fixed by Hyundai and people are complaining a lot. Over 120 complaints in NTHSA database for that alone, while for instance 2011 Camry has less than 20 complaints total for complete vehicle despite selling 50% more.

LexBob2

Sonata sales YTD thru May are 96,370 (+34%). Not too shabby.