Originally Posted by Cmike2780 (Post 2938540)

Just a reminder. Read the forum rules.:tiphat:

Originally Posted by Cmike2780 (Post 2938539)

Up until Hyundai's recent models, I wasn't really a fan either. About 20 years ago their cars were worthless than scrap metal. I still remember my uncle's Excel that I swear I could rip apart with a butter knife. 10 years ago, their styling was terrible, but build quality was on par with some American cars. With the market collapse, people in the US started buying them because they were relatively less expensive than their counterparts and they offered a lengthy warranty compared to others (5-year bumper-to-bumper with a 10-year powertrain). That's a huge plus for most consumers. People who just needed a car to get them from A to B swallowed them up and the rest is history. This is pretty much how Nissan and Toyota gained footing in the 80's and 90's.

Word of mouth just started to spread and most of their line-up surprisingly started becoming more reliable. About 4-5 years ago, I think they really up'd the ante and came out with bolder styling and better build quality. My wife had an '04 Santa-fe which we just traded in for a new Tucson. I gotta say, I'm truly impressed with the overall improvement in build quality over her old car. It's night and day and I would honestly consider placing Hyundai on the list of companies if I were buying a new car now. I sat in a new Sonata & Santa-Fe Sport in the dealership and it was a lot nicer than what Nissan, Toyota, Mazda or Honda has to offer so far. The Genesis Coupe is still meh...but it looks like they're at least headed in the right direction. Only issue will all this is pricing. Hyundai is no longer the cheap/bargain alternative. It's definitely more in-line with other companies now and the price points show it.

The badging is used by companies to charge higher premiums for certain cars. It makes sense in the US because of the way our cars are priced. Some companies like Toyota for example, have models that overlap if they didn't separate from Lexus. Rather than cannibalizing sales from one model to another, it makes more sense to have a standalone company that offers more of a niche luxury market. This can be beneficial to companies with a large model portfolio. It also has a lot to do with being able to create costly dealerships outlets. It's why Hyundai is still on the fence about separating it's Genesis line-up. With only a 3 or so models so far, it doesn't bode well on the logistics side to construct a new network of dealerships. In the UK, the market is significantly different. They frankly have different taste when it comes to cars and more often flock to smaller cars. Luxury brands are a bit more difficult to introduce in the UK especially when you have established brands with better pedigree right next door.

Originally Posted by watson853 (Post 2938768)

Down south where I live people still think nissan's are POS cars, it drives me crazy. Not nearly as bad as it used to be though.

Originally Posted by Firebase99 (Post 2938847)

I'm writing from my phone otherwise would have clipped this. What you say about is bang on. I agree about the looks too. Though tbe rear of the 3.8 is sexy as hell IMO. The Z is the hands down looker. But up until you really drive a 3.8, especially the two top models, GT and Ultimate, it really is quite the package. No, it doesn't have quite the performance of the Z, I wondered if I'd miss that selling my 370 for the 3.8. I don't. It has 95% of the performance (I'd argue mid range the 3.8 would put a hurting on a 6 speed though), for the same price I got my base 2013 with sport, I got a 3.8 decked out in all the tech, leather and goodies you could want for slightly less than I paid for the Z. It's a fantastic Touring/commute car. I do miss the Z a little. Mostly the looks but the fit and finish inside is IMO above Nissans. They've come A LONG way in a short time and will only get better.

Originally Posted by njobe89 (Post 2939672)

to me it's a Hyundai... after i sold my acura i was looking at a 3.8 and i went and test drove, my friend worked at the dealership and gave me hell of a deal. still i couldn't manage to buy it. the rear looks nice but the front is hideous, at least to me. the fake hood scoops too. to me the high tech package doesnt matter, i have a acura tsx fully loaded but i still use my phone for navi, go figure lol.

Originally Posted by Drakonis GTR (Post 2938848)

I use to live in Arkansas. There, the motto was "If it aint wearin a Bow-Tie, it ain't worth a ****" That attitude, coupled with a some first-hand examples of "superior GM quality" led to my older brother and I having such a low opinion of GM in general

Originally Posted by watson853 (Post 2939815)

Fake hood vents really bug the crap outa me. I can't stand when car company's waste time and money.

Originally Posted by watson853 (Post 2940284)

I read that as well. Hyundai is supposedly considering to replace it with a sport sedan M3 fighter.


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