Is Hyundai overrated? i went to find out

[Mr. Burns]

is all this talk about Hyundai's vastly improved perception shattering products BS? in short, yes. It is.

yesterday i checked out the local toyota dealer and the hyundai dealer, to see if the two manufacturers had comprable products. I didnt drive anything, just probing for materils, quality, and design. Overall, i came away dissapointed.

i make reference to GM vehicles i reviewed a while back (My impression of GM build quality vs. Honda build quality)
Below are my reviews (pics are taken off the internet, but all the cars i sat in have the same color scheme as the pics):



Toyota

Most Disappointing:

Yaris- Very disappointing POS. Stepping up to the car I was blown away by how ugly it looked in person. I liked everything behind the A-pillar, but the front was really odd.

Interior- the location of the gauge cluster creates a huge expanse of dash in both the driver and passenger sides. This expanse is covered top to bottom with black, hard plastic which wasn’t grained much whatsoever. Id hate to be in a crash and have to hit the dash. Fit and finish was OK, but inconsistent. Some places had excellent fit (like around the doors) while others (like around certain parts of the center stack and passenger vents) had slight gaps and inconsistencies. The seats were quite hard, and covered in material that was more plastic then cloth. The switchgear (especially the climate control knobs) were also made of cheap plastic but moved nicely. The car I sat in was a two door hatch, and it had surprisingly large amount of room up front.

All the plastics were hard and cheap feeling, the expanse of hard, black, plastiky dashed freaked me out. The three climate control dials were made of very cheap shiny plastic. The seats seemed to be made of ground up plastic bags.

Rav4- I came to the Rav4 expecting too much. In person, the car looks uglier in a bubbly sort of way. Much better looking in pics.

Interior- The overall design and layout was nice, but again, hard plastics through out (I mean zero soft touch plastics whatsoever). Better fit and finish than the Yaris, quite consistent. The seats were quite firm and lacked a soft look and feel. I found the design of the doors to be ugly, that black thing that surrounds the door handles on the inside is needless waste of hard plastic. Room both up front and rear was much less then I expected. However it was quite comfortable.


Plastics here were also hard everywhere. Triangular things around door handles are hard plastic, fit and finish, excellent.

Least Disappointing:

’06 Camry- They still had a bunch of these on the lot. I think they look classy, especially with the chrome grill, much better then they do in pics. But still they are dated.

Interior- I loved the interior. The fabrics were soft, and the seats comfortable. The overall layout felt kind of dated, but still quite attractive and functional. Fit and finish was excellent and consistent, probing revealed very few flaws. The only soft plastics were those lining the top of the door handles, the upper part of the dash and the center console. Everything else was hard. The plastics were nicely grained and looked a bit classy. Not a fan of the color scheme.

excellent fit and finish. Everything grey is avalon soft plastic, everything else (including center stack and plastic around vents) was hard plastic. Comfy seats and good quality fabrics were highlights.

Avalon- I loved this car. Usually I’m more of a luxury person then a sports guy, and when I saw the classy shape and overall look of the Avalon, dare I say, I fell in love. The look is clean and well proportioned, however I’m not a fan of the rear.

Interior- at $46000CDN the Avalon I looked at was fully loaded. Almost every single plastic was soft touch. The ones on top of the dash, under the dash, on the doors, their arm rests, center console, all super soft. The only hard plastics were the silvery things on the dash and the “wood” trim. Fit and finish was excellent, seams virtually non-existent, everything exuded class and quality, even the door slam. The seats were super comfy, covered with nice feeling leather. The design was classy, and I found it inviting and refreshing. Overall, the interior blew the STS I reviewed a while back AWAY. This was a luxury car my friends.

everything except the wood and silvery things were soft plastic, even those under dash. Very comfortable and classy with excellent fit and finish. Exuded quality from every nook and cranny.

’07 Camry: Sadly, the ones they had were locked, so I only got to see the exterior. Parked next to the old camry, the new one looked bigger, bulkier, and more modern. But it was also uglier. It looks much better in person then in pics, but it’s not much of an improvement.


Hyundai


Most Disappointing

Azera- Very disappointed with this POS. I came into the Hyundai dealership expecting a lot, and I got so little. In person the Azera is ho-hum. It seemed much smaller then the Avalon, in fact, about sonata sized. The design looked attractive, but boring, nothing new here.

Interior- A big let down. I sat in the base Azera (according to the salesman), which at $35000 looked too expensive for what its worth. Inside the design was ugly and boring. The Avalon blew it away in almost every respect. The best plastics were ’06 camry quality (if not worse!) and they were located only on the upper part of the door linings and some parts of the dash. The plastics were decently grained, but overall, there wasn’t the classy ambience I expected. Fit and finish was close to the camry, not super great, some inconsistencies around certain parts of the doors. The cloth was cheap feeling and the seats were firm and the interior didn’t seem all that much roomier then the camry or the sonata. Overall very disappointing. This car would have a hard time competing with the ‘06/’07 camry, much less the Avalon. You can tell they’re trying, but the Toyotas were still light years ahead in terms of look, feel and design.

ugly design. Best plastics were camry quality soft located above the dash (greyish thing above wood), everything else was hard. Light tan plastics were hard, but not light or cheap feeling. Fit and finish was ok, didnt blow me away.

Sonata- Also a big let down. I take back anything good I’ve ever said about this car. I like the exterior styling, its clean and conservative, if not dated. Doesn’t look much different in person then in pics. The price was $25000CDN, it didn’t look worth it.

Interior- Depressing. The best plastics were a cut below the ’06 camry’s and used in similar places. The plastics were grained, but still, the car looked and felt cheaper then the camry, and even the impala. The impala I checked a while back had a nicer interior design with similar, if not a bit better, quality plastics, nicer graining and better cloth. Fit and finish in the sonata was good though, up there with the camry, and a slight nudge above the impala. I found the dash layout ugly, the design itself would have been a deal breaker for me. The seats in the sonata, were made of weird feeling fabric, and were firm. Not much more room inside than the camry, to justify its “big car” status. The doors slammed weakly too. The car just didn’t exude the quality look and feel I expected. Id take the ’06 camry/ impala/accord over this any day.

also dissapointing. Unattractive design layout. subpar cloth quality. Best plastics (dark grey ones on top of doors and dash) were a nudge below the impala, and two below the camry, everything else was hard. Fit and finish impressed.

Santa-fe- There are so many of these running around here, and I have no idea why. Aside from looking weird to the point of being ugly, the santa fe had a lot of rough edges inside.

Interior- first impression? It smelled. Bad. No new car smell, just the stench of someone’s fart. This kind of distracted me from clearly analyzing it, but it didn’t take long for me to hate the car from top to bottom. The dash design was dated, use of poor plastics, good fit and finish. Hard seats, not much more room then the Rav4, looked and felt very cheap, wouldn’t buy it. That’s all the mental notes I could take before having to get out (or else I would have suffocated)
.
ill let the picture do the talking.

Least Disappointing

Accent- I was pleasantly surprised with this little car. It looks cute in person, if a bit boring, but the design is clean.

Interior- Every single surface was covered in hard plastic, the door panels didn’t even have cloth inserts, just two toned, hard plastic. The plastics were nicely grained though, preventing the car from looking cheap. The seats were firm and the fabrics were similar to those used in the Azera. The coloring and the design was what blew me away. The dash layout was very functional and quite attractive for this price point. Fit and finish was superb, and the car felt solid (passed the door slamming test!). Consistent fit through out was impressive; the car felt a few nudges above the yaris in this department (and all others too might I add). Interior room was surprisingly large, and the rear seats were comfy.

excellent fit and finish, solid feeling. All plastics were hard to the same degree, comfy seats with good quality cloth for this segment. attractive layout.



Overall, Hyiundai still has alot of work to do as far as interiors and materials are concerned. The azera was worse in this regard, then both the '06 camry and the impala i checked a while back. It will never be able to compete against the avalon.

[wpbharry]

I completely disagree. Problem is you compared the Toyotas to the Hyundais, when in fact the Hyundais are stealing sales from the domestics, not necessarily Toyota (although I think some Camry sales have recently gone to the Sonata, at least down here. Same for the Azera/Avalon).

The Impala dash is FAR worse than the Sonata's (which is about to be redesigned for '07 and released early - perhaps next month). The Impala's problem is that the hard, grainy plasic of the lower dash is nearly all you see. On the Sonata, the hard plastic doesn't go up nearly as far. And the Sonata's door close sounds solid, not rattly like the Impala's. For starters.....

And when you compare features for the $, resale value and reliability, the domestics are in the doghouse compared to recent Hyundais, on average.

Folks don't generally buy Hyundais thinking that they're Toyota equivalents. But they're also priced a lot lower.

[cdp326]

Originally Posted by wpbharry

I completely disagree. Problem is you compared the Toyotas to the Hyundais, when in fact the Hyundais are stealing sales from the domestics, not necessarily Toyota (although I think some Camry sales have recently gone to the Sonata, at least down here. Same for the Azera/Avalon).

The Impala dash is FAR worse than the Sonata's (which is about to be redesigned for '07 and released early - perhaps next month). The Impala's problem is that the hard, grainy plasic of the lower dash is nearly all you see. On the Sonata, the hard plastic doesn't go up nearly as far. And the Sonata's door close sounds solid, not rattly like the Impala's. For starters.....

And when you compare features for the $, resale value and reliability, the domestics are in the doghouse compared to recent Hyundais, on average.

Folks don't generally buy Hyundais thinking that they're Toyota equivalents. But they're also priced a lot lower.

If they're not stealing sales from Toyota, why is Toyota worried about them?

Did you not see in Mr. Burns' post where he said

Originally Posted by Mr. Burns

Sonata-Interior- Depressing. The best plastics were a cut below the ’06 camry’s and used in similar places. The plastics were grained, but still, the car looked and felt cheaper then the camry, and even the impala. The impala I checked a while back had a nicer interior design with similar, if not a bit better, quality plastics, nicer graining and better cloth.

And did you miss where he said

The doors slammed weakly too.

Believe it or not, he CAN have different opinions than you.

Last I heard Hyundai was putting a lot of Sonatas into fleet sales to meet sales goals.

[Butz]

I sat in the Azera, its plastic felt terrible and the fitings weren't perfect especially at where the door meets the dash. Not what the media wants us to believe!

[Mr. Burns]

Originally Posted by wpbharry

I completely disagree. Problem is you compared the Toyotas to the Hyundais, when in fact the Hyundais are stealing sales from the domestics, not necessarily Toyota (although I think some Camry sales have recently gone to the Sonata, at least down here. Same for the Azera/Avalon).

The Impala dash is FAR worse than the Sonata's (which is about to be redesigned for '07 and released early - perhaps next month). The Impala's problem is that the hard, grainy plasic of the lower dash is nearly all you see. On the Sonata, the hard plastic doesn't go up nearly as far. And the Sonata's door close sounds solid, not rattly like the Impala's. For starters.....

And when you compare features for the $, resale value and reliability, the domestics are in the doghouse compared to recent Hyundais, on average.

Folks don't generally buy Hyundais thinking that they're Toyota equivalents. But they're also priced a lot lower.

the impala's interior design, colorscheme and graining effects kept it from looking cheap. The sonata, looked cheap. I also doubt hyundai's resale value would improve much, leaving them with one of the worst residual values in the business.

car and driver placed the 06 sonata ahead of the camry. I dont agree.

[Cake Eater]

Interior- first impression? It smelled. Bad. No new car smell, just the stench of someone’s fart. This kind of distracted me from clearly analyzing it, but it didn’t take long for me to hate the car from top to bottom

Funny!

[HoeyHimself]

Originally Posted by Mr. Burns

Interior- first impression? It smelled. Bad. No new car smell, just the stench of someone’s fart. This kind of distracted me from clearly analyzing it, but it didn’t take long for me to hate the car from top to bottom.

Yea, that comes standard with the car, kinda like seats that are already broken in so they are comfortable from the get-go?..well in a census conducted by Hyundai, they found that their loyal consumers prefered the smell of fart 1,000:1 ....where as Cadillac's fanbase chose the smell of rich leather and $100 bills...does this say much about the class of both companie's buyers? You be the judge.



Make a good commercial if the two were in a political campaign.

[CobaltSScrazy]

hmmm...I like the azera, and the new camry interior, not wild about the outside, the rest leave much to be desired and are no better than their domestic counterparts.

[tom3]

Somebody sure likes the Hyundai models, seems like every third car is one of them. If they would make a true modern compact pickup, look out world! That market has been abandoned by the major domestics and importers (with the exception of the tired and dated Ranger.)

[HoeyHimself]

Where have I been? seriously!...I didnt know that the world was taking Hyundai seriously...I still think of them as the company you went to when GEO was too far outta your price range. Maybe I should educate myself more on Hyundai if they are becoming something worth respecting. I dont mean to sound like a jerk...I just thought that those cars were piles..maybe theyve come along and I didnt notice.



Hoey

[Strapping.Young.Lad]

I sat in the Azera. I seriously though it had NO CHANCE against the Impala or 500. The plastic was harder than a Toyota echos.

[TaHoE]

You are absolutely correct. The Azera's interior is a joke...so is nearly every other Hyundai product's interior. I really don't understand why people love them so much.

[TahoeMikeZ71]

I don't like the Azera's interior or exterior.

[GSR]

Not a big fan of hyundais. The interior looks so outdated.

[asim]

Nice little report...

I remember that someone was complaing how the Aura's radio and HVAS controls were not integrated with the rest of the design, it is 10x worse on the Azera.