Hyundai XG300 and XG350

giowa · October 2000

Do keep in mind a couple of highly important factors which drive international car prices around the world.

First, Germany has the highest labor costs in the world, way higher than both US and Japan. Cars made in Germany start out being more expensive because the labor is far more expensive. That is why VW built plant in Mexico and bought up SEAT in Spain and Skoda in Czech Republic. They couldn't sell inexpensive cars made in Germany; their labor costs were too high. So the German car companies now focus on building upscale cars in Germany, pushing them in markets where the high labor costs can be recovered and don't put them at an immediate and insurmountable disadvantage.

Second, exchange rates do change over time and can drive a car's price up or down greatly even if there is no change to the vehicle. Twenty years ago the dollar-yen exchange rate was probably close to 200-250 yen to the dollar. Now it is half that. The Euro, which is replacing the mark, franc, etc., was selling at about $1.17 at its inception last year but is now worth only about 87 cents. Using the 10/18/00 NY Times Business page, over the past 52 weeks the Japanese yen gained 2.44% on the dollar, while the S. Korean won fell 6.04%; German mark gained 27.26%, while the British pound fell 13.28%.

The above partially explains why US, European, and Japanese are all interested in "cracking" the Korean market. It is big, labor costs are relatively cheap, and the exchange rate has been favorable for exporting. The gamble is that these sorts of factors, including political stability and no real threat of war with N. Korea, stay relatively constant, making a large investment worthwhile.

floridian · October 2000

If Hyundai does not get it's financial house in order one way or another, and soon, we will all be deprived of these great cars. Things seem to be going from bad to worse in that regard. I would LOVE to have a XG300 but until they get stabilized over there and the dust settles I'm gonna set on the sidelines. I truly hope that the layoffs and threatened strikes do not happen. This could be the death knell for their cars in this country no matter how good they are. I sure hope they hang in there. The other boys NEED the competetion.

Floridian

volfy · October 2000

Understood about other factors involved in import car pricing. The US$'s depreciation against the Japanese Yen certainly did not help Lexus pricing over the past decade. However, VW builds NB, Golf and Jetta in Mexico, but these cars are IMO less of a bargain than the German-built Passat. One can argue that VW jacks up its Mexico cars' prices to "subsidize" the Passat, but VW's real bottom line is any body's guess.

Too, Toyota and Honda build many lines of cars and trucks right here in the US. If Hyundai enjoys the history & mystique the likes of Mercedes Benz and BMW, the XG300 would undoubtedly not carry a mere $24,000 price tag.

Am I equating Hyundai's build quality to that of fine Eurpean brands? Certainly not. My point is simply that manufacturers set their prices largely according to what customers are willing to pay. A bigger MSRP most definitely does not automatically mean a proportionally better car mechanically.

Particularly in the realm of luxury cars, visceral appeal account for a significant portion of the perceived value of a vehicle. Since the XG300 is rather shortchanged in that department, its price tag reflects that precisely.

I still think the XG300's real benefit to HyundaiUSA will not manifest in its own sales numbers, but in infusing the marque with a healthy dose of brand recognition and respect. One that is sorely needed by the Rodney Dangerfield of car brands that has long stood as HyundaiUSA's only claim of fame.

giowa · October 2000

1. Concur completely with your comments on raising the perceived profile of the Hyundai name. Think Santa Fe brings Hyundai into the hot SUV market where more buyers will see Hyundai name and the XG300 tries to bring Hyundai name in front of buyers looking at near-luxury and loaded mid-sized sedans. Sure they'd like to snag some Avalon buyers as well as LeSabre, Camry, Accord, & Maxima. At least to snag their attention initially and get them in for a test drive.

2. Do keep in mind that when VW does their accounting, they do it in German marks (moving to new Euro). They have to convert peso and dollar sales into marks, which is one reason they have had to keep their prices rather high in the market. And yes, VW has a certain cachet that Hyundai certainly doesn't. But as buyers showed them from about '85-'95, they are willing to desert VW in droves when product is not great and pricing too high. (They hit rock bottom around '93 when I think they sold a grand total of around 50K vehicles. You couldn't find a VW dealer to save your life and his lot was empty of new cars, surviving on used car sales.) VW expanded their operations in Mexico to escape high labor costs in Germany and have a plant close to US and viable in Latin America (to compliment what they already have in Argentina/Brazil). VW had been building old Beetles for decades and still builds them today, but they can't be certified for US purchase.

sphereman · October 2000

i was impressed with this car! i always tell myself i won't drive any other car but japanese cars but i am wrong. hyundai will prove they can undercut even 'everyone'. i know people are still biased but it is hyundai's fault. obviously they made crappy cars before BUT not anymore! guess who makes the world's most sophisticated semi-conductors? Samsung!

goral · October 2000

I stopped by my local Hyundai dealer and they had
1 XG on the showroom floor. I must say I was very impressed by the looks and the feel of the car. The model they had was regular XG (not L), but it did have leather, sunroof, etc... The manufacturer sticker was something like ~$24.
But... the actual sticker had $895 pinstripes and undercoating + $1895 mysterious "Protection Pkg XXX" added on (for a total of ~$27K). WHAT ARE THEY SMOKING??? I forgot to ask the salesperson what's exactly included in this package...
Note to Hyundai dealers - DON'T BE STUPID. You have some nice cars available, but you still have ways to go before you earn public's trust.
My 2 cars right now are Acura Legend and 3.5RL, but guess what - I will not even look at Acura/Honda until the dealers stop gouging people.
The factory sets the MSRP for a reason...

giowa · October 2000

1. Goral: Please tell the dealer what you think about his bogus add ons. We all know they are worthless and only a way for the dealer to gouge the buyer. But don't believe it is only Hyundai dealers doing this. The Lincoln LS forum recently had a lot of postings in regard to "Environmental Protection Packages", which are nothing more than dealer profit spiff and crummy paint sealant. Too bad the gutless State legislators cow-tow to the car dealers in regard to franchise laws. Who wouldn't rather buy direct when the middleman is out to screw you???

2. Volfy: Saw this in last Thursday's Financial Times, under headline "Mazda plans to shift production away from Japan". Excerpt:

"The company, which has almost no production outside Japan, estimates adverse currency movements have cost it around $1bn over the past two years ... it would decide whether to expand manufacturing in Europe before the end of this year ... Mazda is particularly exposed ... Europe was Mazda's largest single overseas market, accounting for 42 percent of export volume and 28 percent of total domestic production. Strategically, it has very little choice but to make the decision."

Hyundai is also vulnerable, which is likely a big reason why they appear to be interested in production plants in W. Hemisphere and Europe.

floridian · October 2000

Saw a brand new XG300 yesterday on a used car lot, not even a new car dealer, asking price @MSRP, what the heck gives here ? If these things are gonna be so hot how can a used car dealer even get one let alone sell it at sticker when some of the Hyundai dealers don't even have any in stock yet ? The car biz is totally goofy .

Floridian

giowa · October 2000

The legal definition of what is a new car versus a used car is probably what is driving your observation. If a dealer takes the car new and then uses it as a demo or otherwise titles it for owner's use or his wife's, etc., even if they only put couple hundred miles on it and tire of it, could likely cause the car to legally have to be sold as used, even a couple weeks later.

My small midwestern town Chrysler dealer, a real tiny operation, has 3 used PT Cruisers in stock. Spoke with a salesman. They got them from auction. Dealer owner driving one now. Other being used by sales manager. Dealership using kind of as rolling advertising since everyone notices them. They are only trying to sell one. Has sat in showroom for about 2 weeks. Think they are asking too much (which is also what salesperson told me).

floridian · October 2000

What REALLY gripes me is the way these sleezy dealers react when you call'em on the phoney add- ons and "added dealer margin" or "adjusted market value" . If you hedge on this stuff they act like you stabbed them thru the heart !! best one yet @ local MOPAR dealer, $3000 mark up on a Neon for gos sake !! AMV on a crappy Neon, give me a break. Chryco is giving $2500 cash back in this area on Neon. So I guess the factory really knows what these sleds are worth.

Floridian

jimmiesdog · October 2000

The cars looks great and drives great. Who cares about the undesirable name. I think Americans need to not worry so much about the "hyundai" name.

This is a great value however there should be more leg room for the driver....but this car was built for Koreans so go figure. The there should also be a longer arm rest. There all over Chicago allready...and so are the Sante Fe's(SUV).

giowa · October 2000

In Automotive section of today's paper there is an article on the new Kia Optima. For those who can't afford an XG300, this car might be an alternative. Says the top-of-the-line SE model comes with most of what makes the Sonata GLS plus fog lights, keyless remote w/alarm & premium stereo cassette/CD. And that both ABS and leather interior are standalone options. So depending on what you want, might be easier to get a car with close to exactly what you want without having to get lots of things you might not want. Optima would allow you to get ABS without having to go with leather.

chanasarah11 · October 2000

OMG! I love it more everyday! It only has 500 miles on it now( 1 week old)..and I am soooo thrilled I made a decision to buy this one. No one can believe it is a Hyundai... it is most frequently mistaken for a Lincoln LS from the front... a Merc from the side.. Drives perfect, looks great, loads of standard options...great buy!

giowa · October 2000

Sorry if you've already told us, but did you get the base XG300 or the loaded XG300L? Any options? What was MSRP (window sticker)? What did you pay? Any HMFC financing?

keyrow · October 2000

I am shopping for a new car for my wife. She likes the Infiniti I30 and Lexus GS300 but the Lexus is too expensive for what you get. I had not even considered Hyundai until I read some comments by GIOWA on the Lincoln LS board and then those here and the Sonata site. Last Saturday we test drove an XG300 and loved it. It satisfies my wife for a smooth riding car (I still prefer the Lincoln LS sport ride) and it will save us ~5k from the I30 price. You are the ones who convinved me to give Hyundai a second chance. Thanks! I owe you all for the vote of confidence. I'll let you know what we finally get - leaning toward the Ivory Pearl L.

chanasarah11 · October 2000

So I bought the XG300 and it is fully loaded.We only have one choice up here in the great white North (Canada) and it is a GLS? I think. Anyways., it has it all and there is only one model. It cost $29,000 Canadian dollars and it is a great car. Highly recommend it.

keyrow · October 2000

I just visited the thc site. It has a picture of the interior of the XG300 which shows a nav system. Anyone know where this photo came from? I am not aware of a nav system being available. Any rumors out there?

jimmiesdog · October 2000

Just buy it Giowa. You'll love it bro.

chanasarah11 · October 2000

I fell for that pic too..All excited I rushed back cause I thought I had missed it,,,Nope..Not there.. Oh well...Love it anyhow

giowa · October 2000

1. jimmiesdog: I already own a '00 Sonata GLS V-6 5-speed w/Pkg 13 (leather, sunroof, ABS/TC, etc.) which I use for business. I don't need one. I prefer manuals and the XG300 comes only automatic. I'm trying to get my wife to consider buying one. She loves her Lincoln LS8 Sport but it is suffering from a plethora of mechanical problems and the service has been lousy.

2. chanasarah11: Thanks for the info. NY Times Business Foreign Exchange Section lists Canadian dollar at about $.6539 cents US. So $29,000 Canadian would be around $19,000 US. That price seems low, or you got a great price, or you get a lot fewer options, or it excludes TTLD.

3. keyrow: Hope you get the one you want. Let us know exactly what you get, and what you paid for it (if you don't mind), as well as the level of dealer service and after-the-sale service. My wife might consider one but only if they treat her like a Queen.

civil1 · November 2000

I have been shoppping around for a midsize sedan the last few weeks, been trying them all. Walk into the hyundai. tried the XG and wow was I impressed. The ride was very comfortable, and right now i rate it number 1 on my buy list. I have the nissan maxima number 2 now. Looked at the VW - psaat. I since you have to jack up the car seat to adjust it and for the sticker of 27k i didnt even bother to drive that. The XG is very interesting. ANyone have an opinion about the AC. a few years ago i had a sonoata and the ac was awful. I sold that car a month later. Hoping the have improved the AC. Thats my only draw back from buying right now.

sonatafan · November 2000

I have owned my 2000 Sonata for 10 months now and I can tell you the A/C works very well. I have never actually used a thermometer but it ran cold enough to chill me when we had 95 degree days this last summer.
Also, if there is a problem with the system, the mechanical components is covered for 5years/60,000miles and the refrigerant charge is covered for 1year/12,000miles, which is also better than Nissan and VW.

jkobty · November 2000

on the XG yesterday. Still very impressed, but I did notice a couple of minor things, both have to do with the seats.
1. Even though the seats are leather, the bean counters at Hyundai decided to keep part of the front seats as cloth. Yes the inner side of the
front seats next to the gear box are cloth. It looked awkward to me that a seat would be leather
from most sides except one.

2. The stitching on the leather is singular and the edges where the leather meets are not stitched together, meaning if you have kids as naughty as mine they will easily grab it and rip
it apart.

Everything else looks and feels very upscale, I would take it over a Maxima anyday. I am still too
young for a big car like this though.

wonderwall · November 2000

i saw the xg300 at a car show this past weekend. it is a gawdy car. the materials used in the interior looked shoddy by current standards. the interior looked like something out of some modified nissan maxima or something. the outside looks like a more aerodynamic k-car based chrysler "luxury" car from the mid-80s. also, it had one of the worst smog ratings of any car they were showing:0.83 whereas the average car has a 0.53.

newxg · November 2000

I've been lurking in the Hyundai folders here for a couple months and really appreciate the comments and insights that you all have provided. As my handle suggests I just bought a new XG300 and wanted to provide you with my thoughts.

I bought a Base XG300 white/beige with the manual A/C and floor mats. MSRP $23,512 including freight. The Atlanta dealer had added $2000 for simonize, pinstripes, door edge guards, and additional dealer profit. I had been working with the salesperson for several months (originally looking at the Sonata) and it only took us about 15 minutes to agree on $23,000 plus tax, title, and tags. They were happy, and I was happy.

I had been test driving different cars for several months including the Maxima, Camery Solara, Mercury Sable, and Toyota Avalon. My previous car was a Subaru Forester (think AWD road rally chassis) which I had been pleased with so I was used to fairly good suspension and handling characteristics. But mostly this time I was looking for a smooth highway cruiser as I was spending about 75% of my time on the freeway.

I had read the Canadian and Australian reviews cited in the first message here, and so on three different test drives I attempted to stress the suspension into the behaviors that the Australian review had expressed concerns about. Couldn't do it. Still can't do it now that I've driven 250 miles in my new car (though admittedly I'm still in the break in period and not driving as aggressively as I usually do). Either they changed the suspension settings, the reviewed car had a problem, or they drove it more extreme than all but the most aggressive drivers will ever drive it. I've got a downhill 90 degree left hand turn with very wavy pavement that I usually take at about 15 mph that I used to make the Forester skitter over, and the XG300 handles it no problem.

There is no mistaking the XG300 for a sports sedan though. The ride is somewhat floaty like the Avalon and the steering while competent is not BMW precise. Drove in the rain today and felt quite safe. It may be that the vehicle at 3600 lbs is heavier than I'm used to, but it feels very planted on the road. It also feels very solid. I've driven it over all my favorite neighborhood ruts and potholes, some of which would jar my Forester, and the XG300 handled them very well without any rattling or squeaking.

Almost all the interior plastics are textured and in my opinion high quality. The switches, especially surrounding the steering wheel feel very precise without feeling clicky. Even the glove compartment has a satisfying clunk. My opinion of the overall build quality is that it is very good. The seat leather is clearly not top quality, the Avalon and Sable had better leather, but at 6'2" I've got more than enough legroom even with the seat not all the way back. Also, if anyone from Hyundai is reading this, I would have preferred ivory leather over beige.

All car purchases in this price range are compromises of one sort or another. The Sable had better seats, the Avalon had a smoother and quieter ride. The Avalon also cost $5000 more for equivalent features. The most distinctive thing I liked about the XG300 is the transmission. It is very smoooooth and accelerates very nicely at highway speeds. Haven't quite figured out what circumstances that I would use the manual control for still it's nice to havve.

Couple of minor observations. Unlike the Sonata, the headlights turn off when the key is removed from the ignition (a very important feature when you're as absent minded as I am). The security system is always armed when you lock with the remote. There is no audible alert when you lock or unlock (the lights flash). The windshield wipers stalk has a button on the end of the stalk which gives a single swipe. Very handy. The intermittent wipers at full speed are about the same as the low setting, so there is a good range of speeds available. When you open the front door there is ring of light around the ignition switch. The equalizer retains separate settings for the radio and CD, and the CD remembers where it left off in the middle of the song when you switch it off or switch to the radio. The front tires have mud flaps. Oh, and the fuse box is very conveniently accessed in the engine space with a fuse map under the cover. I know this because when I stuck four fingers into the four window up/down switches and opened and closed them all at the same time I blew a fuse. Whoops, guess the designers missed that. Oh well I'll just have to do them two at a time

The only other problem that I've discovered is that the idle seems set a little high, even when the vehicle is warmed up. I'll have the dealer look at it after the break in period. Only time will tell if Hyundai has built Honda/Toyota type reliability into it's vehicles, but if first impressions are any indication, I think they've come a long long way.

Obviously I'm pretty pleased with my purchase.

oregonmike · November 2000

Thanks for the detailed report. Can you tell me about the noise at highway speed? Any wind or tire noise?

I test drove the XG 300 yesterday for the first time and now its high on my list. I'm also considering the Accord EX V6 and Maxima. Can you tell me why you got the XG over the Maxima?

floridian · November 2000

newxg: Too bad yu don't live here in Florida. The dealer here in my town is discounting ALL XG's $3000.00 OFF MSRP ! One heck uva deal don't you think ?

Floridian

newxg · November 2000

Floridian:

I do know that Hyundai is giving a $1000 customer loyalty discount to existing Hyundai owners which I suspect is included in the discount you mentioned. The difference between invoice and MSRP is around $2400 for the base and $2700 for the L. So the dealer is making a profit of $400 to $700. Still though, you're right, it's pretty good deal.

I found a Florida dealer on the internet who was quoting better prices than that, however my limited experience with internet prices, even when going thru a broker, is that you always have to take into account mandatory "dealer costs" approx $400 and that those often worthless dealer add ons can't be just crossed off. Internet prices can sometimes be a bit like newspaper prices, not always reliable when you get down to the bottom line. Other factors for me in buying local were that I wanted to have a good dealer relationship and the Atlanta dealer had a pretty good reputation. I also had a lease trade-in happening at the same dealer and know I got some brownie points on wear and tear. A good buying experience was more important to me than getting the absolute best possible price. I have a brother however who enjoys going big game hunting at dealers and he tends to get very good prices. My temperament is a little different. I felt like I got good value for my money.

oregonmike:

Actually the Maxima was my starting point, as I know I fit in it and that it was a reliable car (my Dad has owned three over the years). The dealers in Atlanta were also heavily discounting the Maximas, if you believe the newspaper ads

I liked the XG interior better than the Maxima. That however is an entirely subjective thing. The Maxima has a visually harder sharp edge techy interior and the XG had a softer more stately rounded interior. I was mostly looking for some peace and quiet so the XG interior appealed to me. I also really liked the center console layout on the XG. In terms of performance, the XG had a smoother transmission and the Maxima had a more precise ride. Also I put the Hyundai warranty in the context of what it would cost to purchase the same warranty on a different vehicle and saw that it confers a $700 to $1000 price advantage in addition to it's already lower cost.

I didn't even look at the Accord, or Accura for that manner, because in order to get it optioned out you are forced to get a moon roof and I simply didn't fit. Seems strange that they would so purposely eliminate a sizable percentage of their market that way, but I guess business is good anyways.

I tend to look real carefully at the emotions that are being "sold" thru the vehicle's marketing (including the subliminal messages) and checking to see whether they are worth anything to me or just pabulum. The Avalon brochure, for example, has an image suggesting that a perplexed beat down middle aged man can, within the "Avalon sphere", be made to look like he's 30 years younger and carefree, much to the approval of his wife. Audi seems to think that "joy" is a commodity that can be bought and sold. And don't even get me started on "Ooooooh, like a rock"

My own "needs" in a vehicle tend to be more related to things like uniqueness and quiet competence, so in that respect the XG, like the Subaru, was a good fit. Though in all honesty I did do the hippie bus thing for several years and it's hard to make a more pronounced statement with a vehicle than that

But to answer your question. The wind noise is present around the mirrors at high speed but it's not overly obnoxious. The engine noise is very well muffled. I couldn't figure out the tire noise for a while until I realized that about half the time the noise that I was tuning in on was from the vehicles next to me. My guess is that this is a combination of two factors, that the XG has fairly low tire noise, but that the isolation thru the windows isn't as good as it could be. The fact that my ears were being drawn to the tire noise on other vehicles says something, but I'm still trying to fine tune my hearing perceptions of the vehicle. The Avalon was more isolating than the XG and I read that they recently gave it thicker glass. Again in my opinion it's all about tradeoffs.

Finally a correction, I went and played with the windshield wipers again and realized that the The intermittent wipers at full speed are NOT about the same speed as the low setting, apparently I actually had it at the low setting when I made that observation. Sorry bout that

Hope this helps.

sonatafan · November 2000

I own a 2000 Hyundai Sonata, maybe youv'e seen my website, and I just wanted to correct your post #79 a bit. The Sonata does shut off the headlights when you turn off the ignition. my question to you: does the XG come with an audible chime for the lights?

taurus2 · November 2000

Does the XG have anything in common with the Mitsubishi Diamante? I saw an XG today and it reminded me a lot of Diamante. Especially on the inside.

dr18 · November 2000

Confusion. Window sticker reads 5 speed automatic. Company brochure reads 4 speed automatic with overdrive and lockup torque converter. Does it have 5 gear ratios or 4? When lockup occurs it feels like another shift but is actually same gear ratio as top gear but with slippage eliminated. So 4 speed auto feels like a 5 speed. If it has lockup in 5th gear it would feel like it has 6 speeds. Salespeople are clueless.

newxg · November 2000

sonatafan:

I stand corrected on the Sonata lights. My comment was based on something I read in the one of the older Sonata threads here. I test drove the Sonata and was pretty impressed. Reading these forums, along with the mostly pretty favorable reviews of the Sonata, helped me decide that Hyundai had crossed a quality/reliability threshhold. There are only two chimes (actually dings) that I have found so far on the XG300. Key in ignition door open, and seat belts.

taurus2:

Car manufacturing has become so intertwined these days that it's difficult to figure out who makes what. Hyundai used to use Mitsubishi engines but I've heard that the XG sigma engine is home grown. The manumatic transmission apparently comes from a German company.

dr18:

I know that the XG has shows 5 separate dash lights when the transmission is in manual mode, but other than that, for my untrained eye, it is very difficult to know which gear the transmission is in when driving it. It's very smoooooo th

Here is a fair use exerpt from the Autoweb.com.au Australian review that was so critical of the suspension.

"An intelligent trans in that it picks the ratio on the basis of more than just speed and throttle position inputs, the Hyundai Integrated Vehicle Electronic Control (HIVEC) will downchange to provide engine braking when needed, and will hold gears rather than changing up when it senses that you're driving hard. And it's very, very good at it. In fact, with a lock-up clutch on both fourth and fifth gears (and maybe third as well - it's hard to identify all that's going on!), the trans at times appears to have seven ratios at its disposal. For example, when cruising at speed in fifth, the extra throttle required to climb a hill will firstly cause fifth's lock-up clutch to disenage and then, if the torque converter's multiplication isn't sufficient, a downchange to fourth will occur. And when you're over the hill, fourth will be kept for a long time - perhaps thirty or forty seconds - before HIVEC figures that, no, you're not about to need that grunt again, and the trans changes back to fifth. It's light years ahead of some prestige Europeans that we've recently driven..."

newxg · November 2000

Should have mentioned in my last post, I'm making the assumption that other than the right side driving configuration, that the Australian and US models are similar. My guess is that is a fair assumption for a car that has marketed outside Korea only for the last year, but I could be wrong.

Perhaps Hyundai can provide us customers with answers

I don't think most corporations have truely grocked how valuable open honest internet dialogue can be. How about it Hyundai? How about letting a few of your engineers and designers come out and talk with your customers? Let them come out and play

The XG300 also goes under the name XG30 and Grandeur. Also Hyundai finally updated their web site to include the XG. http://www.hyundaiusa.com/

occupant1 · November 2000

where? I tried the website a few days ago and saw nothing about the XG300 but they had updated to include the Santa Fe? Well it's in another window now and...OK I see it...that must've just happened!

The transmission indicator on the dash showing what gear you're in is nice...I don't think the Chrysler Autosticks even do that. It has PRND then 54321 next to it. And the lockup works in 4 and 5 at least huh? The Dynastys I had could lock up in third and fourth, the third you had to put the transmission in 3 to do it (of PRN@3L). Nice...I might go drive one of these sometime. IF they DON'T sell well, and end up like the Daewoo Leganza, I might be able to get one in a couple years as opposed to a decade from now.

jimbeaumi · November 2000

The XG owners who reported their experiences to Consumer Reports have been sufficient enough in number for the organization to rate it "average" in reliability. That is, its reliability is about the same as the average new car today, a good showing considering the continuing escalation of all cars' quality.

saustin1 · November 2000

I bought the XG300L last week on Thursday (16th). The test drive convinced me. It is very well appointed with a whole series of included as standard touches generally found only in the upper end luxury cars. Ride is excellent and the Mitsubishi designed V6 is more than adequate. However, on the way home, I plugged my first CD into the sound system and it promptly jammed. Dealer already has a new unit on order because they cannot do anything to eject it. The next day (17th), the seat memory system failed along with the automatic seat movement to the rear for entry and exit. By the end of the day, the trunk electric release failed and it can only be opened by key. Frankly, I have never had a vehicle have so many electrical problems in a short time. This is not our first Hyundai, we had an Exel and an Accent that did not have any serious problems.

newxg · November 2000

Bummer about the problems you've had. Would be curious to know if any of them turn out to be related to each other.

On the newsstands this week there is a XG300 review in the December 5th edition of AMI AutoWeekly. Overall very positive. For positives they cite overall content, value, quality, transmission, and ride smoothness. For negatives, they mention mirror wind noise, tire noise on certain types of surfaces, and steering wheel kickback when hitting a pothole while turning (one of the suspension behaviors that I have so far been unable to duplicate, I must drive over non industry standard potholes).

lfroh12492 · November 2000

I would like to tweak my cars power and handling. I have a 99 Sonata and would like to increase the torque and horses + the handling. Any recommendations as far as tires, exhaust and so on. Thanks in advance.

sonatafan · November 2000

This is not the place to talk about the Sonata or any performance mods. There are appropriate places for those discussions.

lfroh12492 · November 2000

Thanks for your polite response. Since your the site expert on what is appropriate maybe you have your own. Are you always this rude. Hey theres a bridge go jump.

mvaldivi · November 2000

I found these review on the XG for the Australian market. They OK'd the vehicle, but the hated its unrefined suspension. Are the American-market XGs, coming with the same problems too?
http://autoweb.autospeed.com/A_0409/P_1/feature.html

shopper10 · November 2000

Can't say mine has ever done anything as bad as the pictures suggest in that article. It does have a softer suspension than a Maxima or Passat, but I haven't bottomed it yet. The roads here are not real smooth either. I wonder if their test car was OK?

matthew25 · December 2000

I drove an XG about 100 miles on the freeway, and also around town. It drives out very nicely. Not only is it smooth, but it is very quiet inside. It also had a lot of power and a ton of neat gizmos.

I recently purchased a Sante Fe. I had it in the shop for an oil change, and they were out of loaner cars, so I got to drive the manager's XG300 for the day.

mhammy84 · December 2000

Since the introduction of the XG300 in the US, i have become very curious about this car. I was very curious to see how a company which focuses on selling economy cars in the US would make a near-luxury competitor. So, i went down to the local Hyundai dealer and test drove it! Now, in my opinion, the engine had absolutely NO power. If only Hyundai could do something about that. I floored the vehicle, and the engine could not even spin its own wheels (and this is a V6 we're talking about packed with 192hp).

However, the interior design is great. I like this type of interior in a car...it looks a lot like my 97 Infiniti I30's interior (center stack). It comes with good features, leather, etc. It looks pretty good. BUT, its a Hyundai. Thats what is going to kill this vehicle. As somebody mentioned before, Hyundai would need to sell this car through a different nameplate in order to sell these cars. The US market is based on status symbols, and the nameplates Lexus, Acura and Infiniti deliver those status symbols. It puts you "higher" than a nissan, toyota or honda owner. But, thats just the way it is here! In japan, it is NOT like that (since the lexus, acura or infiniti name do not exist). The same applies for the Korean market. A Korean friend of mine told me that in Korea, the MAJORITY of the vehicles driving around are very small, economy vehicles. The Hyundai XG (Grandeur) and the top of the line Equus work well there because they're big, and offer luxury options and provide the status symbol. I feel the XG is a great car, but it will not work here under the Hyundai nameplate. It will be much like the Mazda Millenia and Mitsubishi Diamante cars...luxury cars sold under the parent name. It just seems that with 10-12 years of having Lexus, Infiniti and Acura names around this country, other luxury entries wont work. Anytime a new Lexus, Infiniti or Acura model comes out, they're pretty much "sold-out" and its hard to find a car. However, when I went to my Hyundai dealer, they were already marking their XG's down to get rid of them! They're 2001 models and already marking down...it doesnt look good. Oh, by the way, the XG300 in Korea comes with GPS, HID Xenon headlamps, and a wood/leather steering wheel. Check out the pictures, they're pretty nice:
http://www.hmc.co.kr/kor/cybermall/product/xg/gallery.htm

Some of the pictures show the HID lamps, some show the wood steering wheel and GPS.
One last note...Hyundai HAS to get rid of the "XG" rims on their cars.

sobright1 · December 2000

A few posts back Floridian indicated that there were dealerships in Florida that were giving $3000 off of MSRP. Later, another post indicated that there was some kind of rebate for return Hyundai buyers. In the Memphis area the XG model is going for @$21,700 which is about $250 over invoice. Also, Edmunds current lists no rebates or dealer incentives. Is anyone getting a better deal in Florida or anywhere else? Thanks

newxg · December 2000

I've now got 1700 miles on my XG300 having come back from a trip to Florida. Got 26.5 and 27 mpg freeway.

I simply haven't been able to duplicate the suspension issues that were raised in the Australian review. I wonder how hard they pushed the vehicle. I know I haven't been in any James Bond type chase scenes over cobblestone pavement like they described in the review. I do know a couple of residential street speed bumps about 4 miles from my house that probably have sufficient height and angle of attack to launch the vehicle like they did in the review, but they aren't the norm in any city I've driven in.

Mostly I deal with potholes and sunken drainage grates and the XG300 handles them very well. the suspension has so far always been competent, albeit floaty, which I prefer. The only time that I didn't like the soft suspension was over a few types of rough interstate surfaces and in the turbulence of semi trucks while going 75 mph. Overall the XG300 gave me very pleasant trip to Florida.

Personally I don't need a "status" nameplate on my vehicle. I certainly don't want to pay extra for it. That's not to say that I don't want the attention. I'm quite happy driving a Hyundai and having it be confused with a Lincoln

I did get a very definite thumbs up from a Acura driver in Florida who slowed down to check the XG300 out.

shopper10 · December 2000

In agreement with NewXG, I rather like the car for not being too harsh on rough roads. Did find, though, that the degree of float is quite sensitive to tire pressure. I'm still working out what gives the bestcombination of steering response vs. ride comfort. Maybe increasing the tire pressure a bit could help keep the car from being blown around by large trucks.

newxg · December 2000

My XG came with the tires set at 35psi which I felt was too hard so I lowered it to 33psi for a smoother ride. I read somewhere that at speed the variable front shocks change their resistance so that the ride becomes even smoother, the downside being that it becomes more susceptable to turbulence.

My Dad told me that the Michelan A-A-400 rated tires are 60,000 mile tires.

mike_542 · December 2000

Recently, I bought a 2001 Hyundai XG300. It rode smoothly, but it handled marginally. So, I decided to upgrade the car's tires, shocks, and wheels to 17" Replica RRS wheels, Dunlop 5000 Sport tires (same kinds and size of a BMW 540i), and Tokico shock absorbers. The result? Improved handling and appearance, without major ride harshness. In fact, I like this ride better because of less float and a firmer, more secure feeling.

shopper10 · December 2000

NewXG, Thanks for the info on the Michelin tires. I've had good luck with the brand, especially for durability.

Re tire PSIG - I find the front tires of front wheel drive cars generally take significantly more air than the rears. Right now I'm running about 36 in the fronts but only 31.5 in the rear. Tried 33 in the rear but could feel it jumping around over sharp bumps like pavement expansion joints. Anything below 34 in the fronts makes the steering too sluggish in my opinion.

Mike 542, do you have a model for the Tokico shocks that fit the XG? Have not been able to find much info on suspension upgrades.

Will probably stay with 15 or 16 inch wheels, however, with Mid-West potholes being the major factor. (Hit one dead center on the morning commute today - the suspension just swallowed it up and the car kept on cruising. Might not have been so lucky with lower profile tires.)

Hyundai XG300 and XG350

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