Hyundai XG300 and XG350

craiginct1

Please pardon my long post. I am amazed at this discussion. This afternoon I have read about 45-50% of it and thank and bless you all for your input, and ability to resolve occasional misunderstandings.

Point of ref: we own 1995 F150/302 w/ 69k miles, hopped up w/ Jacobs and Jetchip; also, 1990 Grand Marquis LS (now w/ Jacobs.) GrMarq bought in 1992 w/ 41k on it. Have put 200k on since then, at a total cost of $35k incl. veh., financing, repairs in 9 years. It has been a great car, comfy and durable in crashes (incl. deer and being rear-ended 2x.)

Looking for posibilities for new car purchase, I drove XG300 today on highway and backroads, ~20 minutes. THIS car is SERIOUS candidate!!!

1. Local dealer's willing to sell 2001 XG300 demo (traction control, ABS, sunroof) w/ 5k miles for $20,250 +tax+financing. (even admitted holdbacks)

2. I'm 53y.o. @ 6'1" 215lbs w/ back+hip problems. I had no difficulty fitting comfortably, or getting in or out: decent clearances. Good point was made in earlier post: unique leg/torso proportion BIG factor determining comfort for each person. XG300=VERY ADJUSTABLE seats/lumbar spt.

3. Not too thrilled w/ XG300 gas mileage on 6cyl, considering F150 gets 15-18mpg + GMarq gets 18-21. Maybe good tranny shop could tweak shift points or lockups for gearheads...for a price.

4. road noise was considerable over 60mph, even with AC on.

5. By the feel of it, acceleration was midway between GrMarq and F150(w/ booster chip.)

6. handling was good overall, but less predictable over 65mph, particularly in long highway corner at 70+mph, drifty, did not want to hold the turn. Had to be forced back.]

7. shiftronic mode and engine braking very good, positive, smooth downshifting several gears on 30-40 degree downgrade w/ minimal braking.

8. overall appearance and comfort: excellent.

9. fit/finish issues not apparent.

10. one XG300 posting from last winter raised issue of free dealer maintenance for first 24m/24k, but w/ $500 add-on to the sticker. Careful review of dealer maintenance charges will reveal approximate $600 per 24k miles, so the $500 add-on would cover most maintenance needed in that particular dealer's so called "free maintenance" package.

Please email me w/ mileage, performance, problems, etc.: cmarsz@earthlink.net

mpgman

I like everything about the car except the frameless windows. Looks like Hyundai cut some costs/corners here. My experience with these is that over time the seals wear and you get excessive wind noise and rattling. They also invite the clothes hanger crowd to break into your car. Windows with frames around them may not look cool, but I feel it makes for a tighter fit when they are closed. Your thoughts?

majorthomecho

Getting the car "tweaked" would probably cause Hyundai to void the warranty if anything happened to the car directly attributable to the tweaking.

I think you are stuck with whatever mileage you get.

dst5

Would like to reduce road noise some more. (Great Los Angeles Fwys such as they are). Any undercoat sound reduction techniques that you folks can share with me?

dvdphile1

The XG is a quiet car. EXCEPT, on coarse road surfaces, especially at higher speeds when road noise is very apparent. BUT,i have had the same complaint with my last four new cars (Maxima,Galant,Malibu,Lumina). The difference with the XG is that of all the cars it is the quietest on blacktop but the noisiest on concrete. On some of the other cars i tried sound deadening pads and sprayed rubberized undercoating on the wheel wells and underbody with some help in noise reduction. A check with two Hyundai dealers revealed one dealer having no noise related reports on the XG but the other did. Apparently like any car the only help here may be additional undercoating applied and covering more of the undercarriage as well as wheel wells. Care must be taken so as not to cover sensors or any fastening devices. Also staying away from the exhaust system. Additionally, the pads are helpful but a lot of time and effort are involved in removal of seats, application etc., including the expense. Really the above applys to all cars. I had also driven a 01 Impala and it was noisier than the XG over the same coarse concrete road.It comes down to how much do you want to spend to get the noise down? I have to agree with the above post in that i also love my XGL but would also like to quiet it down a bit. I will be getting the additional undercoat done at the dealer in a couple weeks and hope it helps. Any other XG owner experiences on this issue?

john115

I have never had any road or wind noise with my XG300.Its very quiet at any speed.Haven't gone over 90mph,maybe then.I traded in a '96 Camry which was noisey at any speed.#601,
I got 24,000or2 years full maint.at no extra cost.Even includes brake pads.ALL parts.etc.
#602 ,the Lexus E-300 has frameless windows,I've been in older models,and they were queit,and rattle free.
,

har1bush

my god, have mercy on your Hyundais! These aren't exactly Lexuses or Mercedes -- a tad bit of noise might be expected...

arizonian

I was curious if Hyundai is producing the engine and trans for the XG300 or if it is outsourced.

I was also wondering if any news has been heard of the 3.5 liter engine being made available anytime soon.

Thanks.

dst5

Than the car will never improve. You must have high expectations and set high goals for productivity (cost) and quality improvement or they will not happen.That is the only way the name Hyundai in the future will denote quality as Toyota or Honda does today. GM, Ford and Chysler suck at this the have improved only enough to sell a few cars. They have not set the pole high were you might fail to reach your goal. But in failure you still will be better off than you were before.

tlinderw

John115 you said you received all maint for 2 years...was this something you negotiated or something Hyundai is giving away now? I'm seriously considering purchasing an XG300L and am looking for deals Hyundai has available

stevew14

I recently purchased an XG 300. Right away I noticed the map lights and the glove box light didn't work. The dealer replaced the ML bulbs and a fuse and that was that. They also had to replace a bad sensor so the auto lights would work. The airbag light came on intermittently and remained on for hours at a time. Loose connection under the seat they explained The clips that hold the front floor mats in place won't stay snapped. I think dealer glued one shut but left the other one as is.Has any one else noticed this? Minor stuff, I know but I wondered if others had any similar problems.

My bigger concern is with the shifting. I keep reading about the "smooth as silk" automatic transmission and mostly I agree. However, often under moderate acceleration, the shift into fourth seems to linger a bit and feels a bit rough (almost shaky).

The next odd behavior I've noticed is when the cruise is on set at say, 70 mph and then cancelled in any way, and resume is hit, the tranny always shifts down to 4th and stays there for a long time even after returnig to original speed. Climbing a hill with cruise on, downshifts seem excessive and reluctant to shift back to 5th after regaining speed. Usually, a tap ont the coast or even resume/accel will force the tranny back to the higher gear. This doesn't seem right. The same hills driven without cruise and at the same speeds seldom produced gear downshifting and if they did, the tranny shifted appropriately when it should.

On a cross country trip last week this behavior seemed to progress to the point where now, without the cruise on, it often seems reluctant to shift to the next gear normally at all. At times the shift to the next gear seems way past due and sometimes requires taking foot off the gas completely in order to force to higher gear.

An out of state dealer topped off the trans fluid at my request but said the small amount it needed (1 pint) was not enough to cause any of that.. The cruise problem remained, but at first it seemed like it was shifting better overall. Since then however, I've noticed the same behavior on and off. I plan to take it in to the local dealer as soon as I can, but I wanted to try here before I went to them just in case any one else has experienced anything like this besides me. I'd be grateful for any comments or advice I can get

bperry3

dvdphile1

My XG is similar to the Maxima i had. Shifts patterns in both cars are "learned" dependant on the drivers aggresiveness."fuzzy logic" then programs the trans. shift points dependant on speed,time and load, after a while. The result is some rather long time in some gear before shifting. I saw some test report quoting up to 20 seconds. The trans. is "anticipating" within that time you will need the power and not upshift and then have to downshift again. Any slight upgrade will,in my car,considerably delay the upshift also.I think the way to check if you're ok is to start from stop on a level straight road (preferably no traffic) and accelerate moderately holding a steady pedal. If all is well each shift will be there without any long delays.I have not used the cruise enough to comment.I think the best test is compare if possible another XG on the same road, same speed etc.The Maxima i had acted the same as the XG except the delay in shift was not quite as long probably because of a more powerful engine. I would be very careful of overfilling the trans.and have it rechecked hot.Please report back what your service dept. has to say. Good luck!

dst5

It is a little irritating. And the clips are a known problem mentioned earlier in this group.

dst5

I will let all of you know the cost and benefits as become aware of them.

bperry3

Purchased "L" model mid Jnauary- 01 and noticed a shuddering in upshift to fourth gear at appx. 2300 rpm, moderate acceleration, motor fully warmed-up at about (100 miles). Thought that this condition might be attributed to "grade logic " and learning ability of transmission, as it did not occur always and varied in intensity and duration with changes in RPMs.. Apparently not so. Dealer replaced transmission at (1600 mi.) Required "re break-in" 1200 miles. Condition returned at about 3200mi and dealer "reflashed" (TCM). No fix- and dealer does not really know what causes problem although he has stated that there is a new program available for the (TCM). Drove dealer demo to verify shift problems under all conditions and dealer will be asking regional service tech to evaluate problem Jan 19. Car now has 10,500 mi and condition remains the same- no other problems. I really like the vehicle and am satisfied with the dealer approach so far. If this next repair attempt does not fix the problem, it looks like I will have to invoke the Md. State Lemon Law and attempt to get a new car. Although the price paid might be regarded as a bargain for the item received, value does not exist unless the vehicle is serviceable as advertised. I do not consider this as a general bashing of Hyundai. Unless we (owners) identify and describe problems such as this, Hyundai will remain unaware and we will remain dissatisfied. Any thoughts?

dst5

The only one I was able to find is Bulletin 0090007. Sequence 156 Nhtsa Item # sb615619
dealing with electrical problem can be the one spoke of above.

john115

Tlinderw,my local dealer here in Henderson,NV, gives this to every buyer on
any new Hyundai they sell.Probably because
there are two Hyundai dealers in Las Vegas.Although my dealer has been selling
Hyundai's for 10 years,they are a smaller dealership.

giowa

Please let us know what ends up happening.

You don't say how bad the "shuddering" problem is. Is it noticeable only by the driver? And only if you pay real close attention?

I'm wondering if you aren't being too particular on this issue. Check out post #3348 at the Lincoln LS thread here at Edmunds. Discusses similar manufacturing issue with upshift of Lexus GS430 tranny. Lincoln LS has also had some tranny anomalies with 1-2 upshift. These are inherent to the way the cars were designed.

miamiguy

I have now owned my XG300 L for two months and have driven 3000 miles. So far, I still love this car. As far as the above mentioned transmission problem, I can only add the following. On a rare occasion I have a shudder in first gear, or more of a hesitation. I have had no problem so far in higher gears.

The only problem I can report is the intermittent appearance of the check engine light. The timing of the appearance does is not exactly timed in relation to filling the gas tank. Usually it will show up the day after a fill and last for a day or so, then dissapear. There is never any other problem associated with the light, other than the annoyance of knowing that if there was a real problem, I might ignore the light. The fact that my dealers repair dept is only open on weekdays and its the type of problem that is intermittent, so far, I have let it go.

I am happy to see on the Hyundai US web site their sales are still increasing. By the way, anyone know of a dealer selling the extended warranty at a good discount?

viking13

I had the same problem with the check engine light coming on. My dealer checked with Hyundai technical services who advised that a bad connection in the electrical harness was the problem. The part has been ordered but is on back order - I assume because other dealers have been ordering the part to correct the same problem!

I also have experienced the delayed transmission shift mentioned in other posts - when it finally does shift, it's a very hard shift, mostly occuring between 2nd & 3rd gear for me. I am going to mention it to the dealer when I have my harness replaced - let you know what they say.

Finally, I also have experienced the transmission shifting down, and the tach going up, when I hit the resume button on the cruise control. It does goes back into 5th gear after about 30 seconds - but I'm not sure this should happen at all?

Overall, I'm hoping this car delivers on what many reviewers have called Hyundai's "top of the line model" with increased quality and consumer value. I agree with the good consumer value - we'll see about the quality. If the car delivers on both counts, then I'll be a repeat customer - if not, I will have learned an expensive lesson in what not to buy! It really took me a long time to come to the decision to purchase a Hyundai - I guess time will now tell us all if we made the right decision. If the quality holds up, I'm hoping resale also holds up at trade-in time a few years down the road!

yk911

For those who do not know of this function give it a try.

press unlock on your alarm FOB... then right after hold down the unlock button.. Your drivers side window will go down.

bperry3

As you indicated, I too thought that I hight have over-reacted with regard to my transmission upshift problem. I have to admit that since purchasing the car I have popbably been hypersensitive to the potential for problems as the name Hyundai has been thought a synonym for "problems." The shuddering however was taken seriously enough for the dealer to replace the transmission. The severity of the shuddering is sort of analogous to a slight clutch chatter on a manual shifter. It is readily apparent to an experienced driver and to any passenger if he or she is asked to be attentive. Shifting is as smooth as silk when the vehicle is cold or warming-up with the shuddering becoming increasingly perceptible as the operating temperature reaches normal. It occurs on level ground as well as on inclines. The shuddering has been sustained through (1) transmission replacement and (3) "reflashings" of the Transmiaaion Control Module (TCM). Therefore, I feel somewhat vindicated as to my state of "heightened awareness." I did however, make a mistake in the previous post and said that the service tech from the region would be looking at the car on Jan 19. That should have been July, 19 and Yes , I would appreaciate any similar experiences/ remedies which any owner has had . I will reprint the relevant ones and share them with the service rep. on the 19th. Thanks.

dvdphile1

I have 1000 miles on my XGL.I also have a sort of related problem with the"shudder" which sounds similar to bperry3 above. In the automatic shift mode all is well and although some upshifts are long on slight upgrades i think thats inherent in design. But if i go from auto to manual and shift down from 4 to 3 there is always a shutter.
The higher the speed the greater the shutter. All other manual downshifts are right there with no shutter.The only reason i go to manual is for additional braking on downgrades.All other shifts,downshifts etc. seem right on with no problem. I do have a service appt. on Tuesday and will report back.The only other unrelated problem is weak AM reception with the stereo. This is a great car and hope the long term proves reliable. I also am having the dealer apply additional undercoat as the road noise is too much. dst5: How did your silencing job come out?

dst5

I recived this reply from Hyundai about the centennial in the US market.

Thank you for your interest in our Centennial.

We are considering launching of Centennial in U.S after 2004 CY

adding more luxurious specification and higher technology.

so maybe you cannot change your LS400 to Centennial until 2004 CY.

you can contact our dealers at that time for Centennial

thank you.

yk911

http://www.casmiami.com/autoseek/hyundai/095610.htm

http://www.casmiami.com/autoseek/hyundai/084422.htm

bluewinds

What a junk it is!!!

bluewinds

http://www.vision-inc.com/01_tqa_midsizecar.html

har1bush

Seems pretty contradictory to the J.D. Powers & Associate's initial quality survey. In there, the Passat and the XG were shown to be below the industrial average. After looking at the JD powers ratings, my hope for better quality korean cars went down the drain, as Kias and Hyundais were seen near the bottom of the list.

astrol

The Chevy Malibu, among others for Christsake, scores high every year on that same survey. What does that tell you about its usefulness? Go visit any Malibu forum and ask how they feel about the long-term quality...I can hear the laughter now.

Initial quality surveys have as much long-term meaning as pet store purchases. Once the bloom comes off, reality sets in.

The vast majority of perennial high scorers in this kind of drivel are vehicles which cost many thousands of dollars more than any XG ever will. I say, so what? Some people are always going to follow things they read or were told by someone else. That's called 'letting someone else determine your reality'. Yeah, that's the ticket.

har1bush

well then, I guess I had no reason to believe in Hyundais and Kias in the first place

dst5

I had a Nissan Altima a reliable car but there was so much stuff that pissed me off about that car that I would have rated it low. Reliability is only one issue in the car experience and this survey tries to get a better balance between emotion and statistics.

astrol

The J. D. Power surveys especially have become meaningless. Too many of them...too little significance. The only thing Power doesn't survey is it's own surveys. It is like anything else in this info-mad world...overkill. What is the difference between 1.2 problems per car and 1.3? This is the kind of meaningless crap we're talking about here...decimal points. How about a survey with useful information like nature of problem...big ticket?...small ticket? Door squeaks and tranny problems are not equivalent. But so long as everything is lumped together, this info is crap. Some people actually find this crap significant, though. Hey, whatever gets your motor running!

dst5

majorthomecho

It seems like Vision focuses a lot on how a new car makes the owner feel while J.D. Powers does not do that.

mikewesq

Here's my status report. I returned Sunday from a road trip from Richmond, VA to Philadelphia, PA with my XG300L. The car was a real pleasure to drive on the Interstate as well as in the narrow, busy Philly streets. MPG averaged a little over 24 mpg. My ten-year-old son really enjoys riding in the back seat of this car. I can plug my Apple PowerBook into an auto adapter plugged into the rear seat lighter socket and he plays his Pajama Sam and Spy Fox CD games for hours. When he's bored of that, he opens the handy compartment in the armrest and takes out his Game Boy. He likes the reading lamps and the cupholders as well.

I like the different adjustments that the power memory seat give me so that I can vary my seating position to stay comfortable over long distances. The smooth power from the engine is more than adequate for this car, and I have yet to have a situation where I felt the car under-powered. The brakes, in my opinion, really shine on this car. They really keep you in control, even in hard braking situations. The numerous storage bins really are useful on a long highway trip for sunglasses, cell phone, and tool money. Overall, I found the car much less fatiguing to drive long distances than other cars that I have owned.

The problems that I have had are minor. I have had the check engine light come on at odd times as well, and yet on the 3 or 4 times that this has happened, each time the light stays on a shorter time than the last and then goes out. I think that the bright beams on the headlights are aimed a bit too high, and will see about an adjustment. I tend to hear a good deal of bumpety-bump from the rear end over road imperfections, and wonder if the spare tire cover might be in part to blame. I'd like to know other's impressions of noise form the trunk area when running over bumps or potholes. There is a good bit of wind noise that I think is associated with the side mirrors, and the car could use some refinement in how well it keeps out external noises.

I really do love this car, and enjoy driving it every day, and although it is not the perfect car, it's a damn fine one for the money. I like the look of this car more and more, and find it more pleasing than the rather bland Japanese sedans.

I have seen a number of the new Elantras on the road recently, and I really like the styling on them as well. There is a distinct family resemblance between the Elantra and the XG300. I think that the rear-end styling on the Elantra is particularly pleasing and distinctive, and the side sheet metal has a nice carved-out look, if you know what I mean. I'm looking forward to seeing a 2002 Sonata in the flesh later this year when they arrive at the dealers.

dst5

Brought it to the dealer they tightened some bolts but it is still doing it. Any Feedback?

I replaced the SD tires with yokahama avid touring tires 215/65/15 1510 Capacity at 35psi. I am running my tires at 26 PSI which gives me higher weight capacity than std tires at 33 PSI. Steering is much easier to control than before. The tires are only s rated but I won't go over 112 MPH anyway. I sold the used rich tires for as much as I paid for the new tires at the tire rack on-line $209 delivered for four tires.

dst5

Sprayed ruberrized undercoat in the wheel wells as suggested the dealer as in california they don't even do undercoating and it helped road noise quite a bit and costs almost nothing 2 cans undercoat 10 Dollars Tire store to put car on lift and spray undercoat 15 dollars total cost $25

Just FYI

xg301

Went to the dealer and complained about driver and passenger floor mat clips constantly coming off. As a matter of fact one of them got broken a week after i went the dealer. They ordered me a new pair which has been put on. Much better design, grip and fit. Just passing on the info. It was a warranty job anyway so no cost incurred. Anybody having that problem should get theirs replaced. Cars' got 6k miles on it and running great. Loving it everyday. Wish i had the 16 inch wheels on it though.

priggly

Anyone know of any changes scheduled for the new 2002 Hyundai XG300 and when they will be released to the dealers for sale?

Thanks.

tanzi1

I've had my xg300 since April, and like it more each time i drive it. when I turned it over to restaurant valet parking guy, he wrote "Lincoln"
on his ticket; I corrected him by saying no,Hyundai.I fixed the missing rear seat light problem by installing my own. i picked up a surface mount type interior light from a junkyard car and mounted it just forward of the rear window over the back seat. by removing the handle grips and clothes hanger on the right side of the car i was able to route a wire pair forward and across the headliner to the front reading light assembly. i connected the wires to the proper wires so that it comes on when any of the doors is opened, and it can also be turned on manualy when i manualy turn on the driver's reading light.The fixture I installed came with its own switch so if i want, it can be set not to come on. it works great and fades to off just like the factory lights due when they go off. I also picked up one of the engine compartment automatic lights from the junk yard, and now the engine compartment gets illuminated when the hood is opened, and automaticaly goes out when the hood is closed.to finish things off I added a second light mounted to the under side of the trunk which is connected to the dim factory installed light and it goes on and off when the factory light does, it also has its own seperate shut off switch. I found some nice custom made rear mud gaurds designed for the Sonata at Auto Zone parts store. with a little delicate carving with a razor knife and some pushing pressure during installation, i installed them on the XG300. they match perfectly with the factory installed front mud gaurds. i hope this info is of some help to anyone else who is unhappy about the interior lighting and lack of rear mud gaurds, good luck !

riker2

The 2002 model will have a 3.5 instead of a 3.0 liter. That should help give the 300 some more pep. I don't know if it will be an option or the new standard. As an aside, since the XG300 came to the US after being introduced in Korea, it's safe to say that a redesign will occur a year or two earlier than the regular cycle.

har1bush

where did you get that information? I've seen unconfirmed rumors about the 3.5L engines, but it seems strange to me that Hyundai would offer a new engine only a year after its introduction... maybe the new engine will be an option?

riker2

Cars.com just issued their 2002 product report, and said that the 3.5 is a go. I called a dealership in Philly, and they said that it's going to happen. Vroom!

har1bush

nice... hopefully, they'll keep the price low and keep on improving the build quality.

dst5

WD 40 everything and drive like a maniac through a canyon to let everthing set works great.

sobright1

My XG300L has been nearly flawless over the nearly 9000 miles I have driven since April. I would concur about the floor mat clips constantly coming off and appreciate the info about the newly designed clips. I also had to replace a weather strip on the passenger's side due to wind noise. I have averaged 23 mph with mixed driving. For me, the power is more than adequate as I have already gotten a ticket. The wheels are butt ugly though. My only real regrets are the erratic shifting between second and third, which I believe is due to the fuzzy logic, and the service at my dealer. On one occasion they left grease on the exterior and when they replaced the weather stripping the got oil on my speaker cover. While I have been impressed with Hyundai, as they have been very careful to insure that my needs are met, the only dealer near me (in Memphis) appears far less concerned. From past experience with the service departments of both Mercury and Mitsubishi dealers, both seemed far more concerned with my satisfaction than does the local dealership. Again though, corporate Hyundai has been very attentitive and constantly inquires about my satisfaction including soliciting feedback about this dealer.

har1bush

I saw the 16" wheels as part of an option package on carsdirect, but it's not on the hyundaiusa.com site... anyone know what these wheels look like?

har1bush

I looked at the korean Hyundai website and it said that the 3.5L V6 in the European Centennial has 210hp and about 224 lb-ft@3000 rpm of torque... Of course what is important is not the 210 hp, but the 224 lb-ft of torque peaking at a much lower 3000rpm. It would be sweet to have that engine put into the XG, especially as a standard engine since the new Sonata's going to get a 2.7L engine. Now, if only Hyundai figured out some ways to put the XG on a little diet, it would surely match its competitors in performance.

lupo79

BOUGHT BRAND NEW 12.11.00 (SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA)
PAYED $23,500 W/SUNROOF, A/CLIMATE

PROBLEMS:
----@ 100 MILES SHUDDER FROM 3RD TO 4TH, CAUGHT MY ATTENTION ON SLIGHT INCLINES....TOOK TO DEALER REPLACED TRANNY...
----FLOOR MATS ALWAYS COME UNHOOKED
----@ 15K MILES RADIO IS PAUSING WHEN IN FM/AM MODE SUDDENLY GOES INTO CD FOR A FEW SEC, THEN BACK TO NORMAL...HAVNT TAKEN IT IN YET...
----@ 16K MILES ON DRIVERS SIDE WHERE YOU PUSH THE BUTTON TO ROLL YOUR WINDOWS UP THAT LITTLE COMPARTMENT, (THAT HOLDS THE BUTTONS) KEEPS COMING UP WHEN THE DOOR IS SHUT AT A NORMAL RATE...
-- W/17K MILES NOW STILL ENJOY THE CAR MUCH EVEN OF THESE PETTY THINGS....