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Comments
Anyway, I'll start with the dealer first to see what kind of light it is. Then I'll see if they will change it. If not, I'll check an audio repair shop. Hopefully I'll get used to it before all of that...
The proximity key is produced by Siemens VDO and allows entry into the Veracruz without removing the key from your pocket. Once in the Veracruz, simply turn the ignition key surround to start the engine. If the key is in the Veracruz and no one is in the driver seat, the doors will not lock, which avoids the problem of locking the keys in the car.
http://www.familycar.com/RoadTests/HyundaiVeracruz/Photos.htm
I find myself in the unenviable position of purchasing a 6/7 passenger vehicle. A 7 person vehicle is not a bad thing, but I'm a wagon guy, and the thought of an SUV, let alone a 'crossover' vehicle (what does that mean?) makes me sweat. I drive 18K+ miles a year, and my wife doesn't drive. Since I'm the designated driver 24/7, I want it to be interesting/fun. I guess I would describe my driving as 'spirited'.
I've driven a multitude of vehicles, and this is my list, good, bad, and ugly.
BMW X5...did not like, and the A/C was not acceptable, brakes were not great either.
Mazda CX-9...didn't like it. I sat directly under the too raked windshield. Cheap feel.
Audi Q7...Nice interior, but 12-14 mpg (real world numbers) is not acceptable.
Acura MDX... Disappointed fit/finish although it did have considerable zip. Hated the steering wheel.
I took a test drive in the Veracruz because I'm out of options, an SE. It wasn't bad. It had pep, there wasn't much road feel, but it was solid, quiet, and took the potholes and bad roads with grace. Very comfortable drive. Fun factor? I doubt it. The seats in the SE didn't have much in the way of lumbar support. I can almost see myself in this vehicle. Is the Limited AWD version that much nicer/better than the SE?
Could someone with a Limited AWD Veracruz give a critique of their vehicle, likes and dislikes? In order to put this in perspective, could you mention what vehicle you traded the Veracruz for?
I'm not going without a fight...
Bo
Makes me wonder if you can really tow with this CUV. This vehicle is no longer at the top of my list
Veracruz Specs Page
And here is a link to some hitches for the Veracruz.
Hitches
And I would look for a different salesperson and/or dealership. It sounds like they don't want to take the time to learn their product or satisfy their potential customer! :mad:
As to leg room, I am 6'3" an weigh in at 288 lbs. The adjustable pedals on the Limited Ultimate package makes the difference. So yes, it works very well. The third row seat holds my 16 year old son and his friends very nicely and the have no complaints with drives over an hour.
So I hope someone gets some answer from this post.
Recently test drove Veracruz with Leather seats. After the test drive I noticed the bottom of seat (portion with tiny holes) had excess material that looked like a bulge. My guess this is from stretching material or poor workmanship. I like the look of it being completely smooth.
What is the experience of other owners with the leather seats and material stretching?
Despite quality improvements you will get hammered with depreciation if you are the type that gets a new vehicle every 2-5 years. If you keep it longer periods, the depreciation hit will not be as large.
I elected to go with a sure bet and purchased an MDX. The Veracruz is not really in the same class as an MDX. I suggest you test drive both and compare the residual values of both vehicles over the term you plan to keep the vehicle. Also check message 549 above which details my decision.
CR's most recent (2007) predicted reliability rating has Hyundai at #7, FWIW.
I’m not sure what you mean by that statement. My question was related to depreciation as a higher depreciation can more than offset a difference in purchase price. I did a very simple calculation. I looked at the TCO for the MDX and in my zip code the expected resale for a MDX Sport/Ent is 57% after 3 years. There is no data on the Veracruz, so I took the TCO for the Santa Fe, which estimates resale at 50%. If you take the TMV of both the MDX Sport/Ent ($45,937) and an Ultimate Package Veracruz limited ($36,174), the depreciation hit for the MDX is $18,312 and for the Veracruz it’s $17,227. So even though the difference in TMV is almost $10,000, the depreciation cost is very close.
This simple calc is meant to be notional, not definitive. There are many other factors such as maintenance, cost to finance the additional $10K, service, etc. Let alone all of the intangibles such as fun to drive, emotional appeal etc. What this means for me is that the MDX does not cost that much more to drive over 3 years than the Veracruz. Certainly not the full $10,000 initial difference in purchase price. The Veracruz may very well hold it’s value better than the Sante Fe, but I would not bank on it. Even though Hyundai makes some very good vehicles, it will take the market some time to recognize higher resale.
I will still look very hard at the Veracruz, but it’s more of a straight up comparison rather than a “huge” economical difference between the two. Keep in mind that Vercruz does not have Nav yet, which would add a couple thousand to the price.
Those intangibles better be worth alot of money to you.
I still don't know what you mean by those statements. Even by your numbers the MDX is $500 more per year than the Veracruz. I don't know where the $8K over the life of the vehicle comes from. To ME, emphasis on the me, that is not a lot of money and virtually a non factor in my purchase decision. What I meant is at a $500 per year or so difference, I will buy the vehicle that I like better all around. Now I haven't compared these extensively, but let's suppose I like the MDX better. I don't have to say that I like the MDX better, but bought the Veracruz because is was significantly cheaper to own. Bottom line is that if I like the VC better, I'll go with it. If I like the MDX better, I'll buy it. The VC is not hugely cheaper to own over a 3 to 4 year period.
Now, as I said, this is for me. I am fortunate that both vehicles fit well within my budget. If I were in a much lower buddget, then a lesser equipped VC would be hard to beat.
I do agree with carguy11 that it is a major victory for Hyundai for buyers like me to even cross shop the brand. Haven't looked at them since the Excell. The VC is certainly not an Excell. Thank goodness.
I think what arumage is saying, the cash you saved upfront, it's apparent, while the depreciation difference over the year is not as transparent
I’m sorry, I don’t mean to belabor the point, but it’s cost of ownership over three years that I am talking about. An extra $150 per month to finance $8000 is an interest rate of 22.5%. I assume that you mean the extra $150 is for both interest and principal repayment.
I guess to look at it simply; the cost to own for three years is the depreciation, finance charges, gas, maintenance and insurance. We have established the depreciation is $330 more for the MDX per year and I will take the extra gas that you guys say at $450 for three years, so $150 per year. My guess is that the MDX will be more expensive to maintain and cost more for insurance, so another few hundred per year. Carrying cost of $8000 at 7% is about $560 per year or about $50 per month. So a quick and dirty, back of the envelope calculation would total about $1,000 per year more plus extra insurance and maintenance, so let’s say $1,250. Granted it will vary by year as depreciation is not straight line, but this is close enough for the discussion.
$1,250 per year is not an insignificant amount of money. I said I disregarded the finance cost in a previous post, which is not correct. You really need to consider it to be fair. It’s actually the largest single component of extra cost. Bottom line for me is still the same. If my wife says she likes the VC, then great. If she wants the MDX, than $1,250 per year for domestic harmony is a bargain in my books.
joe: My comment on scary depreciation was based on the numbers toast used. He used 67% residual on the MDX and 50s for the VC. I thought 67% was a bit too high residual for the MDX so I used a more conservative number from the Edmunds TCO of 57%
Back a year or 2 ago, the only real game in town in terms of crossovers was the MDX, Lexus, Pilot and Highlander. That is no longer the case: you now have the GM trio (Acadia, Outlook, Enclave), the Mazda CX-9, and the Veracruz, which are diluting the CUV pool, and there will be more to come once Ford and Chrysler get their act together. This is apparent in the fact that the new MDX did not hold full MSRP price nearly as long as it did the first few years it was introduced (within a couple of months people were paying at least $1k below retail on the new model). Even the brand new GM CUVs are selling near invoice, just a few months after introduction.
So people will have a lot more choice, which makes me wonder why they would pay top dollar for a used MDX when they could get themselves into a brand new CUV for just a few thousand dollars more.
Korean Auto Imports
Hyundai has some interesting positioning with this vehicle. In lower trim levels it competes quite well and IMO, handily beats the Pilot and current Highlander. The new 08 Highlander looks interesting, but will be pricey. If I was Honda, I would be pretty worried, unless they knock it out of the park with the new Pilot. In the top trim levels, it nips at heels of the so called luxury CUVs such as the MDX and RX and to a lesser extent BMW X5 and Audi Q7. However I don’t realistically know if an Audi or BMW buyer will seriously cross shop the VC, since they value other factors.
An interesting question is that would someone willing to shell out the money for an RX or MDX buy a top trim VC that looks like the same vehicle that competes with the Pilot. Exclusivity is one reason why people buy vehicles, even CUVs, else there would be no Mercedes and Lexus people movers on the roads. Or does the top trim appeal more to buyers stretching a bit to get a luxury vehicle at a good price. Look at the Hyundai commercials. No one can really believe someone in the market for a Lexus LS is going to cross shop the Azera or a BMW 5 series buyer a Sonata. But it does pass a good message.
I read an article somewhere; I can’t remember the source where they showed the VC without badges to a focus group. Something like 70% indicated purchase interest. When Hyundai was put on the vehicle, the interest dropped 20%. Conversely, Toyota got 20% uplift from the brand. That’s a whopping 40% swing between the brands. Hyundai should think about a separate brand and dealer network for the new Genesis and possibly a higher end VC. When Volkswagen and Mazda tried to go upscale with their brands, it was a disaster.
In comparison, I just looked at the TCO for the new Buick Enclave. Depreciation is about the same as for the VC. As was mentioned, lots of choice! It’s all good for consumers. About time someone gave Honda and Toyota a run for their money.
I am not your typical CUV buyer. I actually will cross shop the X5, MDX, Q7, GX470, XC90, 08 Highlander, Enclave, Veracruz and the Mercedes R. Even though demographically, I fit better in the X5, Q7, MB, value is more important to me. In fact the top three are the VC, MDX and 08 Highlander with the R-class in the running. An odd mix, I know, especially the R-Class. However if then run the incentives like they did last year of $12K below invoice, than I will take a hard look. The lease deals on the Q7 makes cost of ownership on par with the MDX as well.
Bo.
This is the number sold in June. It's good!