Car Shopping Surprise- Luxury vs Non-Luxury Category
Shopping for new car & surprised at what I’m finding in 2018/2019 models. Quick background, several immediate family members, including wife, own premium & high-end luxury brands. But, I’m driven by overall factors not just classification.
Question: How do you evaluate premium in a car, if you ignore brand name?
I summarize by 4 basic things, which lead to my surprise.
1. Handling. Not just strong engine, but road balance & noise.
2. Quality/touch of inside materials.
3. Tech features/options.
4. Reliability. Very important that tech & engine “consistently work as designed.” This is problem area, where I’ve found numerous luxury brands with poor tech performance (touch controls too sensitive, many false beeps/alerts/warnings). Especially w/ all the driver assist/safety tech.
Recently been test driving number of brands including luxury. I’m surprised because after test drive, I (wife too) found the 2019 HYUNDAI Santa Fe Ultimate 2.0T “outstanding” in all 4 above areas. Now, my top choice. (Reviews from professional road tests good too.) After further research (JD Power, Strategic Vision, Consumer Reports), HYUNDAI brand is tops in quality and tech performance! I’m surprised!
Question: How do you evaluate premium in a car, if you ignore brand name?
I summarize by 4 basic things, which lead to my surprise.
1. Handling. Not just strong engine, but road balance & noise.
2. Quality/touch of inside materials.
3. Tech features/options.
4. Reliability. Very important that tech & engine “consistently work as designed.” This is problem area, where I’ve found numerous luxury brands with poor tech performance (touch controls too sensitive, many false beeps/alerts/warnings). Especially w/ all the driver assist/safety tech.
Recently been test driving number of brands including luxury. I’m surprised because after test drive, I (wife too) found the 2019 HYUNDAI Santa Fe Ultimate 2.0T “outstanding” in all 4 above areas. Now, my top choice. (Reviews from professional road tests good too.) After further research (JD Power, Strategic Vision, Consumer Reports), HYUNDAI brand is tops in quality and tech performance! I’m surprised!
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