Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
http://www.hyundai-motor.com/cybermall/showroom/passenger/equus/performance.html#
Maybe I was wrong? Heh, if I was, sorry for my booboo.
Best of luck!
As a caveat, car stereo systems are very much a matter or personal taste. One person’s dream system might be another person’s expensive mistake. The XG300L has a better stereo than the base XG300. Both are better than the norm for factory systems if for no other reason than having front component speakers (see the Edmunds review of the L stereo). The factory stereo has the advantage of being designed specifically for the car and no doubt evaluated by audiophile experts who come up with a low cost but balanced solution.
My replacement system, described above, sounded better than the factory system, but seemed to be missing something. The subwoofer seemed to be an isolated thump in the back while the regular speakers seemed to be missing the kind of clarity or definition I was looking for unless I cranked up the volume. My new system, while consisting of high end parts, wasn’t very balanced. So of course I blamed the factory speakers.
So I started looking into new speakers and what I first found out is that good or even medium grade component speakers require lots of power. Usually more than the 45x4 (22x4 rms) that comes out of most 3rd party head units and definitely more than the 20x4 (10x4rms) or 30x4 (15x4rms) coming out of the factory head units. Note that in audio forums like www.sounddomain.com no one speaks in terms of the maximum power. That’s for the most part a marketing gimmick without much meaning unless you have serious mismatches in components. The more meaningful rating is continuous power or rms. Sorry to be the one to tell you that a factory stereo rated at 120 watts is really only putting out around 60 watts. It’s all part of the marketing con job and every manufacturer does it. Stick with rms when selecting components.
So realizing that I wouldn’t be able to get much better quality component speakers without adding an amplifier, I went ahead and swapped out my single channel Alpine MRV-100M amp ($200) for a 5 channel MRV-F357 amp ($450) that is rated at 30x4 rms + 100 rms. Actually the Alpine Amps tend to be underrated and a little card in the package told me that the factory tested it actually at 39x4 rms + 114 rms. Amps are very much a you get what you pay for proposition. The new amp was installed on the back of the rear seats, which can still fold down (which means that I won’t have to crawl around in the trunk if I decide to adjust the amplifier settings).
Anyway, the sound difference was significant. The subwoofer no longer sounded like an isolated thump in the trunk and the factory speakers all of a sudden found a mid-bass that they didn’t have before. Very nice. Very balanced. I started to hear details in the music without having to crank up the volume So it wasn’t the speakers after all. Now, I’m still going to replace the factory speakers, they’re still outclassed by the other components, but the simple addition of an external amp absolutely transformed the sound that I was getting.
So here are a few options for folks to think about when looking to upgrade, all are under $500. One of the things I’ve learned is to resist the usual temptation to just go out and get a new head unit and speakers. Getting an external amp can be a little intimidating in terms of the buzzwords, but it’s really pretty simple.
Option #1: Get a 4 channel external amplifier and use the existing factory head unit and speakers. You can get external amps with both speaker line inputs (to interface with the factory head unit) and RCA jack inputs (to interface with a future third party head unit) for under $300 installed. This seems to be the biggest bang for the buck. It’s not as spicy an option as getting a brand new head unit with all the bells and whistles but it’s the fastest path to better sound. Option #2: Get a smaller two channel amp ($200) and use it to drive a better pair of component speakers up front (Infinity Reference $180 for example) while continuing to drive the rear deck speakers from the head unit. This kind of approach generally appeals to stereo purists who are looking for a good stereo soundstage (drummer on the left, guitarist on the right, etc ) and don’t care as much about the surround sound effect. Option #3: Get a good 5 channel amp to drive both the main speakers and a future subwoofer.
Car stereos are very much like home stereos. Upgrades cause component mismatches which cause more upgrades. The main thing I’ve learned however is that having a good external amp at the heart of your system gives you a lot better sound as well as many more options for future upgrades.
Hope this is informative.
Joe
Base XG300
14,500 miles
I have tried adjusting the air pressure (from 30 psi to 35 psi) in the front tire to see if this made any difference. I still had to keep the wheel turned slightly to the right to keep going in a straight line while in the left lane. It may seem like a minor problem, but I do find that the driving position (holding the wheel canted to the right) is more fatiguing than having a car that stays straight on track, even in the passing lane.
Any suggestions or information that would help explain this phenomenon would be appreciated.
Unfortunately, this 3.5-liter engine may not be available in Korea because it already costs around $60 to fill up the gas tank in Korea (talk about you people complaining about the rising gas price in US) of XG 3.0L (what they call XG300 in Korea, and L stands for luxury) and because the government of Korea likes to impose heavy taxation on the large displacement engines. However, Hyundai does offer more options available in the home market.
Among the most noticeable goodies missing in the US version of the car is HID headlights and Electronically Controlled Suspension (ECS).
HID is a big improvement over the standard headlights of XGs (low beams only) in terms of brightness and better sighting but it also gives off bluish tint that makes the car appear even cooler. There is a website offering the factory HID headlights in US but its asking price of 1,000+ dollars is absurd to me.
Several of you also wished for firmer suspension on XG. Well, this ECS option available in Korea has 2 mode - touring or sports. Touring is basically having ECS sports mode off, that is offering the passengers a normal plush, floaty ride. Sports mode on the other hand firms up shock absorbers as well as the steering wheel. This gives the car tighter handling radius as well as less roll, pitch and dives, and unlike other ECS from other makers you can definitely feel it working in XG.
Well, US buyers should at least bother Hyundai to have them available in as options since they aren't cheap nor free, but I believe they are really worth it.
Lastly, this is my guess but XGs in US may have gotten thicker glass than the Korean versions to offer US buyers better sound isolation. Hyundai has practiced this discriminating act with US version of Sonata. This doesn't make sense to me because domestic buyers are entitled to quite driving environment as well. Well, this is all I got to say for now. Enjoy driving your XGs!
1. The car bottom out on a fairly smooth road. Felt like you were hit by the bottom of the seat.
2. No real seat height adjustment. Buttons just raise the front of seat but not the back. Could not get a real comfortable driving position. Even manual seats now have a knob adjustment that raises the whole seat.
3. Great looking car with new Alloy wheels and has 16 Mitchelin tires. $600 MSRP
4. Wind noise around doors/windows was not pronounced.
5. Good dealer experience in Dalton GA. No knowledge of $600 advertising fee.
6. Some delay in manual shift mode. Transmission reliability is a long term concern. (I keep car long time and drive about 7000 miles a year.)
7. Narrow choice of interior colors for number of exterior color choices. Off white only with black interior!
8. Lot's and lot's of controls and switches. Reliability?
This sight seems to be showing some major problems at about 10-15k miles.
dealer.Stopped looked at,drove and bought,2 mos.
later.The 300 has more room and offered more to me than the 4cyl Outback,especially since it dosen't snow
in the desert.So I had no real need for all wheel drive.
My XG developed a wind noise leak at around 10,000 miles on the front passenger window. Am going in tomorrow for my 15,000 mile checkup and will have it repaired then.
I use the manual shift mode while in heavy rush hour traffic. I think the delay is a characteristic that is shared by other manumatic shifters. Earlier someone was mentioning the same delay in a Lincoln LS. Clearly the manual modes are not a substitute for the control offered by a true manual transmission.
As far as transmission reliability, we'll just have to wait and see. Just about every indicator shows that Hyundai quality has improved in it's latest generation of vehicles starting with the 1999 Sonata. I know one of the rental car companies uses Sonatas. At 7000 miles per year you'll be covered under warranty for 10 years on the transmission. I drive about 15,000 miles per year so I'm good for about 6.5 years. I'm just happy to be driving a vehicle that will be under full bumper to bumper warranty while I'm still paying for it:)
The L has more switches than my base but so far no problem with controls.
Base XG300 white
14,750 miles
http://www.fxtreme.org/forums/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=22&t=000190
My local dealer still doesn't have brochures. No '02s either. Just lots of '01 XG300s.
Wife and I dying to take one on a test drive. We want to drive an L version. She wants the extra luxury items, including the heated seats. I like the price, warranty, and looks. Add the bigger 3.5L engine to the existing 5-speed automatic with Shiftronic, and looks like an ever better value!!! Praying Hyundai will offer some cheap financing to move some metal! If I can get 0.0 percent or 0.9 percent for 48 or 60 months, guessing my wife and I couldn't afford to pass up on it. (Sure, I'd like a G35, IS300, 325i, etc. but not sure I want to spend near or over $30,000.)
Just bought XG300L In dallas area. So far like it. They are even giving 0% for 60 months. Do not hasitate to offer $3,000 to $3,500 less then the sticker price.
On Thursday the 11th, despite my efforts at avoiding two dogs on a rain slick highway, I killed a black lab and lost control. I was traveling about 50 mph and the anti-lock brakes apparently did what they are designed to do in that I did not skid on the highway, then again neither did I stop. When I left the road I slid another 100 feet before striking a telephone pole severing it in half. I certainly do not blame my XG in any way for these events, however it is worth mentioning that this is a heavy car and when it does start to slide it is apt to slide a good ways. What was disappointing is that we struck the pole just to the left of dead center and NEITHER AIR BAG INFLATED. Though we were largely unhurt, what good are air bags if the do not work? I guess it is worth mentioning that a month or so earlier my air bag light came on and the dealer "reset" it. Unfortunately, Hyundai's response has not been reassuring either. When I told the dealer of my problem they referred me to Hyundai. When I called Hyundai and told them they actually asked me what I wanted them to do about it. They did finally tell me that they would investigate why my air bags did not inflate if I filled out forms that they would send me in the mail, then send them back - through the mail - to them. Instead of being thankful that I reported this potential safety problem they seemed rather complacent. This puts the car owner in a very bad position and will certainly prevent most people from asking for an investigation. Like most people I need my car back. Hyundai wants me to tell the body shop and insurance companies to wait until I get forms in the mail from Hyundai, fill them out, then send them back, then wait on their investigator to inspect the car before any repairs are made. All this would take weeks. When I do get it back I am going to trade the damn thing. It is not a bad car but the support from the dealer and Hyundai sucks. I'll never be able to trust the air bags on this car again.
On the other hand, US version comes standard with side airbags. Also, for 2002, XG300 will come standard with bigger 3.5-liter engine (hence the name change). However, this 3.5-liter engine won't be available in Korea even as an option because fuel is very expensive in Korea (about $60 per tank of gas). Which also might explain why XG is available with 2.5-liter V6 or even smaller 2.0-liter V6 with a 5-speed manual transmission in Korea.
As an update to my situation. I stopped by the body shop today and they told me that Hyundai had called them and told them that they were sending someone out to inspect the car. This is a refreshing surprise after the indifferent attitude they seemed to display over the phone. I have no idea what convinced them to change their mind (assuming that they do send someone out), perhaps it was my phone call, perhaps it was the complaint I filed with the NTSB, or perhaps someone from Hyundai was reading this forum. I will keep everyone posted.
If you do let me know
There is no listing for those bulbs in hi performance after market sites.
H1 hi beam
H7 low beam
H3 Fog lamps
But no listing for drivers lamps.
Also, to follow up, Hyundai called the body shop and put the repairs on hold until they could get someone by to inspect the car. I would give them credit in that they sent an independent engineer out to study the car within two days of their call preventing further delays in the repairs. The engineer wrapped up his study one week ago tomorrow and I await information from Hyundai.
It comes with a 3.5L with 194hp @ 5500 rpm and 216 lb-ft @ 3500.