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Hard to believe I've had my '00 Sonata GLS V6 5-speed manual with Pkg 13 (ABS, TC, leather, sunroof, pwr seat) since May 2000. Needed to do the 48 month service work.
Just looking at the totals, I can tell you have had the work done at the dealer. The transmission and spark plug change is really overpriced. I can get the fliud changed (Flush or drain) for less than a $100.00 bucks many places. Those dealers with those mega dealerships and 20 plus service bays out back have to find a way to pay the bills selling cars at $250.00 over invoice!!
I agree, service at the dealer is usually overpriced. Does the Hyundai warranty book have language that requires a car to be serviced by a dealer to maintain one's warranty coverage?
Believe you just have to be able to show the work was done, normally by saving the receipt or invoice detailing who did what, when and at what mileage. Just know I won't ever have any warranty problems if I use the dealer, and I know they have the parts & expertise.
The extra $$ is probably worth the peace of mind. I recall VW being awful about honoring their warranty if anyone other than a VW stealer, er, dealer worked on the car.
Yes, I'm going to take you back a few years to revisit my 2001 Sonata GLS Leather, which now has 40k+ on it. I recently made the last payment (May) and am enjoying having a car that's paid off that sill has a couple of years of bumper-to-bumper warranty and about seven years of powertrain protection. I can't remember if I ever had a new car before that had any warranty whatsoever left on it by the time I paid it off. It's a nice feeling.
Back in 2001, many detractors were asking, "What good is a long warranty of the car's in the shop all the time?" Their point, of course, was that Hyundais were junk and would be in the shop far too often. Buying one was a fool's bargain.
Looking back, here's the warranty work I had performed.
02 sensor: replaced while I waited driver's window regulator: same day replacement battery: replaced while I waited ($30 proration) passenger window regulator: same day replacement
So I lost two days for four repairs, and I spent $30 out of pocket in three years and 40,000 miles. I'm fine with that, considering I got free dealer delivery and pick up to and from work on the days I had to leave the car.
By now, I think most of the negatives about Hyundai have been erased, but buying one in 2001 was considered a foolish risk by many, so it's good to look back and see that it was a prudent choice.
Ok, now I remember I bought a 1994 Dodge Ram SLT Laramie for cash, so it had a full warranty after it was paid off, and man did I use THAT warranty.
Also, let me add that the 2001 Sonata still looks very nice: the paint held up well, the interior is still tight and quiet, the external hardware bits all work and are still on the car, and even the leather seats look very good. I do hand wash the car, clean and condition the seats, and generally detail the interior.
The one thing that really ticks me off is the driver's side mat and clip, which just never holds in place.
The manual TF may have been unnecessarily replaced since the owner's manual doesn't call for drain and refill until 60,000 miles under "severe service". The fluid only needs to be inspected and topped up indefinitely at 30,000 mile intervals under "normal usage". "Hundai Genuine Parts MTF 75W-90" is a full synthetic fluid so that's probably why they can get away with such low routine maintenance requirments. One word of advice: ALWAYS check what your owner's manual states for routine service. Dealers' maintenance "deals" are always skewed toward make-work exhuberance. If you then -want- to go above and beyond the call, then it's because you feel it's worthwhile, not because you're being snowed. Nevertheless, reiz, you certainly can't be faulted for the TLC you practice on your "baby". The same rule practiced by soldiers with their weapons applies: "You take care of it, it takes care of you."
ray_h... BMW pulls the same scam. You never have to change your transmission fluid. Do you honestly think you can go forever without changing such an important fluid? I want my transmission to last 250K.
What test is the dealer doing on the fluid during the inspection to ensure the fluid is doing its job adequately?
When I think of critical fluids I think of engine oil, transmission/differetial fluid, coolant, brake fluid, and power steering fluid. I won't skimp on any of these fluids. I wouldn't buy a used car from someone who skimped on any of these fluids.
Weird situation here. 2 days ago I replaced the factory battery in my '02 Sonata (2.7 V6) after it began to die (slow start-up followed by a battery test that registered 6V at crank). I replaced the battery with a DieHard Gold and all of a sudden tonight while stopping at a light and making a right turn, I noticed that my clock was flickering.
There was no pattern to it. It almost appeared to surge and get brighter and then flicker to dim and then back to normal. It did this a few times and then stopped for the last 10-15 miles of my ride.
Also, nothing else electrical seemed to dim, fail, etc. My headlights, fog lights and all dash lights stayed constant. I shut off my fog lights and lowered my AC fan a bit, and then turned them back on/up along with my stereo and I couldn't get the problem to repeat.
Anyone have any thoughts on what this could be? Is this related to the new battery or just coincidental?
I see where your coming from, but the truth is most people do not change the power steering and brake fluid. The transmission fluid most people are aware of because they wish to avoid a major repair. The coolant too, the car will overheat or freeze -up if this isn't done. But the truth of the matter is that the car will still turn and stop if you neglect the power steering and brake fluid.
chuck1... Can't say I care what the average negligent owner does to their car. I just wouldn't buy a used car from that person.
Never, never neglect brake fluid. It absorbs water over time. Besides rotting everything out from the inside, it can cause serious degredation of your car's braking capabilities. In an emergecny, your tires, steering, and brakes are usually the most important components. No one should compromise their braking system.
Well, riez, what I would do is an entirely different matter - I agree with you. I was merely quoting chapter and verse from the owner's manual as it applies to scheduled MTF attention. I got a service flyer from a Hyundai dealer in the mail yesterday (not mine). The "minor" service special for $90.00 for 6,000, 18,000, etc. miles ticked of a litany of makework projects in addition to the required oil and filter change. The "intermediate" service special at 12,000, 21,000, etc. miles listed the exact same makework projects with the addition of "Check condition of windshield wiper inserts - replacement inserts, if needed, extra" and the obligatory oil and filter change for only (get ready for this) $199.00 - MORE THAN TWICE AS MUCH for just one additional makework "procedure"!!! Cleverly inserted in the fine print below each "special" was a notation that the described procedures "meet or exceed Hyundai of America's service requirements to maintain warranty coverage". (gotta be "put-the-best-face-on-a-bad-situation" lawyer-talk after someone successfully complained to the California State Department of Consumer Affairs about "padded" automobile service charges...) I can only wonder how many Romero customers blithely continue to presume that wording means Romero's going the extra mile on their behalf out of the selfless goodness of its corporate heart.
ray_h... Yes, unscrupulous dealers do try to trick buyers into wasting their money on unneeded options and services.
I don't agree with what Hyundai, BMW, MB, and other marques say about scheduled maintenance. They know buyers want to pay less for overall service during the entire ownership period. They know longevity issues tied to under maintenance will show up AFTER the b-to-b warranty is over. BMW says they use "lifetime" transmission fluid. Right. When they offer "lifetime" warranty on transmission. MB, BMW, and others increased service intervals when they added "free" maintenance. BMWs will supposedly go 15,000 miles on one oil and filter change.
Key: Don't skimp on oil changes, engine and air filter changes, brake fluid, transmission & differential fluid, power steering, and coolant. Not to mention belts and hoses.
Not intending to defend Hyundai's service recommendations, but for transmission internals, the coverage of the powertrain warranty extends well past the b-to-b warranty. Clutches, considered a "consumable", are an entirely different matter (12 mos./12,000 miles, max, and then only if the problem's related to a defect in design or workmanship...), so the choice of MTF replacement intervals, if at all, would be irrelevant anyway for that more-likely-to-take-a-dump component. In any event, "premature" proper lube service can never be implicated in accelerating wear and tear, so the "expense" of this practice by conscienteous owners, such as yourself, may just save considerably more expense and aggravation down the road after powertrain warranty provisions are a memory. But, for me, at 7,000 miles per year, I can see myself in my Sonata for a decade (health and driving skills permitting), but realistically, no longer than that. The next great "must have" car is sure to come along. A fortuitous Lotto pick could have a sea-change effect on my forecast, though. (If for no other reason than I drop dead from the shock...)
Just came back from a 2,046 mile round trip to Pittsburg, PA. Drove 2,022 miles on interstate highways an 24 miles in city.
- Used 71.755 gallons - Achieved 28.52 miles per gallon (MPG) - Gas cost $142.50 (used mostly premium fuel)
Best tankful was 31.09 mpg (355.6 miles on 11.436 gallons). Worst tankful was 26.54 mpg (428.1 miles on 16.133 gallons).
She ran and drove like a top. No problems. Had plenty of room for my co-rider (I did all the driving) and our luggage.
Can't say enough good things about my '00 Sonata GLS V6 5-speed manual with Pkg 13 (ABS/TC, leather, sunroof, premium sound, pwr seats). She has been a great car!!! I look forward to owning her for years to come.
Only minor issue is that the right front headlight burned out.
Riez, I like your article. I am moving to East-Stroudsburg in october. I will travel to jersey-City for work ( 80 miles per way ). I am looking forward to buy a V6 5-speed sonata (used <30K miles ) or (new ). Why sonata ? because the car is affordable and offers you luxery that other cars like the camery does not offer. Any advice I can receive in here ?
golongy... You wrote, "I am looking forward to buy a V6 5-speed sonata (used <30K miles ) or (new )."
Best of luck. Don't think Hyundai sold many of them since MY1999. When I went looking for mine in the spring of 2000, I did a huge dealer locate. Mine had to have Pkg 13 (ABS, TC, leather, sunroof, pwr seat, upgraded stereo). My local dealer found two: one in Illinois and one in Arkansas. But I don't remember there being hardly any other 5-speed manuals anywhere else.
While Hyundai claimed it offered the 5-speed with V6 in 2001 and 2002, I've never seen one nor heard from anyone who has one. Think they dropped completely (even from their brochures in 2003).
Please let me know if you find any V6 5-speeds and if you end up buying one. Bet you can get a pretty good deal on this rare sleeper sedan.
True, the Hyundai will be under warranty I believe to the second owner for 50K (powertrain). However, warranty or not, it is very inconvenient to have your car in the shop. That being said, I am always leery of "low miles" used cars of any make. Get the VIN number and see if a dealer can give you the repair/maintenance history of this car, and also run a carfax. The carfax is money will spent. Best of luck in your purchasing decision!
I posted this on the "Problems & Solutions" section but I just wanted to let ppl know that there's a campaign that has brought Hyundai to service O2 sensors on Sonatas. I'm not sure which model years apply but I have a 2000 Sonata and the problematic O2 sensors will be replaced by the dealer. Go to your dealer and ask them.
Steve
BTW... I agree with most ppl on here. I love my Sonata except for this stupid CEL thingy, which is finally going to be fixed by Hyundai at the conglomerate's expense.
Hi guys, As some of you might know, all new sonata will go on sale in Korea next month and Hyundai seems to have high hopes on this car. Whisper numbers I am hearing are
but what I am really interested in is Hyundai's new world order 3.3l V6 lambda engine. Do any of you know anything about this engine? I hear it's going to be also produced in the Alabama plant. I think this engine will be good gauge on Hyundai's engine technology. Their current engines are admittedly not quite up to standard.
Anonymous posts may have a point, reference this car's looking like a VW Passat. However, when I first saw it I thought, wow, if that's a Sonata, they really have totally redesigned the car. And in a good way. If they can keep the quality going up, and improve the small stuff..this is a winner..a big winner..Buy some stock.. Jack
That being the case, then Jaguar and Mercedes Benz both should've sued Hyundai over the 2002-2004 Sonatas... (headlight modules almost straight from the Mercedes C-class sedans, and ditto for the rest of the hood treatment and rear from a Jag S-type) For that matter, Audi might well have had sufficient reason to file suit against Honda over the current Accords. What I've seen from the "spy" shots is that the next generation Sonata styling is blah. It's been robbed of character. But, who knows what fender, hood/grill, and rear end tweaks await the final production version. The 2000 and 2001 Sonatas needed help, too. (IMNSHO...:))
The current Accord taillights are terrible, they should take some notes from the Hyundai playbook on how to at least make them look decent. The front is also better than the Accord.
Take a look at the taillights from the Hyundai Tiburon, Scion tC, and Pontiac G6. Who's stealing from who and who needs to sue? There's only so many combinations you can do before it just looks plain ugly.
"But the Tiburon copied another car. So what's your point?"
I guess that went right over your head. You're the one complaining that someone is copying someone else and should sue. Every brand copies someone else at one point or another so the question is what's your point? Honda never got inspiration from other cars when they were designing them? Look at the taillights of an Accord Coupe if you don't think so.
I apologize for my earlier comment, it was uncalled for. Just I've heard way too many people criticize the Sonata already about the taillights. I've heard no such thing about the Tiburon/tC/G6 or the Accord coupe/Mercedes taillight connection. People obviously have mentioned it but very few called for one of them to sue or whatever, since it's ok for Honda or Toyota to do it then Hyundai can do it as well. Whatever company created them first I have no idea, but as I said there's only so many designs you can do before they start looking alike.
Sometimes companies even admit to using other cars as inspiration, such as the Mazda3/Alfa Romeo connection which they admitted to. It's pretty obvious they were looking at the Jetta too. Coincidence? I think not. IMO Hyundai seems to have no rhyme or reason and is all over the place with designs. Either it's this that causes people to be harsher towards Hyundai when they copy opposed to other brands or it's simply pure bias.
By the way a spy pic of the Sonata front and back and interior inside a warehouse/garage of some sort has been floating around for over a year at least. It may be possible they already designed the taillights that way before the Accord was released. IMO I don't think it's a coincidence but I guess it's possible the designer already has the taillight design in mind before ever seeing the Accord. Anyway the old Accord taillights look similar to the new ones to me at least except they're shaped differently, and not for the better, so I'm sure Hyundai copied them but maybe it was the last generation they were looking at. The Optima taillights remind me of the old Camry so who knows.
"IMO Hyundai seems to have no rhyme or reason and is all over the place with designs."
You hit the nail on the head, there (with the possible exception of the Tiburon and Elantra - those two exercises appear to my non-critical eye to be pleasing and well coordinated renderings). Hyundai still seems to be a car company in search of unitized styling themes for its various lines. Or, worse, the company has no clue about a theme's importance to style-conscious American buyers... Chrysler's another one - look at what happened to Plymouth division - a few hits with a lot of also-rans, but never anything other than the name badge to tie 'em all together. (The closest Chrysler ever came to some styling unity were those horrific "Virgil Exner" tailfins from 1957-1961.) When Hyundai does have a hit such as the 2000-2004 Sonatas, the company seems all too ready to retire every last vestige of its character with the next generation's intro. Contrast this short-sighted philosophy with that of Honda: when the 2003 Accord was released, a complete redesign from the 1998-2002 model, one look at the front end, even sans grill badge, and people had no doubts they were looking at an Accord.
No big deal. I don't take Edmunds too seriously. I don't expect to agree with everyone and I know everyone doesn't agree with me.
Hyundai should not be copying other automakers at this point though. They need to establish their own identity and blatantly taking styling cues from other makes isn't going to do that.
I agree with people who say Hyundai should not be copying styling cues from other manufacturers so blatantly. Aren't there any laws against this?
On the other hand, another side of me says that if Hyundai can copy the best aspects of other manufacturer's designs and price the resulting package competitively, isn't that a smart thing to do? Its only when they go overboard and copy the bad things, like Accord's behind, I think to myself how dumb can they be?
Every manufacturer should take some pride in what they design and produce. Perhaps Hyundai takes pride in copying.
I think the reason people are so hung up on the taillights is because the Sonata looks like a competitive car. I certainly never heard a big uproar over the Optima taillights resembling the Camry, probably because the car was lackluster and it didn't show up on people's radar. The new Sonata looks to be a solid, good-looking car (although kind of bland), so people are taking notice.
I would hope people would let it go if Hyundai bothered to have similar looking front ends on all their cars, because if not they're being hypocritical. Look at all the brands stealing taillight designs. Just because the Accord coupe is stealing a taillight design of a car that's in a different class does that make it any less of a copy-cat? Is it coincidence the tC, which competes with the Tiburon, has a very similar taillight design? Where's the uproar over this?
Also keep in mind that Hyundai designs have the Korean market in mind. Does your average Korean want the front of the upmarket XG to have the same grille design as an Accent? Maybe they expect something completely different design-wise from an Elantra or Accent and don't want the same grille, I don't know. Hyundai/Kia has little to no prestige so I doubt many owners really care that the back-end looks like an Accord, most are buying it for the warranty and price. The Sonata and upcoming XG in spy pics look sharp, at least the cars look decent compared to some cars that are out right now. And if a base model Sonata with automatic can be had with discounts in the $13k range like the current one is then you'll find a lot of takers. It has a nice clean design and frankly I don't care where they stole their designs from. Are Accord coupe owners worried about the Mercedes taillights? I doubt it. Most people buying Japanese and Korean cars don't care about heritage and prestige. People are buying Hondas for the reliability, not the styling, and when they rip off Mercedes believe me the owners aren't going to care.
Wow! It's going to have stability control, power adjustable pedals, and an electronically-controlled suspension, none of which are available on the less attractive Accord. Knowing Hyundai, I'm sure it will still cost less than the Camry and Accord. With that kind of feature content, style and value, the Sonata could easily become a class-leader.
Vehicles tend to be optioned differently in different countries. It will be very hard for Hyundai to bring that kind of content to the US for significantly less than the CamCords.
Comments
- New timing belt: $299.95
- Change transmission fluid: $159.95
- New spark plugs/tune up: $139.95
- Change coolant: $81.95
- Change cabin air filter: $63.07
- Change Brake fluid: $59.95
Total= $804.82 plus $15 shop charge and tax.
For parts, the timing belt cost $79.95, the cabin air filter was $36.67, and the spark plugs cost $55.68.
Two-thirds of the total bill was labor.
http://www.kiacarman.com/vboard_pic/upfile/NFERR(4).jpg
Back in 2001, many detractors were asking, "What good is a long warranty of the car's in the shop all the time?" Their point, of course, was that Hyundais were junk and would be in the shop far too often. Buying one was a fool's bargain.
Looking back, here's the warranty work I had performed.
02 sensor: replaced while I waited
driver's window regulator: same day replacement
battery: replaced while I waited ($30 proration)
passenger window regulator: same day replacement
So I lost two days for four repairs, and I spent $30 out of pocket in three years and 40,000 miles. I'm fine with that, considering I got free dealer delivery and pick up to and from work on the days I had to leave the car.
By now, I think most of the negatives about Hyundai have been erased, but buying one in 2001 was considered a foolish risk by many, so it's good to look back and see that it was a prudent choice.
Also, let me add that the 2001 Sonata still looks very nice: the paint held up well, the interior is still tight and quiet, the external hardware bits all work and are still on the car, and even the leather seats look very good. I do hand wash the car, clean and condition the seats, and generally detail the interior.
The one thing that really ticks me off is the driver's side mat and clip, which just never holds in place.
What test is the dealer doing on the fluid during the inspection to ensure the fluid is doing its job adequately?
When I think of critical fluids I think of engine oil, transmission/differetial fluid, coolant, brake fluid, and power steering fluid. I won't skimp on any of these fluids. I wouldn't buy a used car from someone who skimped on any of these fluids.
There was no pattern to it. It almost appeared to surge and get brighter and then flicker to dim and then back to normal. It did this a few times and then stopped for the last 10-15 miles of my ride.
Also, nothing else electrical seemed to dim, fail, etc. My headlights, fog lights and all dash lights stayed constant. I shut off my fog lights and lowered my AC fan a bit, and then turned them back on/up along with my stereo and I couldn't get the problem to repeat.
Anyone have any thoughts on what this could be? Is this related to the new battery or just coincidental?
Never, never neglect brake fluid. It absorbs water over time. Besides rotting everything out from the inside, it can cause serious degredation of your car's braking capabilities. In an emergecny, your tires, steering, and brakes are usually the most important components. No one should compromise their braking system.
I don't agree with what Hyundai, BMW, MB, and other marques say about scheduled maintenance. They know buyers want to pay less for overall service during the entire ownership period. They know longevity issues tied to under maintenance will show up AFTER the b-to-b warranty is over. BMW says they use "lifetime" transmission fluid. Right. When they offer "lifetime" warranty on transmission. MB, BMW, and others increased service intervals when they added "free" maintenance. BMWs will supposedly go 15,000 miles on one oil and filter change.
Key: Don't skimp on oil changes, engine and air filter changes, brake fluid, transmission & differential fluid, power steering, and coolant. Not to mention belts and hoses.
- Used 71.755 gallons
- Achieved 28.52 miles per gallon (MPG)
- Gas cost $142.50 (used mostly premium fuel)
Best tankful was 31.09 mpg (355.6 miles on 11.436 gallons). Worst tankful was 26.54 mpg (428.1 miles on 16.133 gallons).
She ran and drove like a top. No problems. Had plenty of room for my co-rider (I did all the driving) and our luggage.
Can't say enough good things about my '00 Sonata GLS V6 5-speed manual with Pkg 13 (ABS/TC, leather, sunroof, premium sound, pwr seats). She has been a great car!!! I look forward to owning her for years to come.
Only minor issue is that the right front headlight burned out.
I like your article. I am moving to East-Stroudsburg in october.
I will travel to jersey-City for work ( 80 miles per way ).
I am looking forward to buy a V6 5-speed sonata (used <30K miles ) or (new ).
Why sonata ?
because the car is affordable and offers you luxery that other cars like the camery does not offer.
Any advice I can receive in here ?
Best of luck. Don't think Hyundai sold many of them since MY1999. When I went looking for mine in the spring of 2000, I did a huge dealer locate. Mine had to have Pkg 13 (ABS, TC, leather, sunroof, pwr seat, upgraded stereo). My local dealer found two: one in Illinois and one in Arkansas. But I don't remember there being hardly any other 5-speed manuals anywhere else.
While Hyundai claimed it offered the 5-speed with V6 in 2001 and 2002, I've never seen one nor heard from anyone who has one. Think they dropped completely (even from their brochures in 2003).
Please let me know if you find any V6 5-speeds and if you end up buying one. Bet you can get a pretty good deal on this rare sleeper sedan.
Best of luck in your purchasing decision!
I posted this on the "Problems & Solutions" section but I just wanted to let ppl know that there's a campaign that has brought Hyundai to service O2 sensors on Sonatas. I'm not sure which model years apply but I have a 2000 Sonata and the problematic O2 sensors will be replaced by the dealer. Go to your dealer and ask them.
Steve
BTW... I agree with most ppl on here. I love my Sonata except for this stupid CEL thingy, which is finally going to be fixed by Hyundai at the conglomerate's expense.
As some of you might know, all new sonata will go on sale in Korea next month and Hyundai seems to have high hopes on this car.
Whisper numbers I am hearing are
New Ceta Engine (V4)
NF 2.0 : 145 ps @ 6000 rpm 19.3 kgm @ 4500 rpm
NF 2.4 : 165 ps @ 5700 rpm 22.7 kgm @ 4000 rpm
but what I am really interested in is Hyundai's new world order 3.3l V6 lambda engine. Do any of you know anything about this engine? I hear it's going to be also produced in the Alabama plant. I think this engine will be good gauge on Hyundai's engine technology. Their current engines are admittedly not quite up to standard.
http://autospy.intizen.com/autospy/bbs/table/spyshot/upload/5208_- nf1.jpg
Jack
Take a look at the taillights from the Hyundai Tiburon, Scion tC, and Pontiac G6. Who's stealing from who and who needs to sue? There's only so many combinations you can do before it just looks plain ugly.
Hyundai Korea is launching this completely new model on Aug. 23 in Korea.
I guess that went right over your head. You're the one complaining that someone is copying someone else and should sue. Every brand copies someone else at one point or another so the question is what's your point? Honda never got inspiration from other cars when they were designing them? Look at the taillights of an Accord Coupe if you don't think so.
http://211.239.112.202/newcommunity/allboard/PICTURE/picture22/10- 90488101016.jpg
Sometimes companies even admit to using other cars as inspiration, such as the Mazda3/Alfa Romeo connection which they admitted to. It's pretty obvious they were looking at the Jetta too. Coincidence? I think not. IMO Hyundai seems to have no rhyme or reason and is all over the place with designs. Either it's this that causes people to be harsher towards Hyundai when they copy opposed to other brands or it's simply pure bias.
By the way a spy pic of the Sonata front and back and interior inside a warehouse/garage of some sort has been floating around for over a year at least. It may be possible they already designed the taillights that way before the Accord was released. IMO I don't think it's a coincidence but I guess it's possible the designer already has the taillight design in mind before ever seeing the Accord. Anyway the old Accord taillights look similar to the new ones to me at least except they're shaped differently, and not for the better, so I'm sure Hyundai copied them but maybe it was the last generation they were looking at. The Optima taillights remind me of the old Camry so who knows.
You hit the nail on the head, there (with the possible exception of the Tiburon and Elantra - those two exercises appear to my non-critical eye to be pleasing and well coordinated renderings). Hyundai still seems to be a car company in search of unitized styling themes for its various lines. Or, worse, the company has no clue about a theme's importance to style-conscious American buyers... Chrysler's another one - look at what happened to Plymouth division - a few hits with a lot of also-rans, but never anything other than the name badge to tie 'em all together. (The closest Chrysler ever came to some styling unity were those horrific "Virgil Exner" tailfins from 1957-1961.) When Hyundai does have a hit such as the 2000-2004 Sonatas, the company seems all too ready to retire every last vestige of its character with the next generation's intro. Contrast this short-sighted philosophy with that of Honda: when the 2003 Accord was released, a complete redesign from the 1998-2002 model, one look at the front end, even sans grill badge, and people had no doubts they were looking at an Accord.
~alpha
Hyundai should not be copying other automakers at this point though. They need to establish their own identity and blatantly taking styling cues from other makes isn't going to do that.
On the other hand, another side of me says that if Hyundai can copy the best aspects of other manufacturer's designs and price the resulting package competitively, isn't that a smart thing to do? Its only when they go overboard and copy the bad things, like Accord's behind, I think to myself how dumb can they be?
Every manufacturer should take some pride in what they design and produce. Perhaps Hyundai takes pride in copying.
I would hope people would let it go if Hyundai bothered to have similar looking front ends on all their cars, because if not they're being hypocritical. Look at all the brands stealing taillight designs. Just because the Accord coupe is stealing a taillight design of a car that's in a different class does that make it any less of a copy-cat? Is it coincidence the tC, which competes with the Tiburon, has a very similar taillight design? Where's the uproar over this?
Also keep in mind that Hyundai designs have the Korean market in mind. Does your average Korean want the front of the upmarket XG to have the same grille design as an Accent? Maybe they expect something completely different design-wise from an Elantra or Accent and don't want the same grille, I don't know. Hyundai/Kia has little to no prestige so I doubt many owners really care that the back-end looks like an Accord, most are buying it for the warranty and price. The Sonata and upcoming XG in spy pics look sharp, at least the cars look decent compared to some cars that are out right now. And if a base model Sonata with automatic can be had with discounts in the $13k range like the current one is then you'll find a lot of takers. It has a nice clean design and frankly I don't care where they stole their designs from. Are Accord coupe owners worried about the Mercedes taillights? I doubt it. Most people buying Japanese and Korean cars don't care about heritage and prestige. People are buying Hondas for the reliability, not the styling, and when they rip off Mercedes believe me the owners aren't going to care.
That discussion is where you can ask further questions if you'd like.
http://autospy.intizen.com/autospy/bbs/table/spyshot/upload/3346_- - - - autospy_[1].jpg
http://autospy.intizen.com/autospy/bbs/table/spyshot/upload/3346_- autospy_[2].jpg
http://autospy.intizen.com/autospy/bbs/table/spyshot/upload/3346_- autospy_[3].jpg
http://autospy.intizen.com/autospy/bbs/table/spyshot/upload/3345_- autospy.jpg
http://autospy.intizen.com/autospy/bbs/table/spyshot/upload/2919_- autospy_2.jpg