Hyundai has traditionally been, at least in North America, a low-cost provider. And, frankly, I steered people away from Korean marques, with their reputation for sketchy quality and bargain-basement dealers.
That was then. This is now. I’ve been driving a Hyundai Azera for a few weeks, and it’s the equal of any near-luxury car from Acura, Lexus or Infiniti. It’s also 5 or 10 large less expensive.
Enter the Veracruz crossover SUV. Sharing the Azera’s 3.8-liter V6, it could easily pass for one of the more expensive brands. The refreshing exterior styling looks even better in the metal than on the screen, benefiting from excellent paint and panel-fitting. Hyundai has been bragging about its initial quality test scores lately, and this vehicle should help in that respect. Couple that with the longest warranty in the industry, and you’ve got a compelling reason to seek out decent dealer.
With a host of comfort and convenience items standard (including sundry like XM radio and stability control), there won’t be much of an option list. And like the Azera, it should be priced “comfortably under $30,000.
The Hyundai Veracruz is a new mid-size crossover SUV sold by Hyundai in the US and Canadian market and its home market. The official date of unveiling in South Korea is October 12, 2006. It is available now in the United States as a 2007 model. Hyundai has settled on its segment name as Luxury Utility Vehicle (LUV). The Veracruz is aimed mainly at the Lexus RX. It is a new, larger-than-Santa Fe crossover. and priced similarly with Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot, Mazda CX-9. The Veracruz went on sale in March 2007 and is Hyundai’s largest crossover SUV until the large Portico launches in 2009. The Veracruz is a replacement for the truck-based Terracan, which was sold worldwide except for North America. The Veracruz is be built on the stretched Santa Fe platform.
The Veracruz gets its name from a state in Mexico, continuing the Western theme from the small Tucson SUV and mid-size Santa Fe SUV. According to Autoweek, the Veracruz is larger than the Honda Pilot, and has more cargo volume than the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class; power comes from a 3.8L V6, with Aisin sourced 6-speed automatic transmission. It is likely that the second generation mid-size Kia Sorento, due for release in 2009 will be a clone of the Veracruz.
Many have suggested that the Santa Fe and the Veracruz, as well as the Azera and the Genesis are testing the waters for a new luxury brand by Hyundai, to compete with the likes of Lexus, Cadillac, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Acura.
The IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) said crash results indicated, “… a low risk of any significant injuries in a crash of this severity,” which is the highest result possible. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) found similar results when they tested the Veracruz, awarding it five stars after its frontal crash test for both passenger and driver and in the side impact event.
