Korean Cars

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apparently they're trying again, although i dont much like the look of this

If we're talking about design, that looks like a new model RX8 to me. Now if you want real design that stands out, you still can't go past the Italians and French (and maybe VW):






The interesting thing is you need to see these cars in the flesh. They look very different. Unlike the Korean, Japs etc that look the goods in the glossy brochures and newspapers. I wonder if there's something deliberate there, because they never look as good in real life to me. BTW, my pic is the Renault, although the Alfa (in the flesh) looks pretty sensational.

[hooba]

Honda have lost their mojo, it's and example of what happens to a company when the bean counters take over from the engineers.

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Back on thread though, I reckon all you guys out there talking about the design of Korean cars looking European (and some Japs too), I don't agree. To me, they're looking like, and going after one thing only - the American market. Why else would hyundia and kia produce such outrageous blinged up interiors and over the top looking exteriors? The only Euro getting sucked into it is Peugot -and look at thier recent design disasters.

And as far as VW being the hyundia of Germany, unless the Lexus IS350 has hyundia running gear, I fail to see the comparison.

[brimway]

Returning to topic, all the talk about Kia/Hyundai becoming the Toyota of the future will probably come to fruition, but for now, they just don't cut it as an overall package. That is, there are compromises that many people will not be happy to live with

[woofy]

Good observation. A bit off topic here, but Honda really messed things up by dropping both the Integra and Prelude from their lineup (Were they are failure commercially? They certainly worked in the performance and looks departments) and also not bringing the 'real' Civic coupe over to Australia as well - I reckon that car would have been a success here.



I think the Euro coupe and wagon would have sold here pretty well as well - wagons generally have become a lot more popular in Australia lately...

It's a shame the Japanese have moved away from the sporty coupes segment (especially Honda and Toyota).

PS - is that you Ryan?

I would have bought a hatch Euro or a wagon in a heartbeat, just before the GFC, I was told the wagon was coming soon, but that died in late 2008. I like our 6 hatch, but a euro would have worked as well with the hatchback. I always wanted to get a Prelude but they killed them right when I went to buy one. My parents have a last run Integra of all things these days though, it has rattles and issues like you wouldn't beleive. We came very close to an Odyssey and then got the Santa Fe, the Odyssey just doesn't have enough standard kit unless you get the lux version.

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And just to add a little more about resale values (according to our blatently biased jouralism), out of the top 10 sellers, VW Golf (which comes in at 8th place in the top 10 sellers list) has the 2nd highest retained value after 5 years (corolla coming in first).

BTW, that article should never have gone to print in that way IMHO, there is so much misleading presentation of data there it's just disgraceful! But that's the Aussie media for you.

[Buller_Scott]

it could look like the homer mobile and i'd still want one.

absolutely stunning in metallic burgundy maroon whatever, in cloverleaf guise. and if the mito is anything to go by (test drove one), i always thought VW ergonomics were top notch. aint got isht on the alfa's.

saw a green .:R with VMR wheels at the snow, toughest looking VW i'd seen in a very long time. especially from rear 3/4 view.


as for people comparing VW's to humble korean manufacturers, i think it's moreso an emphasis that one'd be deluded to act as though they drive "premium" / own "german automotive luxury" / are "cashed up like biggy, biaaaaatch" just because they're driving a $42,000 hatch back with a built in tom tom, sunroof and some reversing sensors (those copious amounts of money having failed at obtaining "how to park a small car" skills...)

i'd have to agree. it'd be hilarious to see how they'd act on a bmw 3 series forum. porsche? they'd probably strop around the joint as if they're the world's strongest billionaire.

Apparently it won't be getting a turbo....

uh oh, die hard subaru fans will have to switch sides and get the same car+turbo in toyota ft86 form, lol.

what i'd really like to see is a vw-audi-skoda-seat-subaru-mitsubishi-nissan-toyota collaboration... just imagine in 7 years' time.... 8 different vw polos to choose from

[anthony]

A shame that Honda is no longer the Honda of Japan, though they apparently have plans to fix that.

The Accord Euro,which is their best car globally,is still fully built in Japan,as well as China...

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absolutely stunning in metallic burgundy maroon whatever, in cloverleaf guise.

my favourite is the red:


or maybe the black:

[Syd118TSI]

Call me a euro snob, but along with performance,reliability etc., car park cred plays a certain part in a car buyer's decision

That's certainly true, but on the reliability stakes Hyundai's since 2000 and the latest batch of Kia's have good records. Some of that may come down to having less sophisticated equipment, but whatever the case reliability is reliability and likely represents the key factor at the value end of the market. In terms of quality of drive there's still a gulf, the question becomes whether or not the gulf in that is sufficient to bridge the similar gulf in price.

Interior of euro cars does tend to be nicer and more logical, and generally has higher quality material which is again reflected in the price.

But as you say there's not a lot of car park cred in a Hyundai or a Kia, but nor is there in a Toyota so I don't think the Korean car makers are looking to immediately have an impact there. Ultimately you'd suppose that they will hope to move into that space in the same way that Subaru have. Subaru did it on the back of their somewhat gimmicky AWD feature.

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I'm a little concerned about what I'm reading here guys.

Do you mean to tell me that even though I bought a $55k VW Passat that I am not actually seen as a highly successful and desirable 35+ year old professional male with a 6 figure salary that also has a highly desirable partner waiting at home for me when I return from the surf/mountains/or inner city corporate office?

Please don't tell me this is so, otherwise I might just have well bought a bloddy Kia/Hyundia/Toyota/Mazda/Honda/Holden/Ford/Subaru

[brimway]

Relax, you bought the right car

[Buller_Scott]

Relax, you bought the right car

i would have to agree. my cousin's just ordered a passat wagon. nice package...

but you arent the world's strongest billionaire just yet

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phew, for a moment there I thought I was going to have to get rid of the VW and buy a IS250!

[kaanage]

if I was looking for a cheap, small car, I'd have no qualms about owning an i30. I drove one last year while I was test driving new cars for my father, and came away impressed, considering the price.

I'm currently driving one of these as a hire car and it is categorically the least enjoyable car that I have EVER driven. Generally, it seems reasonable value for the money (well built, loads of gear for what is presumably a base model) but actually driving it is a chore.

The biggest culprit is the steering. It feels like there is almost no caster in the front end geometry so there is very little self centering. The power steering has been set to give the steering reasonable weight but you still feel the weight in both directions when you have lock applied so there is no feedback as the to wheel position and you end up continually making corrections through turns and even on straight roads.

As for the rest, the 2.0 litre petrol engine is quite tight since we drove it out of the rental lot with 190km on it but still feels very flat, struggling whenever we encounter steep hills. When the automatic gearbox kick down, the engine screams rather raucously but doesn't seem to delivery much more power. Fuel consumption is looking quite poor at the moment with only only a quarter of the 53l tank left after only 450km of country (mainly highway) driving. Hopefully, this will all improve as the engine runs in.

The interior is full of cheap materials - all the plastics are hard and the seats feel like they are covered with the sort of foam backed synthetic cloth used on my daughter's toy doll cot.

Road manners are pretty reasonable with some built in but not excessive understeer, decent grip and body control at the expense of a rather jiggly ride (even with 195/65R15 tyres) and a fairly quiet interior aside from tyre roar on coarse surfaces.

My wife, who is no motoring enthusiast, was wondering why I was complaining so much about the car until she drove it herself and experienced the steering. She thinks it is much worse than any other car that she has driven and we both find it tiring to drive because you have to consciously steer the car at all times.

All in all, it is no match for the Suzuki Liana that we hired 5 years ago or even the Hyundai Sonata 3 years ago so I really have to wonder at all the motoring journalists who, 4 years ago, praised this car as the great leap forward by Hyundai for Korean cars and still rate it as a decent option in today's market segment. Give me a Corolla any day.