Hyundai and Kia Acknowledge Overstating fuel economy, will pay owners difference

[CX-SV]

Mundane story, less selective buyers/drivers than we have here obviously. Although the Mazda3 is the top selling model for Mazda in US market, that kind of volume indicates broad appeal. I do like the look of the Elantra Limited sedan.

My guess is that price was the primary deciding factor (when I read Elantra hatch was selected).

 

[ta240]

My guess is that price was the primary deciding factor (when I read Elantra hatch was selected).

that's what I always used to think but then they had this:
http://www.leftlanenews.com/hyundai...-in-2011-than-honda-civic-toyota-corolla.html
it doesn't say what the Mazda3s average
and it also doesn't factor in that technically the people probably really paid less because they got an elantra with leather over a Civic without and things like that (more bells and whistles for less then the comparable) but it still surprised me that people were paying more overall for the Hyundai vs Toyota or Honda.

Some people might not like the feel of a Mazda3, your brother may be right that some people prefer boring. We rented a Cruze and while it wasn't awful it was never fun. And at the GM ride and drive it felt more fun than the Elantra.

What always worried me with Hyundai is even with all the hype they got for their new cars there was no track record of reliability. People would say "but they have that long warranty". I for one don't want to spend time at the dealer even if it is covered.
Things like Car and Driver's long term test: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2011-hyundai-sonata-se-20t-test-long-term-review "We never got the Sonata aligned to perfection. Hyundai acknowledged an early manufacturing issue with the struts and eventually recalled 41,000 cars, so apparently it wasn’t only us being fussy. " and "Other issues: The cabin reeked of fuel odors until a PCV hose was replaced at about 6600 miles. A faulty front-passenger seatbelt latch was replaced, a door handle with peeling chrome was pulled for a new one, and, for some reason, the shift knob was recalled and replaced. The only other mechanical malady was a leaky oil-pan *gasket, resealed at 40,000 miles under the 100,000-mile powertrain warranty."
To me, that list goes with a car that is junk by modern standards. It is more fitting of a 1980 Chevy Citation. But somehow the Teflon image of Hyundai charges on. If I have to make multiple visits to the dealer for steering that pulls, spend over 6000 miles smelling gas and have the oil pan gasket replaced I'm not happy with my new car purchase.

 

[Xcalibur]

I think the auto reviewers are partly responsible for this. Hyundai has won different awards because of the value they put in their cars. i.e. more tech for the money, etc... however, the reviewers are not reviewing/awarding based on long term reviews. It looks good, has good tech, has a good warranty, (has inflated #s), so why not, right?
The analogy I have in my head is likely awarding a beauty pageant in a dark pub. The girl with the nice figure and good makeup gets the attention. The problem is when the lights turn on you see what you really have. And then when you date the girl for a longer period of time... then you see the bigger issues. the lipstick and make-up comes off, and you're stuck with her. My apologies to anyone that is offended by this analogy, it's just the one popped in my head.

Personally, i'd love to see more long term reviews out there. Those are the ones with the credibility in my opinion. And that goes for all cars...

 

[IHeartGroceries]

Long term reviews = enthusiasts web forums. Anybody ever visit Hyundai forums to see what common issues are, and about their longevity?

I'm with you, X. I have never understood the warranty argument. Having to drop the car off for repair is lost time. I would rather just nip it in the bud and buy a car that won't need repair work.

Funny thing about my brother is, he also owns a 2007 or so Jeep Liberty. Not exactly the pinnacle of refinement...

The current gen 3 actually is becoming aged. It is in need of updating. I believe that is expected to happen for the 2015 m/y, which will include the full array of skyactiv technology, as opposed to just the drive
train.

I can definitely see how to somebody who is a value buyer and not an auto enthusiast, like my brother, the Elentra is the better buy.

But I think he is in for a surprise when it goes to gas mileage. I have seen multiple publications state they were not able to get advertised mileage, and even fuelly backs up this notion. Considering his driving habits, he is in for a surprise.

 

[CX-SV]

Sometimes we find (here too) that casual drivers/owners don't even calculate/check gas mileage, but they will quote some number on occasion.

I assume the Elantra would give average to better than average reliability, although I haven't looked at the CR reliability data tables for this model.

Agreed, spending time at dealerships getting warranty repairs done is a waste of my time, if you are lucky the repairs can be done during regular service visits. Warranty concerns are bigger issue with less reliable/expensive brands including several BMW, Mercedes and Porsche models. Once the warranty expires the resale value plummets on those models.

 

[GAXIBM]

If you look at complaints on the Elantra, there are a lot of people with the left pulling steering problem that could not be fixed. There are several accidents attributed to this defect although many of the drivers did not live to tell the tale...

 

[IHeartGroceries]

If you look at complaints on the Elantra, there are a lot of people with the left pulling steering problem that could not be fixed. There are several accidents attributed to this defect although many of the drivers did not live to tell the tale...

What?!?! HAHA! Don't tell me that!

I read about this in a car and driver article or something. I thought there was a recall?

 

[ta240]

Sometimes we find (here too) that casual drivers/owners don't even calculate/check gas mileage, but they will quote some number on occasion.

Yep, I love the imagined mpg that some cars get

if you are lucky the repairs can be done during regular service visits.

That probably works for the majority of car buyers. I do all my own services, In over 10 years with our P5 it never went back to the dealer and was only ever in any shop for the required smog tests. Aside from wear items like brakes, filters, fluids, timing belt etc. it only ever had the coil packs replaced.

Warranty concerns are bigger issue with less reliable/expensive brands including several BMW, Mercedes and Porsche models. Once the warranty expires the resale value plummets on those models.

yeah, I really wanted to test drive a BMW when we were shopping but sure do see a lot of them for sale used that are just out of warranty. Years ago we test drove an Audi and the salesman kept talking about how great they'd treat us in the service department. I was curious just how often he thought we'd be in there.