Test Drive Hyundai XG300 2000 - 2001

Where did the train from ...

Hyundai cars, to date, the most powerful Korean manufacturer, firmly occupied their place in world markets, including Russians. For them (as in the other Korean commodity), the reputation of the machines not the most modern, not always flawlessly collected, not too long and reliable, but inexpensive, they say, it is due to the lowest price that they pave themselves. Agradi, Korean tiger began to ride significantly later than Japanese, but after all, the water has already had a lot since then ...


Hyundai Motor Co. Passed a long way. He started with the licensed copy of Mitsubishi cars, and today there are cars for every taste from a tiny hatchback to large sedans. Coupe, mini-Wenna, SUVs ... In February, the concept of HCD-5 Crosstour has been put up on the International Motor Show in Chicago. In the company's model range there are even Equus and Dynasty limousines, in the outside world are still unknown.


Hyundai Motor Co. It is trying to embroider into the luxury sector of the international market, and as an appropriate means for some one, she chose not the top version of her model series, and the car is slightly modest than the Hyundai XG30 sedan, which in his homeland has a magnificent name Grandeur. By the way, this is no longer a licensed copy, but its own development. Since last year, XG30 is sold in Europe, in the fourth quarter of this, deliveries begin in the United States. I got a car to Russia ...


Immediately striking the lack of a nasal emblem car is not a very common designer solution. On the other hand, if there is an eclectic mixture from BMW with an eclectic mixture of the XG30 lattice from BMW, vertical ribs from the Volvo and the chrome salary from the Lincoln Navigator also added to the email ... There would be a clear bust. Maybe Hyundai is specifically masked, preferring to make the car confused with some other? Koreans are undoubtedly present once pursued by our low-flapping in front of the West. Spirits on the manna caress, the tie fire in the jungle, the goat on the sakase ... The lack of marking from the front with more thanks it up with its full set of rear on the trunk lid there are emblems, and the inscription Hyundai, and the XG30 index.


Dimensions (4865x1825x1420 mm) The car is solid, on paper especially impressive its width. But heavy XG30 does not look like the silhouette of it is easy and strengthened. The abundance of large-format lighting, and the illusion of the lack of average body racks, they are covered with slightly tinted glasses.


The fact that the car is designed primarily for the passenger, they say wide rear doors with outer handles, located just higher than on the front (so as not to bend).


From the inside the salon seems even more extensive than outside. Its dimensions do not allow physical contact between the inhabitants. Rear sofa is double, but if desired, removing the armrest, you can accommodate and threesome. Armrest, by the way, the hollow serves as a compatibility of the glove compartment. The rough leather upholstery is pleasant to the touch and holds the saddle well. Large pockets in front of passengers are made of hard material, the paper does not remember. The chance to get the knees to the driver's seat is small. Naturally, there is a climate grille in the legs.


Now to the driver's seat. The gentle hood is not visible at all. By shuting the door, you cut off most of the external sound and visual stimuli, I'm about good sound insulation and tinted glasses that turn the outside world into a virtual picture.


Amuses the amplitude of movement of the adjustment chairs will satisfy both dwarfs and a basketball player. There is heated. The color of the seats and doors coincides with the color of the torpedo, the upholstery of which only pretends the leather, but still soft and pleasant to the touch. Deceived vision and material numerous as it were wooden panels, in fact they are from plastic. The comfort is quite homework well, light, spacious, do not get drunk in anything, to the left-right armrests, the ceiling does not prescribe.


The devices are well visible through the ram. The scale is minimized only four. Fuel level and thermometer are small, on a quarter, speedometer and tachometer are large, full. The latter is not completely extra in the car, the automatic box of which can work in manual mode (the red zone begins with 6.5 thousand revolutions). In the center of the dashboard, the vertical crib of the five-speed gearbox.


The steering column is adjustable, the rabbar is not simple, but with the cruise control buttons. Door glasses, mirrors, trunk lock and seats adjustment mechanisms are equipped with electric drives. The central armrest serves as a mobile file, on the middle console, the climate installation, road computer and radio tape recorder.


Four pillows are responsible for safety, along a pair of frontal and lateral, and those that on the right are equipped with a passenger sensor and will not work in its absence.


The three-liter 24-valve V6 engine with a reconnected intake manifold is distinguished by a rather calm nest (especially if the box is in automatic mode), but it does not interfere with it to accelerate the car until hundreds for 8.9 seconds. The adaptive H-Matic box, as already mentioned, can work in manual sequenal mode, while the car behaves more.


The car will most likely disappoint the active driver. The sensations from Hyundai XG30 caused the image of Honda Legend in memory. The same thought performed teams and ventilators. The car feels Barin. On the slippery road, the APS artificially stifles the engine, without giving the wheels in vain to grind ice. The steering is sharp in any way you can not call ...


However, the opinion of the driver in the calculation can not be taken, it's not the main thing here. Unsportable behavior of the XG30 can be (and necessary) to oppose the high level of comfort of the merit of good suspension, a broad rut and a long base. Most road irregularities remain unnoticed. The car is not inclined to fall in turns (cross-stability stabilizers in front and rear) or peck with sharp braking (disc brakes, ABS and electronic brake force distributor). For the capacity and number of all sorts of glove compartments, XG30 will urinate the nose to many rivals. Yes, and the price is attractive ...


By the way, about the price. To a little-known player on the luxury field could count at least for some success, it will have to come true at least at first. Otherwise, to fasten such rivals as the Mercedes e-class or five BMW, there will be no chance. By the shoulders of famous firms, the tremendous experience, serious design developments, historically established image, which are expensive. The Koreans have all this. So they offer the car significantly cheaper than the class of competitors' cars. In Germany, for example, Hyundai XG30 costs DM58.750. (If we are more familiar in dollars, then $ 30.140.) Similar according to the technical parameters of the Audi A6 machine, Lexus GS300 and Volvo S80 are, respectively, $ 36.060, $ 38.160 and $ 35.500.


Switzerland for the XG30 is asked less than in Germany ($ 26.320), and in the US are going to sell and at all for $ 24,000. The poor Russians will have to lay out $ 35.600 for the version that we had on the test, or $ 27,400 per car with 2.5 liters engine (XG25) and a manual box ...
 
Alexey Rodkov
 

A source: Motor magazine [March 2000]