DONTTASEMEBRO

same Hyundai has really improved their car brand but the problem is they jacked up the price so much that it was crazy. Saw a Hyundai dealer next to the Infiniti dealer and went to look at the Sondatas they all had "limited" on them and were listing for 35k 0_o. I also saw their equus listed at 69k... That's crazy imo...

Tazicon

iTrader: (1)

I would like to drive a Q50 to see what they're all about. Sometimes cars evolve too much for me personally but only time will tell if Infiniti did that.

FYI, I think everyone has a car they won't own "just because".

socketz67

There is a ton of hype around the Hyundai as baby boomers and GenXers remember the rise of Honda/Toyota in the 70s and 80s and feel that Hyundai is doing the same thing now. I work with alot of people that fall into these demographics and all of them seem to be trading in their Japanese and German makes for Hyundais.

I'm a GenXer myself, but think it's nuts to pay essentially the same price for a loaded Sonata that you'd pay for a 2013 G37S. Maybe I will grow up some day and see the light

oliveview

I wouldn't doubt that the Korean brands will some day be every much the equal of the Japanese brands. The Germans? Doubt it. Not because of any inherent quality issues, but the Germans are always going to be the Germans.
I look at many of our household gadgets, and many are Korean (Samsung, most often) - and while it would be foolish to compare the HDTV of a company, to the car of an unrelated corporation, it still speaks to the quality and control, largely indicative of that society, as a whole.

socketz67

I wouldn't go as far to say that German cars are inherently unreliable, but they definitely make trade-off decisions when designing their cars that focus more on build quality/performance/efficiency. These decisions in turn tend to make their cars less reliable and harder to maintain than the more conservative Japanese and Korean makes. If that makes sense.

The older I get, the more I realize that almost every decision you make in life is based on a series of tradeoffs and it's your responsibility to draw from your collective experience and beliefs and realize which of those tradeoffs are priorities to you as a consumer, parent, employee, homeowner, etc.

keraxis

The equus is a mercedes s class competitor.


massaging seats


standard with a 16GB, WiFi-enabled Apple iPad, which houses the Equus' owners' manual and connects owners to schedule service appointments via the Web.
cooler

oliveview

keraxis:

The Equus might think it's a competitor, but let's be real here, as we're all obviously enthusiasts. It's NOT a competitor. Perhaps, in Seoul, you might see that opinion championed, just like in Detroit, you'd see an adherence to the American brands. But no one else in the world, with the means to buy an S-Class, is buying a Hyundai.

g37guy01

Hyundia may think and hope that is the case, and honestly, it's looks nice...however the s class sells three times as many according to goodcarbadcar.net.

oliveview

I couldn't agree more. The Germans have historically been that way. It played no small role in why they were defeated in WWII. They made just fantastic weapons. The finest tanks, the most brilliant guns. However, they were made so precisely, and in some cases, with such complication, that they were no match for the sheer quantity of the more rugged American and Soviet munitions.

That being said...I still love me some German car.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

That's a fascinating perspective on WWII. Makes me wish my father were still alive; he served, and would absolutely have an opinion on what you just said.

brizey

I still have seen no evidence that anyone has really caught the Japanese in terms of reliability. I take mine with a VIN starting with J, thank you very much. I have never been all that impressed with German engineering at all. There stuff is always a terrible value proposition. Anyone can throw money at problems.

socketz67

I've never seen an Equus on the road. Have they been out for a while now? I think it's too early for the Koreans to take on luxury car makers as their brand has yet to evolve and the folks buying those 76-100k luxury cars today would not cross-shop a Korean make.

Right now, their brand is inexpensive value. However, as the current generation of car buyer grows into older and into their late 30s and middle ages, perhaps they will consider a luxury Korean make.

Kind of the way luxury car buyers transitioned from Cadillacs to Lexus in the late 80s and early 90s, all while their older parents were trying to convince them there's nothing like a Cadillac and questioning what Japanese automakers know about luxury.

It's interesting to see brands transform through generations.

oliveview

Yeah. Unfortunately, we're nearing the end of that great generation of people. So few left, who lived through (and contributed to) such world events.

That obsession with (over) engineering has stayed with the German culture. Where a certain automotive task might take two or three mechanical steps, BMW & Mercedes seem to relish finding seven or eight steps to the same solution.

DONTTASEMEBRO

yes they are nice cars but for cars like Lexus and Acuras an Infinitis they had to establish a decent market brand and name for their cars to have a name brand, but I can see or remember what type of prodigy car kia or hyundai has made recently that defined the car world, anyone?

socketz67

The Korean auto manufactures (and tires for that matter) tend to accel at lower cost attempts to copy the formulas which others have proven out. While there is a place in the market for this strategy, I personally think that's why they would never be a car enthusiasts first choice.