Take a bow hyundai

Page 1

In motion by Richard Webb

A relative newcomer to the South African marketplace having arrived around a decade ago, Hyundai is the Korean automotive brand with a much-improved product line up. Characterised by an affordable price and high quality offering, the brand backs up its products with long warranties, making it an attractive choice for many. Whilst the brand may seem to have appeared almost ‘out of nowhere’, its history points to a dogged determination to rise to the top. In 1947, Chung Ju Yung founded the Hyundai Civil Engineering Company and by the late 1960s, Chung had turned his attention to cars. Korean government policy at the time favoured the importation of cars rather than encouraging local manufacture, but, undeterred, Chung ploughed on and in 1967, he started the Seoul based Hyundai Motor Company. The company teamed up with Ford in 1968 to assemble Hyundai’s first car, the Cortina, followed by the Ford 20M and Granada. Their first car designed and built in Korea was the lackluster Pony. By 1988, Hyundai had begun to produce cars using its own technical expertise, resulting in the first Sonata. But Hyundais were dogged by poor reliability and sales were sluggish. The early 1990s saw Hyundai invest heavily in new product development and a concerted effort to improve quality and reliability.

take a bow Its introduction to the local motoring scene was not without its hiccups – but this Asian brand has persevered and won over the public who now know that its name rhymes with Sunday...

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In motion by Richard Webb

Accent

i30 Now it’s the world’s fifth largest automobile manufacturer based on

Elantra

Sonata review

Fuel cell technology

focus on quality over quantity is intended to maintain their reputation

Lots of clever engineering and lashings of artistic flair help the

By the time you read this, the Blue Drive hydrogen ix35 Fuel Cell

for well-built cars.

Sonata look super, but what’s it like to drive? Well, it’s pretty

Accent

car will be zipping about in overseas markets. “Zero-emissions

Market analysts are of the opinion that this might result in their hard-

impressive. Penned in the company’s design studio in Irvine,

The Accent’s ride and handling benefits from a stiffer chassis and firmer

cars are no longer a dream. Our ix35 Fuel Cell vehicle is here

earned market share tailing off, but it’s all about sustainability, not

California, Hyundai have somehow kept each new shape

tuning of the suspension. Spirited driving gives way to terminal under-

today, and ready for commercial use,” said Vice Chairman

outright market share. Any muted sales growth may play well into the

fresh, maintaining family resemblance yet managing to look

steer, but the brakes are fade free, but also feel free. Road and exterior

Woong Chul Yang, head of Hyundai R&D.

annual vehicle sales of 4,05 million vehicles globally in 2011. Hard work and modesty are characteristics esteemed by Koreans and now Hyundai sells everything it can build, but their strategic decision to

completely different at the same time.

plans to position Hyundai as a premium brand in the years to come. But

The driver does get a whole lot of features to enjoy, including

Hyundai does well in fast-growing lower-priced markets like India and

Brake Assist, Active head restraints, rear parking sensors with a

to an extent, South Africa, so is its relentless march upmarket the right

warning display on the cluster and a rear-parking camera. The

way for Hyundai to go?

Sonata pulls effortlessly and if you want more control over gear

I think capping capacity to focus on quality is a shrewd move, which

shifts, you can use the responsive paddles on the steering

plays out well in some of their cars I have driven recently.

wheel to get the best out of the 2.4-litre engine.

i10

noise is more obvious than in others in the Hyundai range. Offered in one engine size – the 1.6 – the car returns a reasonable 6.1ℓ/100km on the urban cycle. The premium looking interior is well thought out, making for comfortable progress. Overall, the Accent is a stylish, well constructed, fun to drive car with a lot of class. Regardless of dialect, this Accent speaks a language that most buyers will understand.

A fuel cell stack converts the hydrogen into electricity and the only emission generated is water. Apparently, performance similar to that of the petrol ix35. Filling the Fuel Cell with hydrogen takes only a few minutes. It accelerates from zero to 100km/h in 12.5 seconds and has a top speed of 160km/h and can travel 588 kilometres without refueling.

Elantra

Put simply, it’s a brilliant little thing. More tech under the bonnet than

litre petrol motors are frugal and free revving. With one of the biggest

Of all the compact saloons on the market, the Elantra is amongst the

Toyota or Volkswagen, but if it maintains its focus of building the brand

you’ll ever realise, this feels quite unlike a budget city car because it’s so

bodies in its class, three adults can easily be accommodated in the rear.

most attractive. The cabin is a great place to be, with good quality

and its reputation for quality, it will have the established rivals looking

materials and diligent assembly. At the heart of this pretty car is a 1.6 or

over their shoulders anxiously. Up to 20% of their marketing budget is

very quiet at idle. It revs so smoothly and maintains its relative silence even at motorway speeds. It’s a real hoot to drive compared to its rivals

i30

1.8 engine paired with either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox.

spent on brand investment, according to chief marketing officer Cho

from Citroën, Peugeot and Toyota. Styling is not exactly up to the

Car companies love giving their design philosophy exotic sounding

The Elantra’s chassis is rigid, which aids handling and grip, but the

Won-hong. The intention is to overtake Toyota and Volkswagen as the

second, but it’s basically everything you could ever need from a little

monikers and Hyundai’s ‘fluidic sculpture’ design language is no excep-

steering feels over-assisted, yet directional stability is just about perfect,

most favoured mainstream global car maker.

city car.

tion. It adds up to a much more aggressive and dynamic stance, with the

even at very high speeds. In the past, people may have bought Hyundai

base of the windscreen pulled forwards and lowered giving a more

because they couldn’t afford anything else, but the Elantra is a very good

swept-back stance on the car.

car and can hold its own when compared to many other compact sedans

i20 This thrifty, mid-range supermini competes against rivals like the

The result is a more sophisticated European look. Inside, the standard

Suzuki Swift, Nissan Micra and the Ford Fiesta. As with most Hyundais,

audio system compatible with MP3 CDs, with aux-in and USB jacks, and

Hyundai are keen to avoid the perceived pitfall Toyota fell into in the

the i20’s dealer price is appealing. It costs about R7 000 less than an

integrates well with an iPod. Healthy leg and headroom contribute to the

last decade, where engineering discipline and manufacturing quality

equivalent Fiesta but is slightly more expensive than the Suzuki Swift.

gratifying cabin. There are 1.6 and 1.8 engines to choose from and two

suffered owing to overly aggressive expansion as its global capacity

trim levels. Performance wise, it’s no firecracker, but outright performance

climbed well above 8 million vehicles a year.

The steering is light and feels artificial, but refinement is impressive especially at motorway speeds. At around 5ℓ/100km, their 1.2 and 1.4 68 www.topsatspar.co.za

Jan|Feb 2013 Vol 04

is unlikely to persuade the average Hyundai buyer one way or the other.

like the Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Focus.

Admittedly, Hyundai, does not yet enjoy the same sort of cachet as

To quote an apt Korean saying, ‘Dduhsi itnuhn kose kiri itda’ (In a place where there is will, there is a road.) Jan|Feb 2013 Vol 04

www.topsatspar.co.za 69


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