Are there any totally bad new cars in the UK?
Discussion
I've not driven a car with absolutely no redeeming features in the UK for about 10 years since I drove a Vauxhall Agila as a courtesy car, but I had a hire car in the States today which was totally inept - a Hyundai Elantra 4 door auto, where the steering, engine, gearbox, brakes, performance, economy, air conditioning, and quality were awful. The looks were challenging, even the stereo was tinny. I regularly hire cars in the States but this was even worse than a PT Cruiser I hired a couple of years ago.
All the cars I've driven in the UK over the last 10 years have had some redeeming features regardless of the cars cost and I'd started to take it for granted that even the most basic standards had been raised to the point where no car was singularly hopeless.. have I just been lucky or is the acceptable standard in the U.S. that much lower?
All the cars I've driven in the UK over the last 10 years have had some redeeming features regardless of the cars cost and I'd started to take it for granted that even the most basic standards had been raised to the point where no car was singularly hopeless.. have I just been lucky or is the acceptable standard in the U.S. that much lower?
Was it this kind of sheetbucks (the 2010)
or the newer kind (2011/12)?
The old one was a bit soft but allegedly okay (not driven one, although I did drive a Kia Optima which I hated) but the new one is sweeping all before it and is apparently the best car ever, from an American's perspective. The average time one spends on the dealer lot, from coming into stock (not generally on special order) to being sold is three days.
or the newer kind (2011/12)?
The old one was a bit soft but allegedly okay (not driven one, although I did drive a Kia Optima which I hated) but the new one is sweeping all before it and is apparently the best car ever, from an American's perspective. The average time one spends on the dealer lot, from coming into stock (not generally on special order) to being sold is three days.
I had an Elantra like that for a few months in Canada, when I first got it, was dismayed but then I decided not to be a car snob and get over my prejudices. It's certainly not a looker. However that car on winter tyres took us through a Canadian winter and now it's gone I kinda miss it. The Lancer we now have isn't as fast and doesn't have as many toys - although heated seats when it's -30C become essential. It's a perfectly average car, but it does do well in the Yank version of Which?, Consumer Reports.
Since the Elantra, I've had a 2011 Sonata in Vegas, and after the Elantra was crashed into, a 2011 Santa Fe 3.5 V6. On the basis of being a car snob, and spending 7 months with North American Hyundais, the Koreans are well and truly on the way, their cars are better than one might think.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, once had a PT Cruiser as a rental in Texas, so I speak from the position of driving totally s
t cars.
Since the Elantra, I've had a 2011 Sonata in Vegas, and after the Elantra was crashed into, a 2011 Santa Fe 3.5 V6. On the basis of being a car snob, and spending 7 months with North American Hyundais, the Koreans are well and truly on the way, their cars are better than one might think.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, once had a PT Cruiser as a rental in Texas, so I speak from the position of driving totally s
t cars.Edited by downthepub on Friday 17th June 03:14
The new designers and new models seem to be light years ahead of the old ones. The rate they are shipping them out of the factory (just down the road from me) says a lot!It has to be said that for the US market Hyundai are churning out some handsome, very credible, dare I say even interesting cars a million miles away from the dross you'd normally associate with them.
Genesis R-spec sports saloon (430 bhp 5.0 V8 anyone?!?!?)
Equus Luxo barge, a cut price Merc S-class style "halo" product which certainly looks the part.
Seems the Koreans have poached some talent from somewhere given the sudden upping of their game.
Genesis R-spec sports saloon (430 bhp 5.0 V8 anyone?!?!?)
Equus Luxo barge, a cut price Merc S-class style "halo" product which certainly looks the part.
Seems the Koreans have poached some talent from somewhere given the sudden upping of their game.
dvs_dave said:
Seems the Koreans have poached some talent from somewhere given the sudden upping of their game.
Mostly Germany according to the grapevine over here.I see loads of Genesis, Equus, iX35 and all the other new models everyday out here and they don't look too bad compared to the European and other competition.
My car is in for service today and I've been rewarded with a Kia Rio 2, I think. It has 295 miles on the clock.
So far it has absolutely no redeeming features. There is a pedal that increases the noise but does not affect speed at all. The brakes on the other hand would be considered over-servo'd if fitted to an Australian freight train. The indicator stalk is on the wrong side, the dash is made out of the plastic that used to hold the chocolates in place in a 1970's box of Dairy Milk. The steering has less feel than a condom made out of BF Goodrich Mud-Terrains, the gearbox appears to be a random set of cogs dropped into cold treacle and stirred by the stick and to add insult to injury, a blinking little light on the dash keeps telling me it knows better than me and that whatever gear I choose, I've got it wrong.
Buying one of these should be considered sufficient for the first stages of sectioning to take place.
So far it has absolutely no redeeming features. There is a pedal that increases the noise but does not affect speed at all. The brakes on the other hand would be considered over-servo'd if fitted to an Australian freight train. The indicator stalk is on the wrong side, the dash is made out of the plastic that used to hold the chocolates in place in a 1970's box of Dairy Milk. The steering has less feel than a condom made out of BF Goodrich Mud-Terrains, the gearbox appears to be a random set of cogs dropped into cold treacle and stirred by the stick and to add insult to injury, a blinking little light on the dash keeps telling me it knows better than me and that whatever gear I choose, I've got it wrong.
Buying one of these should be considered sufficient for the first stages of sectioning to take place.
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