Kia

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slowbird said:
yeah 2010 was when they were still bad
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I know more about Hyundai models than Kia, but I'm sure both companies went on similar timelines. Each successive model revision has been a massive improvement on the previous model.

I would peg the first decent Hyundai model as the '07 Santa Fe. Or just a little bit more than ten years ago.

You can just look at the progression of the Elantra in that timeframe
- '07-10, Cheap, disposable basic transportation. Not very good otherwise, but a massive upgrade from the previous
- '11-16, Significant upgrade, still lagging a bit behind the Japanese competition
- '17+, Another significant upgrade. Now easily comparable to the Japanese. Could be argued they are even better, given the longer warranty and lower prices

So in ten years they went from making cheap also-ran cars, to competing at the top of each segment. Given the prior history of improvement by leaps every model generation, I would not be surprised if they jump ahead with the future redesigns.

Now if only they would leave the bright blue button lighting in the past, reminds me of a cheap dvd player.
 
My wife drives an 06 Santa Fe 3.5 AWD. It has 220K on it and hasn't been bad. It is very thirsty (~15L/100) but no major problems. It has needed a coil, 3 rear calipers, a sensor and a crank pulley. Currently the A/C clutch has failed so we are putting it on palliative care. The clutch isn't available separately and paying for a new compressor isn't worth it. All 8 tires are also near the end of their life. Putting 2K into tires and a compressor is more than it's worth so it will be replaced after the winter.
 
regder said:
I know more about Hyundai models than Kia, but I'm sure both companies went on similar timelines. Each successive model revision has been a massive improvement on the previous model.

I would peg the first decent Hyundai model as the '07 Santa Fe. Or just a little bit more than ten years ago.

You can just look at the progression of the Elantra in that timeframe
- '07-10, Cheap, disposable basic transportation. Not very good otherwise, but a massive upgrade from the previous
- '11-16, Significant upgrade, still lagging a bit behind the Japanese competition
- '17+, Another significant upgrade. Now easily comparable to the Japanese. Could be argued they are even better, given the longer warranty and lower prices

So in ten years they went from making cheap also-ran cars, to competing at the top of each segment. Given the prior history of improvement by leaps every model generation, I would not be surprised if they jump ahead with the future redesigns.

Now if only they would leave the bright blue button lighting in the past, reminds me of a cheap dvd player.
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To get ahead they will have to start innovating. That might be a bit tougher, and while I like their cars overall copying the Audi grill is not innovation.
 
daught said:
To get ahead they will have to start innovating. That might be a bit tougher, and while I like their cars overall copying the Audi grill is not innovation.
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Agreed! see Post 46 of this thread. The elantra styling looks like a pregnant bullfrog!
 
daught said:
To get ahead they will have to start innovating. That might be a bit tougher, and while I like their cars overall copying the Audi grill is not innovation.
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Not really ... look where innovation took BMW? They are not doing great these days ... Kia can keep doing what they have been doing last 5 or so years and will be around for long time. Constant top-notch innovation is only needed if your price mandates it.
 
True, I hate where Audi/VW is right now. Their cars are becoming more and more unreliable. The market still values them way more than Hyundai's catch-up cars. Hyundai gets to stay back and introduce new technologies when they mature. It's a respectable position, but they won't get ahead that way. At the right price that's a winning business model. I hope in a few years they reach the early 2000s Audi level and introduce a 6spd awd manual wagon
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