Test Drive: Veracruz seems more luxury than mainstream
— -- Being either bold or absurd, South Korean car company Hyundai compares its newest SUV, Veracruz, to the Lexus RX 350.
The vehicle's $27,000 starting price, for instance, is "$11,000 below Lexus RX 350," Hyundai bragged when it launched the vehicle earlier this year.
The popular Lexus crossover SUV was the benchmark that Hyundai used developing the Veracruz, says John Krafcik, vice president in charge of product design for Hyundai Motor America. The automaker needed a so-called stretch goal because it knew that the Veracruz would hit the market amid redesigned Toyota Highlander and, next year, Honda Pilot, as well as the new Mazda CX-9 and General Motors' Saturn Outlook/GMC Acadia twins.
Hyundai hoped a premium treatment of a mainstream model could give it an advantage. Trend-meisters call that the "democratization of luxury" — deluxe features and luxury execution in mid-price products.
Drive time in a 2008 Veracruz shows that Hyundai came close enough.
Hyundai launched Veracruz in the spring as a 2007 model but has replaced it after a few months with the mechanically identical 2008. Only changes are a few more available options and the way some features and options are packaged.
Test model was an '08, close to loaded and priced about $39,000, which is enough to make you think at least twice before choosing it instead of a more proven model.
"When you buy a Toyota, you don't have to explain. When you buy a Hyundai, especially a $35,000 Hyundai, you have to explain," acknowledges Krafcik. "We hope you can just sit your neighbor in the vehicle and that will explain."
Salients during the drive, which was a mix of suburban runaround and highway jaunts.
•Driving feel: Good; well-balanced, almost sporty, at least by nose-heavy SUV standards.
Steering did as told and didn't require multiple mini-corrections as some models (even premium brands) still do. Brakes felt firm enough to be reassuring. Suspension kept body movements in check sufficiently to encourage snappy cornering, yet provided a very smooth ride.
•Engine, transmission performance: Engine sound and feel were better than average in this category of vehicle, inviting a heavy foot. The six-speed automatic transmission shifted crisply up or down and was free of untoward, unpleasant, unwanted delays, stutters and stumbles that mar many reputable rivals' gearboxes.
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