Saw a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe on the expressway yesterday. It looks great except the pricing sucks. It’s priced at P1,768,000 for the 2WD version and P2,228,000. for the 4WD version. That’s way higher than the quite capable pickup-based SUVs (Mitsubishi Montero Sport, Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest, and the new Chervrolet Trailblazer) and already heading towards the Mazda CX-9, Ford Explorer, and Honda Pilot territory. Sure there is a void in that price range and there will still be buyers at those prices but I don’t think it will be the same as the levels that propelled Hyundai to great success the past few years. Yeah, I’m bitter.
2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
Hyundai has posted teasers of the upcoming 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. I personally prefer sedans over SUVs. Sedans offer better handling and more practicality for the daily commute. But SUVs sure can be useful for hauling people and gear around. And looking good while doing that sure doesn’t hurt. The 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe certainly looks good enough for me to possibly consider. Maybe if and when baby #2 comes around. And if Hyundai gets its act together by then.
Hyundai Global City Disappointment
Last week, I took the car to Hyundai Global City for periodic maintenance service. After I got it back, I noticed a trickling sound coming from under the dash. I let it be the whole week because I was busy at work and at home. But today, I dropped to have it checked. I was there early, around 7:30AM. I explained my concern to the service adviser, showed him the sound which he acknowledged, and he told me he will prioritize the work. I told him I’ll wait, went and sat down at the lounge, and watched Spartacus and played Temple Run on the iPhone.
After almost 3 hours, there was still no news. So I took a peek at the repair bay and saw nobody working on the car. Surprised, I went to the service adviser and asked what’s happening. After hastily talking to some people he got back to me and told me that they weren’t able to hear the sound, and that they will need to take the car to a road test. I was frankly incensed (:P). It shouldn’t have taken 3 hours!
So anyway, I accompanied them for a road test. The trickling sound was very clear to me but it took many tries before the tester finally heard it. His conclusion is that there is indeed a sound (that’s what I’ve been trying to tell them the whole freakin’ day!) and that they need to investigate further. It will take some time and since was almost lunch time, I had no choice but to leave the car. After leaving instructions to call me as soon as the car is ready, I left and went back home, had lunch, and took a nap.
Around 4PM, there was still no news so I called. The service adviser wasn’t around! I called again, this time I was able to talk to the service adviser and he said they compared it to another Genesis Coupe and they also heard the trickling sound. They’re going to compare it with yet another Genesis Coupe but it’s supposed to be normal. So I picked the car up at 5PM and got on with what was left of my Saturday.
And guess what? I couldn’t hear the trickling sound anymore. Either it’s just not showing up yet, got fixed by itself, got accidentally fixed while they we’re looking for the problem, or they fixed it but didn’t want to admit it. But one thing is clear: the service was absolute crap.
Looks like Hyundai is having a hard time coping with success.
Ralco Short Throw Shifter
Leslie recently got back from NJ and today gave me the Ralco Short Throw Shifter (STS) Kit for the Genesis Coupe that I ordered and had delivered to him. It’s a complete kit containing a well-machined shifter (a very good copy of TWM Performance’s STS), a shiny height-adjustable shift knob (not gonna be installing this as I prefer the stock knob), shift boot retainer, and all the necessary nuts and bolts. Can’t wait to have it installed!
Genesis Coupe 2.0T vs Lancer EX GT-A vs Impreza 2.0R Sport
I’m sure it’s not a puzzle how I went from choosing between the Lancer EX GT-A and Impreza 2.0R Sport to the Genesis Coupe 2.0T. But just the same, here’s the tale of the tape:
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