Few years ago, some said the Koreans were coming. They were right, because the Hyundais and Kias of one generation ago weren’t good enough to have arrived – coming yes, arrived no. But if you haven’t noticed, things have changed over the past few years – Hyundai-Kia is now the fourth largest carmaker in the world, ahead of all Japanese rivals except for Toyota, and is clearly on the up.
Products like this sixth-generation Hyundai Sonata (codenamed YF) reflect the brand’s current standing. Still good value, still has that long warranty, but now with attributes that appeal not only to the value conscious. Things like quality, class leading figures and design flair were almost never spoken in the same sentence as “Hyundai”, but the YF changes this. We drive Hyundai’s eye opener in Muscat, Oman.
Continue reading the report after the jump.
I have a feeling that Malaysia could be the most challenging market to sell cars in, if you’re not local, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, BMW or Mercedes-Benz. Now, let’s spare a thought for Hyundai.
Your much improved cars are now either on par or class leading in certain areas, mature markets like North America have warmly embraced them, and even highly critical European and British journos have acknowledged and endorsed them. Your brand is huge in rapidly booming and increasingly influential markets like India. On the flipside, in the ASEAN region’s most affluent and sophisticated country, your cars now outsell old favourites like the Corolla, Lancer and Sunny. It seems that you’re capable of winning over every type of market, but not this tiny country called Malaysia. Funny eh?
The reasons behind this scenario needs a thesis of its own, but it is a fact that our proud market discriminates against Korean marques. And to overcome this “handicap” Hyundais are expected to match their Japanese rivals in technical spec, beat them in equipment AND come with a sticker price from one segment below. It’s an unenviable task, and if I were president Chung Mong Koo, I’ll just shrug shoulders and say that Malaysia isn’t worth the effort, as our tiny volume can easily be recouped by an i10 promotion in India!
Thankfully, that was just me daydreaming. Hyundai is not just still here, but is bringing us new cars like the new Tucson and Sonata YF that will manfully take on the field with the abovementioned conditions. It has all the required ammunition, and as we found out in Oman, could deliver a knock out blow to not only the competition, but Malaysia’s perception of Korean cars.
First of all it looks special. The large saloon market is one where carmakers tread with caution, where buyers are slightly older (and more conservative?) than the C-segment. You don’t want to make a car so radical looking that it will scare off your target market (you don’t find Honda trying its spaceship cabin on the Accord, for instance). Which is why we salute Hyundai for making such a bold and distinctive looking Sonata, which is the first in its segment to take on the “four-door coupe” style.
When that’s mentioned, our minds link to the Mercedes-Benz CLS and Volkswagen Passat CC. Casey Hyun, Creative Design Manager in charge of the YF project (and a regular reader of this blog!) tells us that while the team was inspired by the CLS, the Passat CC “absolutely had no bearing on the Sonata’s design”. Work on the YF started in 2006, a year after the Merc debuted but long before the VW was launched.
That curved roofline is the defining feature of the YF’s design, but there are many other details to catch the eye. It’s a highly stylised car, so you’ll find plenty of strakes and lines in the bumpers, hood and flanks. The two bonnet lines continue to flow into the chrome grill, which gives it a 3D-effect of sorts.
The “eyes” of the car are long, sharp and accentuated by two lines that flow into the lower bumper. The Sonata’s profile features an “orchid stroke” that rises from the front fender, spears through the door handles and ends at the boot. More subtle is the strip of chrome that runs along the base of the glasshouse down to the headlights. Mr. Hyun describes the design as “beautiful tension”.
The overall look is so removed from its strict three-box predecessor that it’s hard to believe it’s the same model line. It looks arresting in the metal, and rather special for what essentially is a humble mass market D-segment saloon. A Hyundai as the class leader in design? Previously unthinkable, but the Koreans are exposing Japanese conservatism, model by model.
The static appeal is amplified once you step inside the Sonata. The curvy dashboard has a hint of GM’s “double cockpit” style and it’s all very sleek. Of all the colour combinations we saw in Oman, I liked this pictured grey tone the best, which blends nicely with the subtle lashings of chrome and silver as well as the piano black glossy trim. Hyundai Sime-Darby has ordered an all black scheme; while that’s a safe choice, I personally reckon that it won’t bring out the various elements as well as this picture does.
The slim centre console features a top display shared by the stereo and climate control, which employs a humanoid shape inspired by Volvo. However, unlike the Volvo’s simple operation (press head, body, leg or combo to direct air accordingly), you’ll need to toggle Hyundai’s human till you get the mode you want.
All the buttons are laid out neatly (and stylishly), unlike the Accord’s all-in-one pack. The twin-pod chrome ringed instruments are easy to read and look good, and there are two subdials within the meters. Quality is good as well; the main dash moulding and door caps are in soft plastic and the panels are joined tightly. After the flamboyant exterior, the cabin doesn’t disappoint; there’s certainly more flair here than in the Camry or Accord.
I took the chance to lounge at the back when I wasn’t driving and lounge is the correct word. The Sonata’s 2,795 mm wheelbase is only 5 mm shy of the Accord’s and the Hyundai provides similar amounts of legroom, which translates to “more than enough” – no problems even if those in front have long legs. The two-section sunroof and rear air-con vents mean that the ambiance here is second to none in its class. The Hyundai’s seats are well shaped and comfortable too.
On the move, it’s a serene cabin to be in. Wind noise and tyre roar was absent at highway speeds, although tarmac quality varies between countries, and we’ll have to drive the car in Malaysia to be sure. It was also unfortunate that we weren’t allowed to test the cars at a decent speed although the route included a tempting stretch of twisty roads. What we know is that while turn in is quite sharp, the YF’s steering is light and could do with more sensation, although it’s more natural feeling than the NF’s lifeless helm.
Compared to the boat like NF, the new Sonata has much firmer suspension (front MacPherson struts, rear multi link) and good body control. Body lean is not an issue here and you don’t drastically feel the car’s weight shift during fast lane changes – things that can’t be said about the NF, which I revisited recently. Oman’s smooth roads didn’t tell us much about the Sonata’s ride comfort; our test car had 18-inch wheels, Malaysian spec cars will wear 17-inch rims with 215/55 rubber.
The NF wasn’t one to be hustled around, but it was comfortable and refined, and its 2.4-litre Theta engine/four-speed auto pairing competent and unobtrusive. In the YF, the engine is the latest Theta II family of 2.0 and 2.4-litre powerplants. We only drove the 2.4 in Oman, and this unit puts out 176 bhp and 227 Nm of torque, which compares well with the Accord 2.4’s 178 bhp/222 Nm and shades the Camry’s 165 bhp/224 Nm.
Like the Accord’s K24A, it needs a persistent right foot to get going at low revs, although the Theta II differs by being less charismatic and characterful than the Honda unit, without any high rev flourish. It may feel a bit generic, but it’s no less competent. This Dual CVVT (intake and exhaust) engine’s combined fuel consumption is 8L/100 km or 12.5 km/l.
Similarly, there’s little to complain about the new six-speed auto ‘box. It’s certainly smooth shifting enough and rarely puts a foot wrong in terms of perceptiveness. There are also shift paddles should you want to take matters into your own hands. This in-house developed and manufactured A6MF1 transmission is said to be the most compact and lightest of its kind in the market (12 kg lighter than Hyundai’s old five speeder, with 62 fewer parts), but the best news for consumers is that it’s maintenance free for the life of the vehicle. That’s a 300,000 km warranty for the gearbox we’re looking at.
But for harsh conditions, Hyundai recommends servicing the transmission every 100,000 km. What’s considered as harsh? According to Hyundai Sime-Darby, that’s if you make a trip to Genting Highlands every day. Hyundai bench tested this gearbox by running through the ratios 24 hours a day for one and a half months, so they’re pretty confident of its robustness.
Going back to the scenario in our opener. Hyundai is expected to match the Japanese in spec and kit with a lower price, and the Sonata achieves all that with new found flair. Everything here is either competitive or class leading, so with this new generation of products, the Koreans are more than entitled to compete on a level ground with the class favourites.
But this is Malaysia (remember?), and the Sonata must to be cheaper to survive. Hyundai-Sime Darby won’t commit automotive suicide, and their CBU imported car will undercut the Accord and Camry, just don’t expect the price gap to be as big as the Sonata NF’s. The local media preview is on Thursday, and we’ll bring you the only figure not yet announced so far. Keep your eyes peeled!
[zenphotopress number=999 album=1231]
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i think its still hard to make toyota camry’ fan(mostly uncle) to change side…
Smart people should know how to compare between toyota and Hyundai. Toyota @US got a lot problems….Branded product does not come with good quality.
What do u define by ‘alot of problems’? A few news paper reports and a major recall? Common man. Be realistic. Most of the major cars (even Hyundai) had major recalls in the past 3 yrs. Go read user reviews and independent assessment surveys and u will find that most Americans choose Toyota for its quality which is why GM is losing ground. Yes Toyota made mistakes (as with many other car makes) but its the ability to rebound which matters.
Then what about Those 270k unit Lexus which recently fund to have engine problem? Come on cybermaster98 accept the facts, Toyota is getting lousy!!!
its not toyota but the suppliers. anyway toyota’s QC has to be stricter
“Branded product does not come with good quality”
Totally agree with you on this one..
So, to you.. a “Cikai Product comes with good Quality then”.. bs
Hyundai still lack of finishing…..those plastics thingy and rubber thingy sucks…
i think all comes from toy r us. What i can say in 10 this car only gets 3/10.
cannot expect drastic changes………….let;s wait and if sale figure proves otherwise
I agree that cannot expect drastic changes.
But sometimes slight modification also works and can over come the faults.
Why I feel new Avante is more attractive compared to this Sonata?
I’ve checked out both the Avante and Sonata. The Avante is the reason one would rather have the Sonata.
Actually, msian mkt is not very significant to hyundai….this sonata had already done well in north america mkt wt huge vol
that y i said toyota’s fan…
mny next car will be honda city, but after that, definitely a korean car. let them evolve for one more generation, with durability and reliability tested, then, bye bye jap car.
just like how we say bye bye to ford in the 80s
SOHC. New price, new looks, old technology. That sums up the City. Pay CBU price for a CKD car. Re-think. I just ordered a Forte for my small business partner. Made the comparisons. Forte is a better buy than City.
Korean beats the Japs here.
spot a sonata yf wif those hanging plate at petronas TTDI Jaya….
tapi tak sempat snap picture….btw, there is two of them and both in silver colour….and i must say, it is sumtin that awe people on the road…
I think there is a still a chance for all the uncles to move to Hyundai. But not until the awakening of the local franchise.
1. They give you 5 Years warranty / 300,000 km whichever comes first. But they can shove it right up their rear end as this will mean you have to put up with their Aftersales for that long. Try making an appointment for a Service.
2. The car feels and rides good. But too much plastics in the cabin gives me the migraine. On the outside, I dont know if its a car or a transformer toy.
Interesting…
wonder is it cheaper than Accord or not
It is cheaper than the accord if you take the one without the panaromic roof.
I’ve ordered the 2.0 high spec and it’s still cheaper than the accord. Better power, fuel consumption and more classy indeed.
1st… hihi… btw its a really nice car.
mangkuk ayun betul la ko ni bengong.
if only we can potong jari these “1st posters”, the world would be a better place.
Even worse is that these annoying “1st” nonsense actually passes moderation!!!
Admins, please do us a favor and delete the “1st” posters, they’re dragging down the quality of the comments section.
I love this car, saw it at Glenmarie and the car is superb!
However, I’m not sure who spec it – with the sun roof. The cover of the sun roof is a piece of cloth… dam!
We are not living in Europe, be sensible… that’s stupid!
I almost wanted to order it, the car key feels classy, the dashboard and particularly the lighting of the meters, WOW….
I bet this car handling is great, not only the curvy shape takes my heart, the low ride suspension will perform in corner!
Too bad the sunroof ruin everything…. I won’t buy it because of the stupid sunroof.
some people like some people dont…so dont easily said that the sunroof is stupid?
even we’re not in europe, why not to have a car with sunroof in m’sia?nothing wrong with it..for leasure its fun to have part of your roof opened.
You never driven in a car with a sunroof before? When it rains heavily, the splatter on the sunroof glass is annoying and loud (notice big cars with big windscreen), thats why cars like honda with sunroof provide automated cover with good padding and insulation on its sunroof.
When you got just a piece of cloth to cover your sunroof, not only will raining noise intrude into the cabin, during hot days UV light can also penetrate against the cloth.
Not sure if you are the salesman, if you are, feedback this to your boss, ask them to give an option, the company will be able to track the sales different.
I agree some like sunroof, and unfortunately, Sonata sunroof is the worse – a piece of cloth…. I purposely go and try tucson sunroof during 12pm, dam it is hot!!
Don’t believe me, go ahead.
i’ve seen the new tuscon in a showroom and i believe the two sunroofs can be covered by a drawer-like cover and not a cheap piece of cloth. During hot weather, closing the sunroof cover will solve the problem. But during the night, the sun roof is a treat! Star gazing is always nice for the passengers!
Honda malaysia got their models come with sunroof?? why i hardly see one on the road??
ahahha…
honda said, no, we understand our customer, they wan cheap things, not good things.
i would and many others love sunroof, As u know now, there is various tints to cover the sunroof glass.All sunroofs has UV cut glass to reduce heat transmission.
So the idea of having a sunroof in hot countries is an old story. Take a look at Dubai for example, many of their cars are equiped with it and still sells.
So its good that Hyundai Malaysia is giving it as a standard item. i would love to have some light into the cabin once a while.
sunroof is ok bro… no issues i will buy soon….
panoramic roof rocks! all the new lexus 350 on the road have it.
the cloth of the sunroof. I dont think this is the final product. The cover should be similar to tucson when the official car is out.
I think what you saw is the unfinish or non-malaysia spec sonata.
we will see when the official launching /. soon.
How can u easily compare a panoramic roof into a pieces of cloth??Can give me an example a car with a good quality panoramic roof..I’d would love to know one,but must be in its class..i think that Hyundai is prove a lot on this new sonata,good in styling..
Just curious about the 2nd hand value soon………….
I think a BMW suites to your taste.
I’ve seen this car on the truck to be transported somewhere (was at the bukit jelutong toll), Yes, this is one menacing (sexy) machine…its reminiscent of a shortened Audi A6. But thats just my opinion though. But if the price isnt far off from a civic 2.0, i wouldnt mind splurging on it..heheheh
I saw this car drove by somebody during past school holiday. Cant see the plate number because in opposite lane toward south on PLUS highway. The car is black in colour…maybe the same car that you saw in the truck.
my family have a Civic. I used to think the car was awesome and it still is. But when the Sonata came about, after making price and quality comparisons, the Civic seems Chikai now. LoL
first…striking design from hyundai. wonder why msians nvr liked korean made cars.
r u kiddiing or u just find out?
why wonder? reasons r 1) bad owners’ experiences on previous models and + the fact that 2) price of cars in this country is relatively very High, how many percent on our ppl average disposable income? 3) resale value equals hard earned cash = we need to be really conservative in making our buying decision. Simple answer is, becoz malaysian live in Malaysia.
yea kinda agree… malaysians need to calculate a lot before buying becoz its too expensive… and resale value is always a problem… so some people have to buy what is sensible and prudent, not what they like to buy…
well said thundercat n DC
Many Malaysians got conned and burnt by slick Korean marketing in cars, electrical appliances, drama serials and holiday packages…
Korean cars are notorious for unreliability, expensive parts, hard to source parts, poor service centres and horrendous resale value that make them unworthy of owning.
Korean electrical appliances are notorious for frequent breakdowns especially a day after the expiry of warranty. Even within warranty, the service centre will think of ways to charge users for expensive parts not covered by warranty.
Korean drama serials like their marketing campaigns are just outrageous fantasies selling inferior products to gullible Malaysians.
Ditto for their overpriced holiday packages, which even make Japan holiday package value for money.
i.e: don’t even try to buy those Samsung LED TVs lol the LED bulbs suck real bad.
yup.. i agree. despite the beautiful design and catchy marketing, koreans are yet to give us the reliability and after sales like the japanese did.
Sime-Darby have got a winner on their hands regardless of its price tag ( obviously it has to be lower than the japs)
However , i want to know if the after-sales services is on par with the japs or even better , a long warranty alone doesn’t guarantee a good customer service when you’re servicing/maintaning your car , and on the long run (it is a long warranty) , it might be a regretful decision…
yup..agreed.. after sales service factor play a major factor when purchasing any car.. plus reasonable spare part price.hyundai-sime darby should be in same par with japanese manufacture on this factor…
Based on my experience having both marque, Hyundai’s Sime @ glenmarie are on par wt Honda SC’s Kosmokar@ glenmarie. Satisfied wt both
Awesome~! thanks for the feedback~!
With a car like that , driving all the way to glenmarie in wee hours of the morning (to avoid traffic) shud be a pleasure ( any driving is pleasurable for car lovers)
on par means what?
both good or both average????
I dont think there is anything to shout about the service / technical capability in japanese marque. It is not that they are good, but it is mainly because the others sucked…….
Most of the good mechanic already doing their own business now…
I agree. I think this is the part where most Msians’ negative perception (including mine; personal experience but ages ago) towards Korean cars come from. Hopefully, those who have recent experience with the after-sales of Hyundai/Kia can shed some light on the current situation here.
Before this, Korean cars have the desirability effect of a horse cart, which, I guess why they depend a lot on their local partners to make the sale. But now, I think I can safely say most potential car buyers will at least have a look at their lineup, and there are more companies willing to partner them to carry their marks to the market.
So I hope Hyundai/Kia can oversee more on how their partners are handling their customers, or even set up their own “Hyundai (M) Sdn Bhd” over here.
Weird-looking and ugly!
Kia cars are better designed..
I think it looks great. Physical looks surely are better than the Accord and Camry.
Yup, will wait for the new Kia Optima and see… Like Forte bigger brother..
u r comparing wif ?
Accord, Camry & even his big brother Sonata..
Yes, my personal view is this new sonata design is ok, but its kia brother is better looking, already launched in US.
Now the Hyundai/Kia group is I think catching Toyota up. Korean are enthusiastic nation.
Here is an example of I think how this nation advanced so fast.
One of their leading electronic industry in Malaysia don’t permit their staff/executives to have meal/TT or whatever similar with their supplier! This is to prevent any act of corruption to take place, or even to seed, which could compromise their hard-fought effort to excel.
On the other hand:
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/178324–hyundai-ceo-to-appeal-jail-term
This is my target car for year 2011 January , i’ll definitely get it , white in colour …most likely 2.0 HighSpec …..300k warranty for gearbox ….stunning !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gearbox warranty is not your only concern mind you. This car is great but its the local dealers and servicing agents which screw up the image. Unless these jokers improve, the Korean makes will never do well in Malaysia. Just look at the Mazda3 for instance. All the hype and media sensation and now after 1 year plus how many M3’s do u see on the road? Its sales figures are dropping and its not even in the Top 10 popular car makes in Malaysia. The Forte is heading down that same path. Good car but let down by the negative image brought about by poor after sales service.
If uve owned & maintained a Toyota/ Honda and then u buy a Korean make, you will experience a huge difference in the after sales service standards. Not to mention the quality. My wife just sent her car to Kia last weekend to change the front shock absorbers. Mind you, she is a careful driver and the car is only 3 yrs old and a CBU.
female driver is always not a good driver. They only know how to pump the petrol and go. They know zero about the car’s condition and it ability and limitation. They will not compromise with the car’s weakness. So i totally disagree with your statement “she is a careful driver and the car is only 3 years old”
I think u have misread my comment. When i said ‘she is a careful driver’ i meant she is careful when it comes to road potholes and uneven surfaces. This is nothing to do with skill. It is merely awareness and patience. Im only refering to the shock absorbers and not the other parts. If your shock absorbers fail its either you have thrashed the car or the part isnt built of high quality in the 1st place. In this case, it is not due to her thrashing the car.
For your info, vehicle suspension systems are normally designed to withstand up to 2X the forces during normal driving conditions (not off road of course and not by hitting deep potholes). The suspension system is vigourously tested to ensure dependability and compliance with quality standards.
So if a car’s shocjk absorbers have to be replaced after normal use of 3 yrs, there must be something wrong with the manufacturing quality standards
My dad has a Hyundai Accent for the past 6 years and he’s a careful driver.. avoids potholes and stuff. Until today, he hasn’t had the need to change any shock absorbers. There has been zero electrical or mechanical problems with the car also. Just the usual tyre change, oil change and timing belt change during the service intervals. He still has it serviced on time at the Kah Bintang service center that he bought it from last time.
Different people, different experiences. I have many friends who have excellent experiences with their 2nd-hand Hyundai and Kia vehicles too. So, to me, all this talk about Hyundai engines being unreliable, or the cars easily facing mechanical problems, etc. is quite a mystery. The users who faced problems can’t be wrong, but the users who have great experience with Hyundais and Kias can’t be wrong either.
My father drive a Hyundai Trajet now.. it is so reliable. As our six family members shuttle, it is good. Never had a big problems though. With a body as big as naza ria, it’s 2.0 engine feel so powerful. I still remember when we climb up the Cameron Highlands with six adults and fully loaded, it has no problems at all!! my uncle’s BMW 320i on the same time overheated! Not fully loaded and only occupies 2 adults and a baby.. it is bad!! My neighbour use a Naza Ria, but he always complained about unreliability, high fuel consumption, expensive spare parts and always has a problem.. It saves us once with it’s ABS effectiveness from crashing on the lorry’s back. Until now, i’m really satisfied with the Hyundai Trajet. But i dislike Kia.
Dude,
I owned a Mazda 6 and I have no complains about their after sales service. Dunno about other owners tho.
But frankly i blame our Malaysian mentality, the effect of T&H is too strong on them.
better resale value maaa…
Though not all, but majority of Malaysians are afraid to change or trying new things (eg. new car brand). This is what drives the resale value of T&H higher than newer competitor. They would rather pay more money regardless of it’s value for the T&H products. When they do have problems with the T&H product, they won’t blame the jap company, they’ll blame their luck for getting a problematic batch. Whenever, a hyundai owner got problem with their car, it’s definately because of the Koreans are not competent. I dunno how are we going to move forward with such mentality..
That’s what i been trying to say too. Our mechanics are not up to international standard. That’s the reason why our service centres are lousy. Dont expect getting the rite fix for your cars here. I wish the private sector realise this and set up a proper instituition for automotive or else buying new mid range cars would be a joke. I saw a service centre in neighbouring country so professional that the area as clean as surgeon’s room and repairs are monitored via computers.
Just like the infamous cases of BMW owners sending their cars to a BMW service centers to get a problem rectified, only to leave the service center with 2 other additional problems.
Agree. It’s a GAP that we can feel when driving a Korean made car, after driven Japs cars. (Self-proven experience, for average person that would only want to afford a Japs car “max”.)
Quality of Korean CBU is in doubt, and will not dare to see any CKD. (Self-experience)
I bet even before you drive the cars, you have already set your mind; “this is jap car” and “this is korean car”. So jap car has to be better rite? That’s called biased experiance..
i greed with u. after sales service is rather important, not only the good look of the cars
she maybe careful when ur around but when ur not she just dont give shit abt the car… pothole also taruk.. stupid!
Waa same test drive in with the tuscon but only now release? news embargo is it? Probably this lady will be launch soon.
Local media preview is tomorrow. Official launch on the 2nd of July
Any idea what is the final price they set? If the full spec is price at RM140K, SDM can forget about it..
sweet.. hopefully sime darby wont be too overambitious with the car price.
In order to be successful in the malaysian car market…..follow the japs footsteps….you got to have ample spare parts at reasonable price,….next after sales service…..not only by authorised workshops but also unauthorised ones able to undertake repair & maintenance… for the convenience of motorist………it’s no point selling your car at good price with the highest technical specs……..car companies CEO can say that now they have plenty of 3S centres and stock of spare parts around the country to solve this issues…..hello …….please listen to your customers……not all of them lives in the city areas…. they have to drive for miles in search of this centre…….if the trend continues resale value of these brands will not pick up till end of the world as customers confidence is very low and the brand image is eroded….
Look at the grey imports of the Japs MPV…….their cars are a success virtually everywhere in SEA now cause these issues are well taken off…..
When a customer buys a car……he is aware that the car is a reliable one and will not face any inconvenience is getting spare parts and reasonable repair cost anywhere convenient to him….(ask around many motorist….given a choice they will not service their cars the authorised workshop knowing that they will get rip off…..)
So motor companies CEO……please go down to the field & do the survey yourself…..I will be the first one to volunteer……..
Simple basic issues you can address …….to increase your sales……..
Good point bro!
One word…
AGREE.
what are u yesman!
Betul !!!
Make the upper management drive the cars they sell.
See how many of them are driven by driver in luxurious marques like BMW or Mercs or Audi.
EXACTLY
Hey Danny, isn’t the YF Sonata equiped with 6 speed auto just like the Tucson?
YF uses the same 6sp auto as the Tucson
I wonder who Hyundai collaborated with in the design & manufacture of this GB.
There arent that many auto GB manufacturers in the world & it does not make $en$e to research & manufacture on your own.
They definitely made their own alright. That’s why they’re the 3rd auto manufacturer in the world that researched, developed and produced their own 6-speed auto gearbox. Others would just source units from Getrag, ZF or Aisin.
is it time to shift from toyota or honda to this,,what do you guys think
If it is, say, RM135k for the 2 litre model, then, I would opt for it, rather than the Civic or the Altis. As for the “Korean stigma”, I think Malaysians are waking up now and starting to realise that Korean cars are as good, if not better than the Japanese or continental cars.
Malaysians will never change when is comes to resale value.
Correct..let see forte..check the resale value after quarter next year..
Thirty years ago, no one would touch a Japanese car.
malaysians mindset would always be; cheap is no good, expensive is good
Hence the Malaysian car buyers can most aptly be described as “immature” and “ill-informed”.
Ever known those die-hard Honda and Toyota supporters who aimlessly bash Proton, Hyundai and Kia when they haven’t even driven one in the past 5 years or more?
You buy a car because of a sunroof issue …..it’s weird bro …. to me it’s a plus point or an OPTION
You wont buy a car ….
Paul/Danny
For the Malaysia spec YF, Whats the airbag count and will it have leather and double sun roof?
Leather and two airbags for all variants (2.0 Std, 2.0 High Spec, 2.4). Panoramic roof only for 2.0 High Spec and 2.4.
We hear that Hyundai-Sime Darby will be bringing in a 2.4 with six airbags. Should be arriving within half a year from now.
Peugeot 407 has 7 airbags, yet cost only RM 136K
What’s on the digital multi-info display? It looks nice but then monochrome, sigh… should make it color screen. Monochrome is so Volvo!
Start/stop engine button?
Greyish in your photo are faux-aluminium in plastics or real aluminium?
Where are the service centre?
So they gonna launch it with Panoramic Roof as priority then only follow by 6-airbags ? That Roof is more important than extra Bag huh? lol …nvm, everybody just wait for another 6 months.
No need to wait. If the estimated prices are true, even if it comes with 10 airbags it will still not sell.
Thanks to T&H supporters.. typical 3rd-world mentality, left behind by the rest of the world in all areas
What other specs define the difference between the High Spec and Standard options?
better price it right, or else….
Initially hated this car and used to have the feeling that it is over-designed with too many unnecessary curves and lines, that was until i drove one in Korea. It was superb.. the Korean did their homework and they certainly have delivered.
First thing i want to point out is the interior, you wont feel the same once you’ve been in it. Accord and Camry can go away with their wooden panels?… Yaawwnn!
Second thing is the performance and ride, if you driven it you won’t believe it’s a Korean!! Maybe it is not perfect but you will not feel like an uncle driving Camry or Accord.
Third is the boot size, i can tell you it’s a cave.
Honestly i don’t think it will sell well in Malaysia, given the huge fans of T&H in our market. But to those who has smaller budgets and thinking about upgrading from your Persona you may want to check it out.
Paul, you might want to test drive Sonata’s twin brother the Kia K5… drove that one too. :)
Now this is what we call getting yourself well-informed, and eventually making a well-informed decision!
But as usual, T&H fans will have nothing but vitriol for supporters of local and Korean cars because heck, T&H are the best even if they jack up their car prices by 30% and just give you fabric seats and minimal accessories, and ensure “reliability” by giving you “proven” technology, such as still using a 10-year old engine + gearbox combo for the Altis.
Quote from the main article
“What’s considered as harsh? According to Hyundai Sime-Darby, that’s if you make a trip to Genting Highlands every day.”
If that is considered harsh, then I think we gonna get lots of problems. There are many cars, buses, trucks that go to Genting Highlands or Cameroon Highlands or East Cost Highways back and forth everday. They are all narrow, twisting with steep gradient hilly roads. Not to mention that you have to turn-on air-cond and do lots of overtaking too.
They are underestimating the “harshness” of Malaysian roads…
But still, through all that, you just need to service the gearbox after 100,000km. Try doing that with a Honda or Toyota gearbox. If you run up and down Genting every day in a Honda City, let’s see whether the torque converter will still hold up after 30,000km without servicing.
Ya Hyundai better price it right perhaps same price of Perdana at RM102k its ok. Only here stone-age crap still sells for space-age price. So, Hyundai Sonata YF 2.0 starts at RM102k anyone?
No No! Say NO to Korean cars! Some ppl ask,why malaysians are so -ve towards Korean cars? Well, I say go and sit and drive a Korean car and then come out,and go and drive a Jap car.
It is a totally different feeling.
As for me ,I am driving a Honda City 09 model.Then I saw the Kia Forte with its good looks and all.Surprisingly my friend bought one and I ask him to let me test drive.My goodness,for all its good looks,high tech gadgetry,it drove like shit.
1. Steering felt stiff like hell.Steering and driver does not feel connected at all.
2. Engine underpowered like hell.
3. After you reach 140km/h on highway,engine is noisy and very reluctant to go further.
And after 3 years down the road,you would be struggling to sell your Forte for RM 40k.Dont let me go into after sales service and spare parts.
I am not saying this just because i drive a Jap but I am just giving my very HONEST opinion.It is up to you all to believe lah.Dont want to argue.
The forte was that bad,that it made my CITY feel like a BMW once I got back into my car.
So thats why Korean cars always spec their cars very very well here in Malaysia.Cause they know thats they only way Msian will ever consider buying their cars.
And thats why Korean cars will forever play 2nd fiddle to Japs in Msia.
try driving a Gen-2 CPS for example, they have much, much better top speed and handling than your City. even the Arabs admitted it. lolz
Top speed and handling? These are NOT the main factors to consider when choosing a car.
People who support T&H have 101 reasons and excuses to slam local and Korean cars. Likewise people who support Proton and Korean cars have 101 reasons to support their choices.
Not everyone has had bad experiences in Protons and Korean cars (my Proton and my dad’s Hyundai have never had a single instance of failed central locking or power window in all these years, although my Wira has clocked over 300,000km!!).
Likewise, not everyone has had good experiences in Japanese cars either.
yeah, i agree with you, my father’s hyundai trajet never give him a problem. besides that, it saves my life once while avoiding a lorry with it’s ABS effectiveness.
EXACTLY!
i think your city must have customized with a 2 liter iVtec engine, that it is so powerful….and that at 140km/h, you feel better in city…..unbelievable…..
I suggest you should crash your car and then drive a forte and crash that one too.
I have 2 city (2004 and 2009 version) in my house and I am sorry to say that i totally dont experience what you experience…..at least, i dont feel like i am owning a BMW….
I drove and sat in the City then I quickly got out. Such a small car that my 5’9″ felt squeezed in it. The Forte was spacious and looks good. Priced good as well. Check out the resale value comparisons between Jap vs Korean cars in the next 3 yrs.
Another 3rd world mentality.. Sigh.. I drove my father’s Merz CLS350 before I test-drived this model,I know the it’s totally different class, but I can tell you that the Koreans are really catching up..
It certainly looks good and not as boring as the Camry or Accord. I just wonder about the position of the center aircond vent near the driver… will there be cold fingers? :-)
If Korean cars have 3rd party suppliers of spare parts and/or body kits, I’m sure there’ll be more Hyundais & Kias running around. Korea has many junk yards for their scrapped cars. It’s a good place to get cheap parts but at this moment it doesn’t make much economic sense for anyone to bring them in.
Oh I almost forgot, come mid 2011, no more imported used parts right?
Veli nice… but scared no 2nd hand value after 5 years lah.
My fren’s 2001 sold his 2001 Sonata 2.0 for RM27K only :(
Typical problem for all Korean makes.
Thanks to narrow-minded Japanese brand supporters
you got that right,doob.you are not alone here.some are worried about aftersales service,the resale value just like the comments made few weeks ago on the peugeot 3008.the mindset of rakyat malaysia must change.we hope kia/hyundai/inokom will change too.people change from time.the competition hopefully will make them buck up.you know why they give warranty 5 years/300,000km which ever comes earlier?they want you to buy their car.their chevrolet,their hyundai.Honda/Toyota got this deal ah?Got free girl ah?surely i cum.
all this about buying or not all solely rest in you .
whatever happens after 5years…to the car.will there be resale value?CLP comments hopefully will be taken into consideration..
(ask around many motorist….given a choice they will not service their cars the authorised workshop knowing that they will get rip off…..).So authorised workshop,you know who you are.
who knows in 5 years time.
to be honest i like the sonata and tucson for now.The fluidic design.what a diffrence compared to old sonata.though i still set my goal on the kosong car aka CR/.buying a H Accord.who knows other car companies come up with something much better later?so don`t rush rush.can`t wait for the reviews in a year..who cares what people say.they can talk but are they paying for your dream car?
the high spec 2.4 tucson priced at 154K..i say the sonata 2.4 wud be around 152-158K.i will test drive it when it is out on 2nd july.
I sold my Y2000 T Camry to a 2nd hand car dealer for RM28K this year. Perfect running condition, 100% accident free and mileage 150K km. Say a 2001 would sell for RM32K. I bought mine new at RM145K (before price hike to 170K) and I believe a Sonata was selling at RM120K max. Please do the math about Jap cars holding their resale value better. Thank you.
ex-Jap fan says:
24/6/2010 at 2:28 am
I sold my Y2000 T Camry to a 2nd hand car dealer for RM28K this year. Perfect running condition, 100% accident free and mileage 150K km. Say a 2001 would sell for RM32K. I bought mine new at RM145K (before price hike to 170K) and I believe a Sonata was selling at RM120K max. Please do the math about Jap cars holding their resale value better. Thank you.
________________________________________________________________
First of all, large cc cars have lower resale value as compared to a lower cc car simply because your customer base is lower. Resale values are based on demand. Besides this, the Camry was not such a popular model back in 2000 as compared to now. In fact, i believe the sale figures for the 2000 Camry wasnt much different from the Sonata model. Camry owners now will get a much better resale value as compared to your time for sure.
On the other hand, i think u didnt get a good price for your car. Ive seen Camry’s Yr 2000 being sold for RM32K and 2001 models sold for RM38K (and im not refering to just 1 or 2 sales).
Plus when u consider resale values, u must take into account how much you spent on maintenance in that 10 yrs. How many times did that Sonata have to change major parts in that 10 yrs as compared to your Camry? All this adds to the overall cost of the car itself. The 2000 Sonata was a problematic car. I know cuz my uncle was a sales manager for the Hyundai Northern Region and he always said he feels so bad talking good about a car which he knew to be inferior. He has since moved on to Honda.
Just for your info, a 2003 Vios 1.5E sells for approx RM46-47K now from its purchase price of RM74,700. Thats only a 38% loss in value which is exceptionally great for a 7yr old car. Which other non national car has this level of resale value?
2003 Honda City i-DSI resale value is higher than 2003 Toyota Vios E.
Honda’s resale value is higher than Toyota’s.
I think u need to recheck your info. The Honda City iDSI 2003 model sells for about the same price as the 2003 Vios 1.5E. But the initial purchase price of the City was 3-4K higher than the Vios.
On overly simple explaination would be that 2nd hand buyers are typically lower income and stay away from big CC or larger cars for economical reasons (how many can afford roadtax for a 2.4l car?).
Being lower income, people tend not to take chances (or more accurately not afford to) so they will stay away from cars that are known to be expensive to maintain, or prone to issues. While some of these are true, I think most are just spooked by hearsay or word of mouth.
Which is why a Honda Accord will depreciate more than a Honda City.
(What? think loosing about 15-20k/yr on an Accord is pocket change?)
And which is why a Kancil holds its value so bloody well. We still have a “free” Kancil worth 24k that has depreciated less in the last 12 years we had it than the Accord does in its 1st year…..
Demand and supply.
I will be looking forward to the YF launch. (actually the new Optima looks absolutely stunning)
Resale value comparisons need to be made with initial purchase price in mind and also the driving pleasure throughout the ownership duration. TQ
Well, please let me be a little long winded here and I hope I can help others by storytelling my thoughts and experiences.
Firstly, popularity. I remember when I shopped for a car then. There were 3 contenders; Accord, Camry and Cefiro. If you said that Camry was not popular then, which car was? What I am trying to say is that it was relatively a major contender in year 2000. Decisionwise, Cefiro, I had the impression the fit and finishing was not as high quality. My family had an Accord so I chose Camry. About Sonata selling as much as Camry in 2000, I do not have actual figures, but, studying the total figures from several years from http://www.autoworld.com.my/aw/resources/stats/99sales.asp, and considering Camry accounts for about 10% – 15% of Toyota sales (http://www.motortrader.com.my/NUS/articles/article_2427/page_m.asp), I really doubt your argument. Sales summary:
2004 2005 1H2007 1H2008
Toyota 27,627 30,971 36,572 53,129
Hyundai 961 6,480? 2,770 1,831
Secondly, as for my price, I sold to a 2nd hand car dealer. Went to a few, but the prices are around there. FYI, my neighbour also sold his Camry (same year) but for RM22K only because he has a burnt gasket engine. Normally, dealers would earn about RM5K – RM10K. Call me stupid for not earning the extras by putting up ads myself and seeing potential “clients” who may stab and rob you. Also, customers would rather buy at a little extra from a company dealer than an individual. I believe the prices you see are the inflated prices people put for you to bargain or to hook waterfishes who believe in such a good resale value. Conclusion, selling price vs buying price.
About 2000 Sonata, I am not commenting whether it had any problem. I was only commenting base on resale value. If we want to consider maintenance, we would say “owning cost” / “running fee” etc etc.
As for maintenance cost, for example, I changed a set of 4 OEM dampers + some arms and bushings = RM2000+. I also changed the radiator but can’t remember the price. Suspension bushings breaks easily. Timing belt change RM450. TBH, I am not too familiar with maintenance cost of other cars (same range). So please make your own judgement here. Sonata drivers, please comment. Otherwise, no major electronic problems. Problems were like the doors cannot close properly (unclosed door indicator on), seatbelt reminder indicator spoilt and rust at a lot of places. And on this note, my cousin drives a Getz CBU. His mother drives a City. And their whole family agrees that that Getz is built better than their City. Getz has no “kacau” so far while their City had gone factory twice for power window (under warranty). FYI, this Sonata is CBU for the time being.
One thing I notice is that Jap cars (so called good resale value cars) tends to depreciate linearly while other “cold” cars tends to depreciate exponentially. Hence, in some way, owning a Jap car from year 5 to year 10 vs owning from year 0 (new) and selling at year 5, the absolute depreciation is the same. Funny thing is, as the car gets older, maintenance increases, and owning a used car is actually more expensive than a new one (considering linear depreciation).
And if a 2003 Vios sells at RM46K, I really don’t understand why people want to get a used one. Everything starting to break down at that age. And worst of all car-in-workshop problem. Maybe it is just me, but, I will take a new one any day… =) Furthermore, extrapolating Vios to 10years old, the car may really sell for more than RM34K. Wow.. similar price to a Camry. Pity. But I shouldn’t complain. Because, there will be people buying my used car at exorbitant price.. hehe..
I am no master, but I hope to help and to discuss with others to improve on our knowledge and wisdom in owning a car in Malaysia. Please comment so that we can share views. Thank you.
Well, i wouldnt buy a 7 yr old 2nd hand vios for RM46K either. Its really good resale value for the 1st owner but i dont think it would be a good buy for a 2nd owner especially since ure getting a 7yr old car.
But then again, this car is in really good condition. The only problem is the front seat belt retractor which is slow. Other than that, the pickup and fuel consumption is still great. I guess ppl would buy it for a 2nd car or for their college kids.
Vios gerun la bila accident. Harga je mahal
Vios probably has about the same amount of legroom as a Kelisa.
Looks fantastic.. great job, Hyundai
I’d consider this car when I hunt for my 2 litre sedan next.. people, now it’s time to make the change.. we want more value for our hard earned money.
To those big brands selling “cheap” vehicles at an exorbitant price.. your times are soon over..
RM130K for high spec pls..
Got an email from a sales rep who stated the following estimated prices:
2.0 standard RM148,888
2.0 high spec RM158,888
2.4 RM168,888
Personally I think it is overpriced…..
Yes, over priced.
Current Camry prices:
2.0G – RM154,990
2.4V – RM174,990
Current Accord prices:
2.0 – RM 149,800
2.4 – RM 171,800
In comparison with this, the Sonata will not be able to challenge the Japs even if it has better specs. For Korean cars to qualify as a competitor, the price has to be at least 12K cheaper. But even then, it may not be enough.
If this pricing is confirmed, the Sonata will face a premature death for sure.
Your uncle-spec Camry & Accord don’t have padel shift I believe & on the look alone, this Sonata is a winner.
Who want to spend so much money on a car that can be seen everywhere.
At least this Sonata will make u feel special & unique^^
U speak like a lady. They only look at how many cup holders are there in the car, got space for umbrella or whether the make up mirror is big enuf. Only a silly man will say a car is not good cuz no paddle shift…HAHA
U must be like 1 of the many fools who go around modifying their cheapo kancil’s with bright ugly colours and silly stickers and addiing a muffler which makes a lot of noise and yet they cant overtake a lorry. HAHA
If u wanna be unique, then why dont u go buy a Proton Juara? Thats unique rite? Also cheap and not seen on the road much. Now thats wht i call being unique…UNIQUELY STUPID.
HAHA
you are speaking like lady in fact…
when you look at Camry or Accord… do u actually take the badge first?
look deep inside the specs..
and u dun tell me the sonata the car itself is worst than camry??
if so..how u justify that? show me?
dun just show me the badge~
Did i ever say i look at the badge? Do read my comments carefully. The car alone is good with upmarket specs. As ive said many times in this thread and in others, its the AFTER SALES SERVICE which kills the Koreans simply because its controlled by Gov cronies.
In bolehland, people will buy car that popular with below thinking:
1) more people uy mean good, value for money
2) spare part can then be cheaper
3) 2nd hand price will be strong as great demand …
And the facts is, when you drive korean car, people will still take it as 2nd grade comapre to uncle Camry and Accord…
If spec good only can sell… why Mazda 6 not even sold 1/2 volume of Accord and camry?
fully agreed. just one correction, madza 6 dont even sell more than 10% of camry….
If wan special n unique will rather top up to get the mazda6. period.
even so its premature death to sime darby showroom in our kiasu bolehland only….not worldwide
but i think its fair to price it at about mid 130k for 2.0L
No way! Hahaha!
Japs supporters won’t go for Korean even with higher specs, just like continental supporters won’t go for Japs, and just like Supercars owners …. (and the list continues…)
And look at this price?
Again, Same old Malaysia ‘TAX’ story plus all other brothers commenting here, it’s going down as soon as it hits the showroom with this kinda price.
If that pricing is true serious Hyundai Malaysia should let Naza or DRB to take over Sime as their distributors. Pathetic pricing means poorer sales to Hyundai but good news to T & H!
If this is the price, they can save all their advertisement budget…it won’t sell in Bolehland…
And for those 500 or 600 unit owner, they can expect the car to depreciate 50% in 3 years time…
Wrong pricing given lah!
im a big camry fan… but if i could afford a new camry, i would definately consider buying this..
nice design, nice 6 speed g/box tech, more than enough leg room. Just wait till they announce the pricing
It took T,H&N nearly twenty years to build a solid reputation amongst M’sian car buyers.
What makes you think the Koreans can do it overnight? Though they now have better build cars & offer more for less money, it will still take time to build a reputation.
When the Japanese started, they too had to overcome prejudice & pre set notions. It’s not so different today with the Koreans.
Sure the service level is not comparable to what T,H&N are offering. But dont forget, T,H&N has been doing this for nearly 40 years now & has gone through the initial painful learning curve. Lest not forget that the franchise holder (esp T&N) has been the same since the very beginning. Experience is something money can never buy.
If the Koreans ever were to have it’s own franchise, then maybe expect the service quality to improve to Korean (high) standards. The weak link in service quality is the local franchise holder behaving with the typical tidak-apa M’sian attitude. Dont forget that UMW, Tan Chong & Kah Motors were once owned & run by Chinamen who did not have the tidak-apa attitude.
Agrew with you totally!
Yup, just like why uncles like european cars like Mercedes, BMW, etc. We all know (even if we were young) that these cars are problematic and requires HUGE $$$ to repair, our ‘uncles’ still like to buy these before… @#%$@#$# (hahaha)
Why?
Due to the perception of ‘prestige’ when THEY were young, when British or other foreigners are still around with these uncle cars! – It’s another story of “REPUTATION”! :D
For our generation???
We might worship Japs car as soon as they had already turned quite some table around, and our younger generations will buy ‘UNCLE Japs’ car!
Korean???
Perhaps next-next or even next-next-next generation then! 2100? :D
REPUTATION we’re talking about here. ;)
You are the one speaking like the Uncle who use to buys those British or German products, only different is u adore jap car. Same frame of mine as the ‘uncles’ but different generation. Jap car more prestige than the Korean-made vehicles, more reputable, blah, blah… Same mentality..
Me too.
Korean cars should just set up their own companies and dealerships here rather than appointing lame partners. I believe they would be more eager to make profits (like UMW and Honda Malaysia) and care for their reputations; and solving the issues of hard to find 3S centres, lame services and expensive spare parts.
Cars like Forte, Fiesta (When it’s really coming to Malaysia? It has been long promoted here.) and this Sonata look promising with good pricing and specs, but our enthusiasm is dampened by bad dealership images.
I have a lot of friends who would comment how great Forte is, but then they would go “but it’s a Kia” on me.
Eh? I though Fiesta is Ford
I know it’s a Ford, just throwing it in the mix.
Funny thing is the Ford Fiesta is marketed overseas as an entry level, young person’s car, akin to ‘Your First Car’ (look at how Ford Fiesta sponsor American Idol & who are American Idol’s target audience)
By the time we add all the tax & excise duty here, it’ll be come a luxury hatchback.
Isnt the Fiesta suppose to be coming Q4 this year?
Eventhough the car is good, superb,
if it seriously priced at
2.0 standard RM148,888
2.0 high spec RM158,888
2.4 RM168,888
i wonder who would buy this car..
for me i rather adopt honda accord or camry coz same price tag.. lol
i think sime darby wont so stupid price the car in that sense, it will spoil the motive to sell their car
Simedaby can be stupig, look at the loss that jsut just declare weeks ago….
KT89 says:
23/6/2010 at 12:53 pm
Eventhough the car is good, superb,
if it seriously priced at
2.0 standard RM148,888
2.0 high spec RM158,888
2.4 RM168,888
i wonder who would buy this car..
———————————————————————————————————————-
Agreed, at that price might as well go for camry or accord….this is blehland, T & H rules
it is not T & H rule, it is the other competitor DOES NOT actually intend to make a competition, since they dont understand or dont want to understand a consumer thinking since they themselves NOT driving any of those car they represent since left or right also Gov related.
Price it at Rm120K for the 2.0 Standard. I guarantee it will pick up the market. Then year late slowly increase 5K la. Started also same like T & H, who want to throw the hard earn money into the finance where who knows 3 years down the road your car worth half the price, and while u still paying the financing, it worth negative.
That is the challenge of all new automotive since all round back to 1 same problem, not open market so Government cant controlled price, and AP.
The range won’t start at RM148K, perhaps 10K lower than that
What is your estimated pricing based on your sources Danny?
No point speculating. The media preview is tomorrow and we’ll bring you the official price once it’s announced :)
Is the Sonata going to be launched today? I checked with Kah Bintang and they said probably next month only. Can someone confirm?
Now Hyundai only appoint SD and not kah bintang anymore……
i dont get it. why should u got perli here and there to make your case?
i tell u the biggest thing about people going Korean these days. its the price. it is super cheap in the UK and people are getting what their pocket permits these days. this is one time in 1000 years for korean brands. thats it. price.
the europeans dont give a hook on korean cars, be it for technologies or brand name. this is simply because the european makers are much more advanced and equipped with more technologies (if this sonata is claimed to be better in such area compared to the traditional competitors). given the similar equipped european and korean cars, they would definitely go for their kind. but if the sticker price is much much lower than europeans, maybe korean cars have a chance.
here in malaysia, the sufferings of korean brands are product of their own. do not blame perception. infact, perception is the end product of bad sales and designs. people are not swayed for nothing. its the experience that teaches most of us that korean brands are either bad, kong very early, and some other bad things.
which resulted in bad perceptions. and of course bad resales value.
do not blame us the rakyat for making what korean brands are. these happened years ago and they are the ones that should get up and improve their models and after sales etc etc. it may take 10-20 years, but lets be honest they been shitting us the rakyat for the past 20-30 years.
so if u want us the rakyat to put u in the same bracket as the hondas toyotas mercedeses bimmers, then do whatever u have to do, and do it for whatever time period. until we decides u are good and worth the claim.
it is us the rakyat that decides.
now it may seems we are bad, but u have to take this as great challenge. and prove ur self. we would say forte is a great start. but it just A START. now lets we see the continuation of these korean brands.
it is not rocket science. and we are watching ya.
Uh, I believe the rakyat were screwed by the local Hy & K franchise holders.
err.. what Hy & K franchise la?
Franchise holder.
Hyundai = Sime Darby
Kia = Naza
If only foreign car companies are allowed to run the 3S themselves, instead of relying on 1CronyM’sia companies.
not really.
Tan Chong did really well, and will continue to do so. So do numerous Toyota and Honda 3S centres. IMHO nothing to do with 1CronyMsia or anything.
it just the parent company must get their hands dirty and make sure these centres perform not only technically brilliant, also first class in social relation with customers.
drMpower: exactly what I wrote at 4:39pm ;-)
errr… we’re talking about Hyundai & Kia here right?
sorry man, the abbreviation Hy&K is really new to me ;p
rakyat kepala hotak u la… this is your opinion only. WHO ARE U to represent the rakyat to speak ?
balik la woi. .
ish ish ish…marah sangat tu bang…jangan la camgitu yer ;D
hmm3 says:
23/6/2010 at 2:32 pm
rakyat kepala hotak u la… this is your opinion only. WHO ARE U to represent the rakyat to speak ?
balik la woi. .
________________________________________________________________
Its comments like this which reflect your immature mentality. This is a open forum and everybody is entitled to their opinions.
cybermaster, if u don;t understand my comment. then shuddup. you are repeating what im trying to say. it is one thing if DRMpower has his own opinion. But when he say “rakyat” this and that, meaning he is saying ALL malaysian are thinking like him. which is of coz not the case.
Also, wtf is it everytime must bring politics into a car forum ? if wanna talk politics then go to a politic forum and vent your frustration there.
bangang betul budak ni. . .
what politics? nope. i never meant politics. oh, maybe some political parties out there using ‘rakyat’ and u kinda offended by that?
well, u me and cybermaster are matured already and of course three of us know how to differentiate serious matters like politics and things that we like i.e cars/foruming/ etc etc. and of course the two dont mix at all.
forgive me if i sounded that THAT political party.
the fact that matters we are talking about this new offering from Hyundai. the larger scale of discussion is that we are focusing on how Hyundai or the other Korean automakers can get back into the bracket of ‘worthy cars’ in malaysia. which of course a bit different to the other parts of the world.
here perception rules. or it is one of the areas that rule how malaysian people buy vehicles. and as i mentioned, the perception is a product made by non other than the koreans automakers themselves. and now people are arguing, although the designs are already nice and their vehicles are laden with technologies, why malaysian people are still OFF by the products of koreans, especially vehicles (cars or MPVs or etc etc)
and if mr.angry care to read, i did mentioned that bad perception also contribute directly to the bad resale value.
of course the products now are good and kinda up to what the other competitors are offering right now. the relation i made to the ‘rakyat’ is that, the korean manufacturers should do nice things like this and continue to do so for whatever period UNTIL THE PEOPLE decide that the products are worth for the buying. or worth the money.
at that moment, then only korean products are deemed worthy and in the same bracket as the toyotas and hondas.
do u get it?
no rocket science. i dont mix politics with things that i love so much.
i dont politicise my sons with politics. i dont ask them to join this and that politic parties. i dont put politic party flags on my cars. i dont colour my house so that it looks like this and that party politics colour.
get it straight young man.
Nicely put mate.
To put it bluntly, Malaysians within this bracket are sensitive to prices when it comes to maintenance and resale value, not to mention reliability. I know, I own a car within this bracket and it’s a Jap.
Improve customer service, put in decent priced spare parts and most of all price these cars lower than the competitor and you got yourself a winner.
Just my 2 cents.
well, thank you appreciating my comment.
also own a Jap, simply because all the criteria u mentioned.
agreed..only way to be successful, sonata shud be priced arnd RM100K – RM120K, more than that…its T&H for average msian
IHMO the Koreans have step up the game these past 5 years or so. After recovering from the 1997 crash, they have doubled their effort to improve & innovate (look no further than the LCD TV’s & handphones). The challenge for them now is China, where goods are produced far cheaper but luckily, still of inferior quality to Korean products. This however, will not stay for long as the Chinese are also starting to step up their game. Who knows, our grandchildren maybe praising Chinese made cars as we are now with Koreans ;-) and the “uncles” will be you guys who are hardcore Korean car supporters :-)
As for the local franchise dealer for Korean cars, they do not care about 10-15 years later. For them, it is how to milk the cow as much & as fast as possible, for they may lose or give up the franchise the next X number of years. The attitude of the current younger generation in management is “what is it in for me” or “how much can I make for myself” seem to be endemically prevalent. So, the tidak-apa attitude for long term business from the top all the way to the bottom. It’s all about a quick buck now. No need to build a long term business & reputation. They do not think & act like UMW or Tan Chong when it was owned & run by Chinamen. For the Chinamen, it’s building a future business for his children & grandchildren. So reputation in business is extremely important for long term survivability.
This situation for Koreans can only improve if they themselves comes in (like BMW & Merc) and as such, be able to oversee & control the franchisee to uphold the high standards & not allow them to slack off. But dont expect that to happen soon for our market is still quite small & highly protected to favour the local car.
Oops, I mean LED Tv’s. My bad. Sori
The North Korean can make World Cup. What is Bolehland doing for the past years in terms of effort in all area? Proton is a joke in Global Market.
Unless you set up a comprehensive and evenly distributed 3S centres around the country like T&H, better sell at the mid RM130k lah… or less. This is for show only. Next generation models you sell at T&H prices maa.. 5 year plan maa.. You need to get as many cars on the road for this generation so that next model you can pau the price cukup2..
I take Mazda6 anytime if this Sonata prices considering both Mazda and Hyundai is 2nd teir brand by Malaysia standard. Don’t get me wrong, only Malaysian buyer think this way due to low 2nd hand value.
Yes Mazda 6 is way cooler. Any idea when the new Mazda6 is gonna be out?
i bet its 130k for 2.0!
Some adverts on Mudah.com have listed the 2.0 for 140k. i hope it will be less too.
im waiting to catch the 2.4 and its price.
nope its OTR RM148,933.00
without Insurance MAZDA6 2.0 SDN 5EAT umno juara tipu rakyat
Mazda 6 2.5 facelift going for RM174,877.00 without Insurance
well done hyundai!!!
By the way, got word there’s another strike at a Honda plant in China. Way to go Honda!!!! :-)
Yes, Mazda6 is a better choice if these prices hold true!
make it 100k then they ll probably stand a chance
i dont understand why so many people bashing hyundai’s aftersales service? i own a getz and everytime i service or change spare part, no biggie issue. even normal maintanence cost less than the servicing of vios or city.(compared with my frens)
Not to say it is a super nice car, but it is well justified given the price.
the only drawback is the 2nd hand price, depreciate faster than jap brands- cant deny that.(it does really have something to do with acceptance and volume available)
To buy or not, up to u but i think i would def consider hyundai if i were to buy a car now. and i certainly would aknowlegde and marvel at the advancements that they made over the past 5 yrs.
Have u driven and owned a Vios / City? If not, you will never see the difference. I have both Japanese and Korean makes in my home. When u talk about maintenance costs, you should not just talk about the periodic service. You should talk about TOTAL maintenance e.g how often do your parts last, cost of replacement, service time, service standards, quality, etc. There are many discussions on this topic in the Kia Forte forum. Feel free to read it.
Hi cybermaster,
No, i do not own a vios/city.
But i’ve driven a vios/city, the driving pleasure is slightly better than the older hyundai i.e: getz. can’t deny that. believe the new gen hyundai is way better than the older hyundais.
total maintenance experience is not bad at all REALLY in terms of reliability, quality, price, time. it does meet my expectation.
This is actually not a fair comparison.
How often you service your vios???? many european cars only requiring servicing at every 15-20km.
When you have cheap parts or components, the service cost or repair cost will actually be cheap or low.
For those that says the agents for Korean cars in Malaysia are not up to par, imagine this: What would you do if you own a Rover, or a Fiat, or Alfa Romeo? Would the ‘service’ be any better?
Any service centre run by 1 of the government cronies will not do well. This discussion is about Korean makes which is why there is little or no mention about other non Japanese brands. Im sure if logic prevails you would be able to see why
I owned a fiat coupe before…service and parts never be problem at all.. just that, you have to prepare 2 time the price of what normal japanese part price…
That’s why those marques don’t sell in huge volumes.
Checked with the Hyundai HQ in Glenmarie and was told the official launch is this Friday, 26 June 2010. Nobody seems to know the estimated pricing.
They know. They just dont want to reveal it ;-)
Secret mah. If bocor before the launch, then no more suprise loh
Just wondering what is the best body color for this car. Color can be subjective for every individual but just want to get the feedback from majority who has viewed the actual car.
toyota & honda fans, please wake up!!
what you are paying right now is definately not worth~~
times evolve~ so do car industry… wake up to pick up new things…
and you dun tell me knowing how to speak chinese is not important in this century~
U dont get it do u? Its not that we support Toyota / Honda pricing. Of course we know its overpriced. But when u compare cars u dont merely compare physical looks and specs. U also take into overall maintenance costs over 5-7yrs, the standard of service, price of spare parts, build quality and resale value. So even though the Japs may be undercutting us by overly priced cars but in the other categories, the Koreans are still lagging behind. I always say that buying a car is a total customer experience not merely limited to physical looks and a few extra gadgets in the car. But i support the efforts made by the Koreans in trying to open up the Japanese dominated market. We need competition like this but as long as the local dealership and service centres are monopolised with the likes of Naza, etc the Korean makes will not fare well in Malaysia. Its nothing to do with the public. If something is really good, Malaysians will pay for it.
Competition? Since when has 1CronyM’sia companies welcome competition? The only way they can survive & thrive is by unfair advantages & preferably monopoly.
Suffering in silence,
Motorist, Rakyat 2nd Class
Bro, u have facts & figures to support u?..if yes, then reveal it here…we all want to know too
are they not worth the pay?
nope.
a bit steep, yes.
speaking chinese is not important, but knowing where money comes from is so much more important.
fascinatingly the money in town is chinese. yuan? thats why all go chinese these days~
Abang, tak faham lah, apa yg you tulis
i was saying the cars are worth the pay.
however i have to admit the prices are a bit steep.
somebody say about speaking chinese is important nowadays. i think that guy was referring to the money trail that goes to china these days. but i beg to differ.
because all the companies go china these days for the fact that money comes from there. of all places in the world right now, china people have the biggest money power. thats why almost all big american/ european companies are flocking there and stupid Long Wheel Base models are invented. specially for China market.
the point is not about knowing how to speak chinese. it is about knowing wheres the money comes from. during these hard times, China. yuan rules
But then, seriuosly, which car in Bolehland is worth the price?
Pls take note that Camry and accord is around RM 80K if we would to remove the import tax…Sonata YF only price at <RM70K in homeland…We not even can get our P1 banana at RM70K…
Cheapest range of accord is about 95k larr after removal of import taxes and duties… you could check that at Honda websites under MM2H programme where these ppl could get tax free cars… VTI-L is about 105k…
So your 80k doesn’t apply…
aiyoo. under MM2H not all tax remove. We have 3 type of tax import duty, excise duty and sales duty. also corporate duty for company making profit. so all the tax will increase car price in Malaysia. If u go to gulf countries, you can get Camry, Accord at lower than RM 70 K tag price for 2.4 CC
have you bought your PUG?or just cakap kosong.
my samsung tv broke down today! here goes my truthful with Korean product. I will buy Panasonic after this. or even Pensonic! as long it is not samsung or LG anymore……..
What to do. Ever since the Japanese “invented” the 5 year rule for products, we, the consumers have all been “trained” to accept the fact that it will only lasts 5 years.
If they are not replaced, how can the company sell future (so called better) products?
Gone are the days when products are suppose to lasts a decade or two.
hoh. i tot such ‘rule’ apply for car models? keh keh keh
dun worry man. maybe that dude case is isolated. and depends on how that dude uses his tv. our sharp 21inch still kickin and alive. been nearly 12-13 years.
My parent’s Telefunken was alive an kicking from 1975 all the way till 1997 when it finally gave up, and we had a Panasonic TV after that which is still alive now, and another Panasonic TV that’s 10 years old and going strong.
If it’s true that Samsung TVs suck (I know that LG products have short lifespans), I guess I’ll go for a Panasonic then.
But as far as cars go.. I have seen for myself that Korean cars are built quite tough and can certainly last with the necessary attention and care. I’m still rooting for the underdogs.
Telefunken, now that’s a blast from the past.
If we think the 5 year rule is bad, try the 6 months rule for handphones now.
Used to be a new handphone model every 2 years (circa mid 1990’s). Now, something new is launched every 6 months (sometimes less).
Kids grow up with a disposable mentality & that you should replace the “old” one ASAP. Money is to be spend buying the latest gadget or gimmick.
hoho. 1975?
its ancient stuff dude! keep it or fix to get it run again and u will be able to sell it off 3-4 times the money grandpa paid for it
DOnt compare like this….
I had three of my panasonic fan broken down in just less than 2 years in operation….shall i just make a conclusion that all japanese product sucks….
So, you sony phone should last longer than LG phone…just because it is japanese????
Korea is dominating the world market in memroy chip, panel (TV, LCD), electronis…there must be a reason behind. ….
This Hyundai Sonata definitely will come cheaper than H.Accord & T.Camry. Specs wise still a head of them. Simply This are the latest model compare with H & T. Probably H & T future product will come with more feature? But price will not be cheaper than the Koreans offering. Why Malaysian still prefer Japanese brand? Their mind set still with 2nd hand value, fuel efficiency mostly. Did they really tested and compare the recent Korean offering with the Japs? Some yes and some not. Right, some ppl feels that really not suit their taste but some simply judge without really tested them. My own experience after tested the recent Korean offering compare with Japs, yes Koreans did come stronger now. Guess what I starts to prefer Koreans than Japs now =)
After sitting in a Forte and then sitting in a Vios and a City, I think Forte is more worth it for the money.. seriously.
Like what you buy, buy what you like! It’s your choice – there is no absolute right or wrong choice since it is measured against your own standard / specification, not others?
Do you buy a car that get praises from others? or to meet your personal requirement/expectation. I own a Sonata NF for ~ 2.5 years now, have no issues with the car at all, and overall maintenance cost (RM/10000km) is cheaper than my previous japanese ride of lower engine capacity. No regret so far.
Having said that – it’s still an uphill task for SD regardless of how they priced the car.
well said buddy.
Roll on, Hyundai. Another excellent product. I am certain it was well received abroad (though I’ve not read the reviews yet) and there is definitely a global shortage as per the Tucson ix35. Everything about the ix45 is great.
But IMHO I think the rear boot arms should have been replaced by gas shocks like the Mazda 6. The swing arms intrude into usable boot space and that’s old tech.
Really well done Hyundai. Hyundai was the official automotive sponsor for FIFA 2010. Looks like they are now serious and stronger. This sonata really great. consider to get 1. Dun juz look at the brand or badge, if this car juz passby you, u will say its a Lexus or Passat. The engine is cool 2.0cc 163 horsepower. DImension exactly same as camry, 70L fuel tank, high end suspension, sunroof. Excellent product from Korean this time.
Btw, i feel that Hyundai service center is abit old, please renovate and build more SC. SIme darby has the resources to do so.
Sime Darby might “not” have the resources after losing billions :)
my 2 cents… korean makers killed their own destiny in m’sia too early by selling cars way too cheap bundled with high spare parts cost. To add salt to the wound, the cars reliability is really bad (especially compared to honda & toyota)… making the life owning a kia/hyundai so miserable….
so the poor owner will resort to sell the car but will be turn red once he’s aware that his korean marque is less than 25% of the original price after 6 years…
this is the reason why m’sians still shy from buying korean cars… at least myself and my mom and my sis. I swear that i will never own another one (even though i really like kia forte)
If people had this exact same mentality back in the 80s and 90s, I think Honda and Toyota won’t be the brands that they are today.
I remember back in the early 80s, Honda, Toyota and Mazda are like pariah brands, even copying the styling of Fords and other Western brands. Their build quality is also nowhere near the Western brands. Hence we used to see so many Ford Cortinas, Opel Kadetts, Fiats, Peugeots, Volvo 122, 240 and other such cars around.
You gotta know that in the 90s, Korean cars were still primitive due to a protected industry and market. It was only as late as maybe 5 years ago that they started improving. They’re now one of the biggest makers in the world and with economies of scale like that, car and parts prices can come down.
Unfortunately, the Kia franchise was brought in by a young Naza then and they spoilt it for the brand (quality of Kias back then weren’t top notch either, to be fair). And Hyundai had Oriental (which had the Honda franchise taken from them) and Berjaya (Inokom) to mess it up.
As for used value…. do you think back in the 80s a Toyota had better resale value than a Peugeot or Opel? The value is in part decided by banks, used car dealers and market demand. If e.g. Forte becomes the top selling car here, do you think used car dealers will hesitate to give a good price for it?
Quote “It was only as late as maybe 5 years ago that they started improving. They’re now one of the biggest makers in the world and with economies of scale like that, car and parts prices can come down.”
The crash of 1997 was a wake up call for Korean chaebols. Some chaebols cease to exist. It made the rest more aware but also gave them the drive to strive forward.
So true. South Korea borrowed money from IMF and repaid the debt back in a very timely manner. Look where they are now.
Yup, the 97 crash was a huge wake-up call for them and a lot of corrupt practices were booted out because of it.
I really hope they will have a replacement for the Elantra soon =)
Such fierce defence of japanese cars in a comment forum about a new Korean car. LOL
Danny/Paul,
So you know what is the service interval for the Sonata since there is a 5 year warranty?
Personally I would not buy Korean car….. I hope this will give Honda and Toyota pressure to further improve the specs. Next camry ….. valvematic with 6 speed auto.??
Honda may want to introduce long overdue A-Vtec???
I see competition is healthy for consumers……
wat for? next camry use 4 speed auto still ppl will buy like hotcakes.
better save cost.
Exactly. The Altis’ 1.8 litre VVT engine + 4-speed auto gearbox combo has remained largely unchanged for around 10 years now. The platform and outer appearance change from one generation to the next, but despite being mechanically primitive people still flock to it but complain that Forte still has a 4-speed gearbox for the high-spec 2.0 model
That’s is how local japanese dealer trying to do, maximize their profit in offering low/old spec (clearing stock), people still buy….furthermore, old engine and gear box with very little intelligence or less electronic part is theoritically more reliable (because less components, mean lower probability to get spoiled) …Then people claimed it is reliable….
we really need to change…the world is different now….people change phone not solely because the existing one is out of order…..people buy watches as fashion ….. people drink starbuck not only because the coffee is better than copitiam, but also for the ambient…..
Dont you see the brand loyalty here? It took T,H&N nearly 20 years to get this kind of brand loyalty.
Thus, the Koreans should target the younger generation who are more open minded. Some older brothers will weight the pro & cons and later come to an educated judgement but the die hard will be the hard core supporters who will never change.
Jap car supporters are die hard, just like BMW supporters. To them the brand can do no wrong, even if they’re being fleece right in front of their eyes. The brand also brings them “Face” & prestige. It is also about the Ego.
I’d take Korean cars anyday.
Why? It’s because they’re less common and is pretty much on par with any Japanese makes. Resell value might lose to them but as long as it’s the car that can give you a smile and less of a headache, why not? :)
agree with ya bro…. i’ll take korean too, makes me look more special and whatever i loose in depreciation i save in the purchasing price…
Hyundai better kick out the armno cronies like sime darby(itself making loss better focus on kebun business lah) and run own company whole Malaysia like Hyundai Motor (Malaysia) S/B. As sole parent company later can decide give face to cronies as adat armno pay 10 pct ali baba fee of shares but Hyundai Malaysia take control all 90 pct management, 3s dealerships, insurance-repair workshop networks etc. The problem is the bloodsucking armno cronies. Once that piss off settled, Hyundai Malaysia must set starting price for Sonata 2.0 at least RM102k lah like stone-age Perdana price.
A lot of people don’t really care about resale. My company car needs changing. I’m thinking of changing to this. Who cares about depreciation – that’s for the company to think about. I just want a good car that different from all the Camrys in the office parking lot…
Contrary to your statement, a lot of people DOES consider resale value, in this part of the world. Obviously that factor has a lot to do with the current taxation system we are all subjected to, and the “perceived” value of a vehicle just because it falls under the T&H branding. Over in Europe and Aussie-land, resale value is just a misnomer. People there buy a vehicle because they like it & obviously has a good reputation, irregardless of resale value. That’s why Audis has overtaken BMW & Mercedes in Europe, and Mazda has certainly held it’s own in terms of sales Down Under. You be the judge of that.
The reason why resale value is a non issue in Europe, US and Australia is because of the PRICING. A 2010 Audi Q7 SUV costs only about US$52K in America. If u were working in the US and earning in USD, you would be able to buy this cash or with only a minimal loan. Even if u were to convert it to ringgit, it would only cost about RM170K.
But here in Malaysia, its priced at RM 590K. Can u imagine the difference??? That is the sole reason why Malaysians HAVE TO worry about resale value. If cars were sold at their normal prices, i would be changing my car every 3 yrs!
IT’S TRUE. agree with you
In the classes mentioned here, it shows that lot of people realy have no idea and not a lot of taste.
It seems that if it is dearer then it mustt be better.
Balderdash!
News Update:
274-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged engine for the 2011 Sonata will propel its midsize sedan to 60 miles per hour in just 6.5 seconds
2.0T-powered Sonata will be able to return the promised 22 miles per gallon in the city and 34 on the highway
source: http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/23/hyundai-new-2-0-turbo-hits-60-in-6-5-seconds-returns-34-mpg-hi/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Fautoblog+%28Autoblog%29
It’ll be a “dream” if HDSM EVER considers bringing in the turbocharged YFs a.k.a. ix45s. I seriously doubt we’ll ever see that variant on our shores.
Does anybody know when the new Hyundai Avante 2011 model will be launched? i heard someone mention that he saw a lorry load of this model near Kesas last week. What about estimated pricing? Its a 1.6L right?
price in mudah.my ; RM135,888
Im asking about the Hyundai Avante 1.6L la. Not the Hyundai Sonata
Hahhaha.. you are asking Avante in the topics of Sonata….off topics ler…
The 2011 Avante/Elantra was just launched a short while ago in Korea. Do not expect to see the continents having it till end of 2010 at the very earliest. I reckon it will only reach our shores by early 2011.
The Avantes you saw were probably NOT the 2011 launch (as described by Paul in http://paultan.org/2010/04/30/hyundai-launches-all-new-avante-in-south-korea/)
Well to be fair to all the Hyundai supporters here, i do think that the current Hyundai models really look great with good specs. The same for Kia. The Sonata and the soon to be launched Avante really looks classy. It would surely be an eye catcher on the roads.
I must admit that despite being a long time Toyota fan, i too am getting fed up of seeing so many Camry’s and Vios on the road nowadays. Just the other day i parked at 1U and there were 6 Vios parked side by side.
So yes the Japs need a worthy competitor as ive said so many times and i really hope the Koreans will step into that role. I know they are trying hard and the models that have come out in the past 3 yrs are a testament to this.
But as ive also said many times, unless they deal with the poor standards of the local dealerships and service centres, the Japs will continue their dominance of the local market.
In saying this, im sure the next batch of cars coming out of Toyota will surely be a class above the current models. Im sure the new Camry (which should be out in 2011) and the Vios (in 2012 probably) will be far superior than the current models with more advanced transmissions and specs. If they dont, then Toyota (and Honda) will surely be hard pressed to maintain their loyal customer base.
Quote “If they dont, then Toyota (and Honda) will surely be hard pressed to maintain their loyal customer base.”
I beg to differ. T&H supporters are die hard (just like BMW’s). Some buy the car to stroke the Ego. Perhaps by owning this “luxurious” marque, they would be seen to have made it in Kuala Kiasu town.
Perhaps a small minority may do the math & weigh the pro and con vis a vis Korean marques and make an educated judgement but many hard core, die hard supporter will not abandon T&H, for it is emotional for them.
Well i dont think its merely emotions that come into play. Ive been a Toyota supporter for the past 7 yrs and with good reason too. As ive said many times, my car is in great condition with virtually zero problems, i have gotten excellent service from Toyota service centres all these years and my car resale value is still approx 62% of the original price.
Yes my car doesnt have great features unlike some of the recent Korean makes but besides that ive got everything a car owner could have hoped for. But in saying this, i too hope the Koreans improve and become a true competitor to the Japs. Who knows i might even switch to a Korean make in the future.
I like Avante, but like Sonata more…it’s so nice design.
If you ever own a Hyundai car eg Avante then u’ll be changing ur old fashion thinking..
To admit it’s almost the same standard with Jap brand…
Latest estimated pricing for the Hyundai Sonata:
2.0 (STD) – RM 130K
2.0 (full spec) – RM 140K
2.4 – RM 158K
Not sure how accurate this is.
Not sure where you get the price from, so we cant say yet its accurate or not…:-)
The Avante/Elantra 2011 model is said to compete in the mid sized sedan segment which means it will compete directly with the Altis/Civic category. Simple deduction will show that HSDM cannot price the Avante higher (or even equal to) than the Altis/Civic. No matter how “futuristic” is the new design. If they do that I can assure you there will not be that many takers because people here will always compare it to T&H, though I support the new generation of Korean cars wholeheartedly.
The price list is out:
2.0(STD) – 135,888
2.0 – 143,888
2.4 – 163,888
This price will kill the Sonata.
Yup, received a notification too. I guess a lot of ppl will wait for Camry due next year. Or to wait for CKD.
I’m still going for the event tomorrow as promised, but doubt I am going to buy it already.. ;p
Just checked Toyota.com.my’s site prices of Camrys as follows:
2.4V RM175k = Sonata 2.4 RM164k (diff -RM11k)
2.0G RM155k = Sonata 2.0H/S RM144k (diff -RM11k)
2.0E RM145k = Sonata 2.0 RM136k (diff -RM9k)
Too small a difference for the Sonata to challenge the Camry. Now i think that if it was priced with a 20K difference, it could have gotten some of the Camry fans on their side. But with this price, the Sonata will be hard pressed to compete. Those targetting the Camry wouldnt mind paying an extra 11k to get the Toyota brand.
Such a pity. I was really looking forward to seeing more of the Sonata on the road.
I don’t disagree with you, Cyber. I think at that kind of price(s), only the “die hard” Korean supporters will put down their hard earned dollars for the Hyundai. I was expecting the Sonata to be priced a little more competitive compared to its rivals; i.e. the Camry & the Accord.
Hyundai Sime Darby marketing dept – totally fail.
Learn from Naza Kia. Pricing point & extra features are the way to gain in roads into a market dominated by entrenched competitors
You are not selling BMW’s (which franchise you have held since 1980’s if am not mistaken).
And dont forget the nightmare that the Hyundai owner will be tied to, for 5 years / 300,00Km – whichever comes first.
They dont have enough Service centers to cater all what they sell.
I think i will get the 2.0 Hi spec sonata…
had driven camry past 5-6 years, looked at the 2011 Camry – not as ‘fluidic’ and its butt looked like Mercedes E200, altho’ they might also provide a sunroof – price wise, may be increased…
but need to test drive one first :D
Good idea. Definitely need to do the butt dyno on both cars before final decision. ;-)
Price point is too close to be a decision factor.
Sime darby, with this pricing for the new sonata, you are making the T & H people very very happy.
hooray…..hooray…….
I think they are celebrating now….
138k…i will go to honda civic 2011…waiting new model…
Sonta………… come on…………
waiting for new model from Hyundai from the same class.
What’s the fuss about which make is more superior than the other? U got the money? Go get any of them…sonata, camry or accord. Test drive one today. I’ve had the pleasure of driving the 3 models recently…frankly folks they’re all excellent products.It’s hard to tell that one is better than the other. At the end of the day it’s what pleases your eyes that matters most….and I personally wouldn’t mind looking at tha sonata for the next 5 years…till the next model rolls out. Just my cents…
Korean nowaday has growing up to take down japanese make. With all this on coming korean cars, I strongly agree that japaneses car maker have to sit back on design issues and study their over pricing scheme. This Sonata is more attractive and make T & H feel like an old car. I believe young generation will opt for korean’s car.
Which one should be likened much, T,H,P or what? This is never ending arguement. Everybody have their own taste and expectation. Why bother if other’s likes not same as yours. You shared your like and dislike and be other share theirs and not to expect other to dislike to what your dislike.
Nice looking car, but still low quality built interior like door handles, dashboard. However, pretty spacious for a “coupe”. But the 2.0? Highly underpowered.
I have tested the new Sonata 2L high spec twice during the preview launch…. in the afternoon during a heavy thunderstorm and night without rain with my family. I was lucky as I get to test it on very different condition and I must comment that this new Hyundai Sonata have impressed me. I have been test driven a few D segment car for the last few months covering cars like Mazda 6, Accord, Camry & 407 and I find the new Sonata to be quite impressive.
Its power,adequate; design, impressive;handling, quite good; interior, good; NVH, amongst the top ; features, alot with the exception of only 2 airbags & no auto climate a/c.
I am actually quite smitten by it that I placed a order after the 2nd test drive and despite all the not so good comments from H/T/M lover out there…………. I think this is a pretty good car. It has a tad of continental feel on its ride, current in design, good warranty coverage by distributor, CBU and that impressive panaroma roof…….. it’s actually a good deal.
Go and test drive before making any comments that is not conclusive as this ride deserve its place at one of the top place for the mass D segment.
Its a damn good car… go test drive yourself before commenting just having a look at the screen on ur PC… taste it…feel it… then u can go to T&H… Then see the different… Korean & American have done a good job… It has been design in irvine california anyway… Maybe ex-staff of Cadillac or the Pontiac or Saturn is/are the designers and engineers for this car…
Bro, i realyx100 agree with u….god willing i will place my booking next month before ramadhan, so i can get my car b4 hari raya puasa…yuhuuuuu
@wahidjr All the best dude. The order rate is so high i don’t know if your car will be ready before raya. Mine will take another 2 months.
Have Hyundai and Kia principal companies ever thought of the reason for their brand failure in such tiny market of Malaysia while their brand equity is gaining in other parts of mature market.
The factors all begins almost ten years ago with the brand introduction in local market – Initial stage a lot of people purchase the Hyundai and Kia products even myself whom have Kia Sephia and Hyundai Sonata when they introduce – but why consumers and previous purchasers shy away from purchasing these brands even though the products have improved so much.
can i have the answer about
what type of engine it using? have other brand car using the same engine?
and how about the depreciation?
because i am interest on this car and planing to buy it.
but the few genaration sonata also can’t sold in high price for user car seller
so this all new sonata will be the same?
I like Korea car so much, but the only thing is petrol consumption issue. Today Petro price up another 5cents…
Those older generations of Hyundai cars might not have good FC.
But the new hyundai cars with CVVT engine are good in FC, I have driving Avante 2.0 CVVT for some time, it is quite comparably to the Japs C segment cars…
Believe the new Theta II Dual CVVT should be even better in FC…
Korea car quality same like Malaysia car… better buy Malaysia
LoL ….. Malaysia car is tin cola …. several late friends of mine, unfortunately & horrifically, passed away in road accidents while driving the Malaysian made cars, in which case would not have happened if they drove Korean or Jap cars. No need to mention other imports.
3rd class car
Nice nice nice!
car says:
18/7/2010 at 10:01 pm
I don’t think so…
Japanese cars are always be the biggest craps 4 me, sorry to say that
Guys,
I am a BIG fan of Camry too. But I too saw a new Sonata on Sg Besi highway last Saturday and immediately started to give it serious consideration. Can someone with real knowledge about the car give some advice? If everything is good, I WILL get the Sonata. Thanks.
Thiru, you should really test drive it. I was considering Accord too until I met Sonata. You can do some research and review about the car first but still best you test drive it and feel is the car is right for u. On paper engine (Theta 2), transmission (6-speeds) and specs are all better than current Acc & Cam. FC is also best in class.
Only problem is our mentality over Hyundai….if you can accept that then it’s fine.
Those whom are head over heels with Hyundai, check out their Service convenience first. You will be having nightmares for 5 years / 300,000km – which ever comes first.
I have seen Hyundai rolling out cars with designs superseding some of famous European brands. The new Mercedes E-Class in my eyes must be the ugliest car after Cherry. Yet it sells probably because of its reputation in safety, quality and track record. It seems the same building up in Hyundai. Hyundai is progressing well in the world and I am not saying just in Automotive, but also their core industry in engineering and ship building.
Therefore I braved to shift my paradigm about Korean cars, not that I’m disappointed with my Kancil, Saga, Wira, Altis, Camry, Accord and MINI. I have also had an opportunity to drive various models of BMW during my tenure with a certain dealership.
About two weeks ago, I test drove the Sonata, Tucson, Getz and i10. Having satisfied with the vehicles performance, I signed the RCO – for an i10. My wife was nudging me for the Tucson, but I had to later entertain her that we are stepping into an unknown territory, let’s check out what I consider a disposable first. While waiting for the delivery, I read some rave reviews of its fuel consumption on a UK site and was waiting in eager to check it out for real.
The i10 All New 1.25 Kappa Engine
To my surprise when I got it, the sound of the exhaust, loyalty of the gearbox and swift acceleration did remind me of my MINI Cooper. I love the gearbox keeping gears in lock; making driving at traffic jams a fun thing and allows engine breaking. But I am not at all impressed with its fuel consumption, getting only 340km with 28 litres of fuel, that’s an embarrassing 12km per litre; my Altis 1.6 can do the same or better. So what was it again the UK reviewer said about the 1.25 new generation Kappa engine?
On other tests, above 120kph I can hardly control the car wondering left and right. Forget taking it to 150kph (which I did), one will have to stop at the fuel station every 300 km, or less. Overall, the car is good – for a City Car, of less 50k.
On my way back from Bangi, I exited to Cyberjaya to get to Puchong. There is a nice, curling turn off to the toll plaza. I heard a soft ‘tick’ noise and when I straightened to approach the toll, I noticed a two inch hairline crack on the front windscreen, just above the rear view mirror. The next afternoon the crack grew about six inch.
I showed the crack to the technical personnel of the dealership but they claimed it was caused by a stone chip. Pointing to a speck of dot in-between the crack line. So how can I argue?
I do know that the frame of the i10, like most other cars flexed while taking a turn. Windscreen frames and wheelhouse are the most rigid assembled components but they do flex at certain applied energy. Therefore windscreens are normally installed with several rubber buffers over a certain thickness of sealant. Thick sealant when fully cured restricts movement and sometimes cracks a windscreen, during hard turns or climbing steep humps. But my explanation was thrown out and they insisted that I’m hallucinating.
I gave in and opted to have it replaced by was told that my 21 days old car is not insured for windscreen damage. What’s more, the entire car is not insured. The E-cover had no dates because the dealership has not paid the agent for the insurance, although I have paid everything to them. When challenged, the Branch Manager denied responsibility should my car is involved in an accident of any claims against them.
SERVICE APPOINTMENT
I decided to forgo the replacement until I get the insurance sorted. In the meantime, my car had reached 850 km and its due for the 1st service, in about 5 days (estimated). The dealership was full, so were others in the state. I was given an option to come on Saturday at about 7:30am and wait on a first come first serve basis.
Now why would I want to ruin my Saturday to wait at a dealership for an oil change? Then I got a shock when I recalled the 5 years warranty.
5 YEAR WARRANTY / 300,000 KM
Meaning, I have to put up with these nonsense of appointments, weeks ahead and probably spend the whole day at the dealership. Factor in the part where if I were to claim anything on warranty, they I can be regarded as hallucinating for a free job?
Therefore, will I have the patience for 5 years, to put up with these ‘nonsense’ to be entitled for a possible warranty on my car repairs? It occurred to me not. That in a year or two, I will not be able to resists the fast, immediate and prompt attention of Ah Chong Workshop. In which, will render my 5 years warranty as void. Since I’m not in any better situation now anyway, what the heck. So I said to their 5 Year Warranty / 300,000 KM – up yours!
RESALE VALUE
I am expecting to lose about RM 7,000.00 ~ 20,000.00 should I sell this car. Most of those who own a Hyundai claim that their legs are chained with the banks. They still have to settle a huge sum before they can get rid of this car. Is it that bad?
When I sold my Altis for a Camry, I was delighted by the Sales person in UMW by offering me the best value, overtrade, free this and that that I fell in love with UMW Toyota.
LESSONS LEARNED
I was planning to pass the i10 to my son but by now even he is not interested. He wants a MyVi which has numerous service centres in the country and there one just a stone throw from my place. So the lessons learned are that it may be a good car elsewhere in the world, it sure sucks here in Malaysia.
For those who bought the Hyundai, may god bless you. For those whom are planning…please for god’s sake, check out Honda, Toyota & Nissan first.
Obviously u are working with toyota.
obviously
Very obviously, the T or H of the rising sun is doing the brainwashing again here..
I don’t see any problem bringing my car to service on a saturday or even sunday. Not like you need to do that every single weekend.
On the resale value crap, I think it’s becoming a joke that ppl are buyin cars for ‘investment’ nowadays. If you like T & H so freakin much, why would u want to resell it even before you settled your car loan??
Give the ‘new’ car a chance.
sonata look very nice cars , i v buy this cars to try ( important is services)
malaysian second value , is scan.
honda , toyota advertiment is good.after sale services very very bad……
walk in HQ compared MANY TIME and cal up customer services line. LIF DOWN MASSAGE. also NOT DO ANYTHING ….every time sent technical
chenk chenk……………….. spark no change pos spoon waranty finish 100KM.
untit 5 outside technical to HELP…..BUY HONDA LOST UR TIME AND LOST UR MONEY ……DUN BUT HONDA JAPAN……
Korea car is same level with Proton, after above 6 months a lot of problem come out..
but for second value of course….Proton…
i saw this car at the showroom, and i am very dissapointed on it, coz 2.0 totoaly under power and quality wise bad, design is not bad, but ONLY outlook…ai….
if compare the same range and level and market $$, this car totally out if compare with toyota and honda too.
Be patient…wait 2-3 years and buy one second hand when it has seriously depreciated..it will still be under warranty….
in Msia, always buy Korean and continentals 2nd hand bcos they depreciates more than Japanese makes esp H and T
sure if u love to drive old car and without the warranty.
Their warranty is 5 years.
Buy the Sonata after 3 years. Still got 2 years of warranty left.
Look at the Sonata NF. After 3 years, the price is half of the original!
Most Japanese and local car, their “half life” (meaning when the value is 50% of the original) is 5 years.
For Sonata it has alway sbeen 3-4 years.
My best advice is buy after 3 years. Why suffer so much depreciation?
nice car.i like this car but i have kia forte already
Alitstar has the point…
when i saw new sonata months back, i love it. design and spec wise, it make camry/honda looks like an outdated car, it remind me of my ride in Sonata III.
my dad used to own a sonata III and the car was wonderful, until it’s time for service, the night mare awaited him every time. No spare parts, or high spare parts price, outside ah beng workshop don’t know how to fix it, can’t find spare part in spare part shop, need to make appointment always on SC and expensive service charge..etc. the car was eventually sold off due to those issues and end up getting a Persona that can service everywhere. LOL.
but i miss the ride on sonata, really, it was fantastic, If Hyundai can mass produce their spare parts locally, i’ll definately get one myself.
just an opinion..
the reason Kia and Hyundai was having terrible after sales service was because they are not directly involved in it. Kia have to get thru Naza and Hyundai needed to get green light from Sime Darby, and this guys also wanted their profit + the high tax imposed by our government on imported spare parts. Because of low volume, bulk imports was out of the question. So its a logistcal nightmare + red tapes + embargo. Honda and Toyota hv good ASS(after sales service, hehe) bcause of Honda Malaysia, etc. they dont have to hv permissions from the local counterparts, but it still is expensive yet no one ever complaints.
So to summon it all, everything is based on our government policies. Protect Proton+Perodua = Protect jobs = Protect govt income(tax) = Protect people . Although we all know this is not necessary true.
Another lengthy article, this one is about “Why buy a car just to sell them later” to 1Malaysia, BKK and Mister M.
Well guys, with an exception to being a millionaire, most of you cannot claim the car you drive is yours, right? It belongs to the financier until we settle the full loan tenure and this maybe 5, 7 or 9 years. Our car is a liability in respect to road safety as well as an asset. It’s not at all close to being an investment to hold on the car we purchased to last for eternity.
The average car reaches metal fatigue just after 3 years. Some even after 1 year, irrespective to what the mileages are. Even with regular service, we can extend probably the engine and gearbox lifespan whilst the rest will be taken care by the way you drive (I’ve seen how you drive), climate and the excellent road condition we have here in Malaysia.
Most of us don’t have the cash to buy cars like millionaires do, so we need to dispose the ones we have to get another. Knowing that these cars (European, Korean or Japanese) are unlikely to survive time, we take the longest tenure, lowest instalments (save some) and plan to get rid of it after 3 years. Furthermore, by that time there will be new model with greater features to enjoy. Why keep an antique?
After the 3rd year, just after the warranty expires you will notice the trip to your favourite garages will increase, time spent will be longer and the money you cough-out for your loyal baby will escalate. Plot them on a chart, and you will actually see with your eyes how your wallet thins every year. You want to keep this sentimental scrap metal, be my guest.
That’s why most Malaysians with the buying power (the Uncles if I may) always consider resale value of the car they buy. And mind you, we Uncles so far have been successful in keeping a grip on which car has better resale while the younger goons continue to debate on the dawn of the uncle’s car.
But it’s fine if you were born with a silver spoon and actually thinks those unheard off cars are antiques, please go ahead. Cars that simply overwhelm you with its ‘torque’, monster BHP, SMART Gearbox, TipTronic, HeadsUpDislay, NightVision or simply for the Chris Bangle design, or the Bang Olufsen sound system and the facts and figures of the machine that matches your ‘character’ and success. Otherwise, you must be joking to say your Hyundai (or any other car) is for keep sake, which remotely has any of the latter standards.
Again its OK, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, fine. Enjoy yours and keep your opinion to yourself. Otherwise sorry to say that you guys, the NEW SCHOOL car owners will remain suckers for another 10 / 20 years and continue to make to make Malaysia a dumping ground for…more junks.
Hyundai should also pay their salesman to write lengthy comment on car blogs like this guy from Tyt. Only then the resale value will go up..
Sorry to disappoint you. I was working with BMW for 22 years in both Sales & Aftersales. Prior to which was with Isuzu and in the last 5 years entirely in a different industry.
I have test driven and reviewed more cars than you can name, so I hope you dont mind my lenghty opinion. Dont take it personaly unless you are the one who designed, manufactured and imported the Hyundai. Brand loyalty is meaningless.
No bro, one must know well their subject… In that respect you can consider me a Salesman for Honda, Nissan and Perodua because the customer service and pacakages from them are better than the Hyundai.
I agree with Alitstar. Check out Motor Trader Malaysia’s Top 50 car sales. Latest report for August 2010, Sonata’s sales is not even in the Top 50 models sold here. Means they can’t even sell 100 cars! Compare that with Camry and Accord’s sales.
Superior product + superb advertising+lousy aftersales service = Doomed
Mediocre product +superb advertising+good aftersales service= Success.
I am worry on the maintenance. The parts may be cheap but Sime, on the other hand, may charge unreasonably high. I am currently using ford focus but now stop sending my car to sime autoconnexion for service or repairs as they charge really high on the parts price. Now, i bought parts directly thru website from UK and ask former ford mechanic to do the job. Save me almost 50%.
Therefore, in order for YF to hit the market, Sime not only has to sell at attractive price but the after-sale charges shall also be reasonable.
Hi all,
This new car looks so attractive to me, if I buy this car (Feb 2010), how much can I sell after 3 years cause I change new car every 3 years.
Currently, I am driving an Accord 2.4 (2008), i am offering my friend RM120K.
Please give me your professional advice, thanks.
I am not much of an expert to comment on cars, well since its the Korean car that’s being the subject be mentioned, i would like to say a word or two. I started using Korean since 2001 that is a KIA Sephia 1.5 ( CBU ) , 2003 to 2007 Kia Spectra 1.6 and 2007 until present day Hyundai Acsent 1.6 Cvvt. I have never had any problems with these Korean cars besides the periodic service and normal wear and tear expenses. Infact my Hyundai Acsent 1.6 feels as good as it was 5 years ago. Now i have planned to get a bigger car and going to test drive a 2.4 Sonata in a couple of days. To me this Korean car is REAL VALUE for money. Its almost certain i will own one real soon. Keep up the good job Hyundai & Kia.