W-O-W...Just took a test drive today in a new Liquid Silver FWD SE with grey leather. It was great. It was the only one on the lot and was equipped with all the options and had a sticker price of $37,000. The Veracruz is powered by the same 3.8 liter engine found in the Azera linked to a 6 speed automatic transmission. The HyundaiUSA.com site will provide the total list of all standard and optional features so I won’t list them here in my introduction review for this vehicle.
One standard feature is what is referred to as a conversation mirror that almost looks like it might be a storage bin for sun glasses but when you push it, this narrow panoramic mirror drops down and gives you a good view of all of the back seats. I noticed that it could also be used to view the typical blind spot in the right rear quarter of the car. One thing that I haven't seen mentioned in any of the descriptions is a small blue mood light in the center of the overhead console. It's not bright enough to notice during daylight unless you lean forward and look straight up at it. We took it on about a 15 mile loop at highway speed and also over some winding back roads. The Veracruz comes standard with 7 passengers seating. I sat in the standard rear passenger seat while on the lot and it was very comfortable during the short period of time I was seated. I did not climb into the rear most seating to see what it was like. The entertainment package offered a drop down LCD screen with a built-in DVD player in the rear of the front seat center console. There were controls for volume and playback functions for the DVD and an additional panel opened to reveal additional video and audio inputs for the entertainment center. Just above the controls for the entertainment center were controls for the rear air conditioning and heating system and several well placed vents insured that both heating and cooling would be fast and adequate for the rear passengers. The cargo area has a concealed panel that hides the jack and other necessary tools for tire changes and offers some space to hide cameras, phones and other small items. The center and rear seats all offer split seating options and fold flat for flexible storage.
The ride was very comfortable and extremely quiet. Cruise and radio controls are located on the leather covered steering wheel. Traction control and tire pressure monitoring are standard. The instrument cluster is well placed and easily visible and all controls are logically placed and easy to reach. All instruments and displays are backlit in blue. As with digital displays in some other Hyundai products I found some displays a bit difficult to read when they were hit by direct sunlight. The radio and HVAC controls are well placed and easy to reach. The only odd placement was the button that activates the emergency flashers. When bracing my finger to stabilize my hand to use some of the radio controls I found that my thumb was squarely on the flasher button and it does not take much pressure to activate it. The options package on this particular vehicle offered chilled center console storage.
The seating is just firm enough and the drivers seat has numerous adjustments to make sure you are comfortable. My wife was particularly pleased with the passenger seating even though this model had only manual adjustments for her seat. The steering on the back road was a little light feeling but the vehicle was extremely responsive on the turns with very little noticeable body roll at speed. Acceleration and breaking both seemed to be exceptional for a car this size. At median speeds (40-45 MPH) the transmission seemed to hunt between the gears. Other Hyundai transmissions learn the driver’s tendencies and eventually adjust to eliminate this hunting. This car only had 145 miles on the odometer and with a variety of drivers and driving styles this is probably normal. I only noticed it because I was specifically looking for it.
The mileage listings on the window were the same highway ratings as the Tucson and only 1 MPG less for city mileage. I imagine that the 6 speed transmission accounts for the difference between the two models. The fit, finish and quality of material all seem to be top notch. The only thing missing was a navigation system, but the sales team says that for the time being Hyundai chooses not to provide an installed nav system that typically runs around $3000 when owners can opt for after market units in the $500 range.
Both the cars interior and exterior are elegant though I am sure some reviewers will complain that it is derivative of other vehicles. My opinion is “So what.” If you compare the styling on almost any of the luxury SUVs on the road today, they all look very similar, so why single out Hyundai. At least they are smart enough to spring board from existing styling and provide a vehicle that has a spectacular list of standard features and great dependability at a list price thousands of dollars less than other vehicles in their class. We have had an XG350L for four years now and have not spent one dime on anything but standard maintenance and we have not experienced a single mechanical defect or problems with anything on the car.
I would rate this car at straight 5’s. The price may seem high to some, considering they are paying for a Hyundai, but for the features offered, the comprehensive warranty and the fact that it is thousands less than any competitor, I think the price is just right. I don't need the entertainment system that was in this particular car but I am definitely putting this SUV at the top of the list for my next purchase.
