- 2008 HYUNDAI VERACRUZ PREMIUM
- Type: Seven-passenger premium SUV
- Base Price: $39,995; as tested, $46,295
- Engine: 3.8-litre V-6
- Horsepower/Torque: 260 hp/257 lb-ft
- Transmission: Six-speed automatic
- Drive: Front-drive with AWD
- Fuel Economy (litres/100 km): 13.9 city/9.0 highway; regular gas
- Alternatives: Nissan Murano, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Mazda CX-9, Subaru Tribeca, Saturn Outlook
In my neighbourhood, there's an itinerant window-washer who drives around, knocking on doors and, when he can, climbing up his ladder and scrubbing people's windows.
Usually he shows up on my doorstep at least once a year and, looking a little rough around the edges, mumbles: "Wash all your windows for 35 bucks?" I have yet to avail myself of his services, but maybe one of these times ...
Anyway, what's kind of intriguing about this guy is the car he drives: a faded red 1984 or maybe 1985 Hyundai Pony.
The Veracruz received five stars for front impact safety from the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. (HYUNDAI)
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Somehow, he manages to tote a couple of six-metre aluminum ladders on the roof, plus all his buckets, rags, soap and hoses, and trundles around from one street to the next.
You remember the Pony, don't you? Introduced to the Canadian market in 1984, it was Hyundai's first foray into Canada and surpassed the company's hopes tenfold, selling some 75,000 units in the first couple of years. Extremely affordable, it was so well-received, the company couldn't keep up and almost fell victim to its own success.
However, subsequent efforts, like the Stellar and Excel, were unreliable and problem-plagued, and fell way short of the sales numbers of the Pony. They also nearly finished Hyundai in Canada, and were it not for the Sonata and Accent, it's debatable whether the Korean car maker would have survived.
I couldn't help but think about this as I was driving around in the 2008 edition of the Hyundai Veracruz. To say that it's a far cry from the Pony could be the automotive understatement of the year, and it's hard to believe both vehicles came from the same company.
Coincidentally, the Veracruz was also one of the vehicles I tested/judged last October in the annual AJAC TestFest. Although it didn't take top honours, I gave it a third-place finish in this 11-entry category in the Canadian Car of the Year competition run by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada.
And how could you not like the Veracruz? For its just-under-$40,000 base price, you're getting a lot of vehicle for the money.
In all respects, this is an upscale vehicle, and things like a full leather interior, heated front seats, front and rear dual-zone climate control, power sunroof, heated outside mirrors, power driver's seat and so on, all come with the GLS version.
Some of these items would be optional on other similar models, but with the Veracruz, they're standard issue, which, of course, is its major selling point.
Not hurting things is the fact that it received five stars for front impact safety from the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Power for the Veracruz is provided by the same 3.8-litre V-6 engine found in the Azera sedan. It develops 260 horsepower and is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with Hyundai's ShifTronic manual shift feature.
With a 1588-kilogram towing capacity, it has a full-time all-wheel-drive system with front-drive bias. In other words, the Veracruz is pulled by the front wheels until things start to deteriorate, whereupon the rear wheels will kick in.
It is not primarily an off-road vehicle, but will get you home during a snowfall. Indeed, Hyundai is categorizing the Veracruz as a Light Utility Vehicle and, in this respect, it's very much in line with its competitors.
It also rides on meaty 18-inch wheels and tires, and comes with anti-locking brakes and traction and stability control systems. If you blindfolded me and sat me in the Veracruz, Mazda CX-9, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander or Nissan Murano, I doubt that I could tell the difference when it comes to comfort, NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) or drivetrain refinement.
With 2,458 litres of storage space with all seats folded, the Veracruz is slightly behind rivals such as, oh, Mazda's CX-9 or Toyota Highlander, but a little roomier than the Honda Pilot. But it's not enough to make a heck of a lot of difference when it comes to carrying groceries, garage sale treasures or the family pooch.
Two models are available: GLS and Premium. My tester was the latter version and it came with extras such as power-adjustable pedals, a rear DVD entertainment system, fancier leather interior, upgraded sound system, power rear tailgate and a 110-volt power point outlet inverter in the cargo area. This last feature is a very good idea. You'll look in vain, however, for a Navi system — no loss there, as far as I'm concerned.
There's nothing about the Veracruz that jumps out at you, pro or con, and that, it seems to me, is the point. It stands on precisely equal footing with all its Japanese and North American competitors, and things like assembly quality, drivetrain refinement or the fact that it comes from Korea are non-issues.
If I have any criticisms of the Veracruz — and this is more of an observation — it's that when you get right down to it, it's basically a slightly larger, full-zoot version of the Santa Fe and feels very much like its less-expensive stablemate.
For substantially less money, you can get a fully loaded Santa Fe GLS that may have a little less power and interior volume, but pretty much the same level of comfort and convenience.
Choosing one over the other is between you and your bank account.
