The Korean-Market Hyundai Grandeur Looks Awesome But Sucks To Drive – Jalopnik

I grew up thumbing via as many automotive magazines as I may get my grubby little fingers on, whether or not they have been the home buff books or completely overseas ones that did not even use the Latin alphabet. I did not care that I could not learn them; my car-obsessed thoughts merely needed to take a look at all of the vehicles that I would not in any other case see driving round my hometown in Los Angeles, so I’ve had loads of follow lusting after foreign-market vehicles. Unfortunately, like many issues one lusts after in life, actuality is commonly a lot much less thrilling than fantasy, and there is often a powerful motive why firms select to not convey sure fashions to the U.S. market.

Which brings me to the case of the fantastic Hyundai Grandeur. We first knew of it within the U.S. because the one-generation-only Hyundai XG350 within the early 2000s, after which the Hyundai Azera that lasted two generations earlier than being discontinued in our market. But the Grandeur was first launched in 1986, and it has soldiered on in different markets since our Azera’s discontinuation, topping Korean automotive gross sales lists for some time. I had the prospect to drive the newly facelifted Grandeur when Hyundai flew me to its residence nation a pair weeks in the past, and whereas my time with the automotive was restricted, it was sufficient to know we aren’t lacking something of substance by not getting the Grandeur within the U.S. — not less than not with the powertrain I sampled.

Logan Okay. Carter/ Jalopnik

Full disclosure: Hyundai flew me and a small group of journalists to Korea to cowl its annual Investor Day Meeting, in addition to to study and expertise its new Pleos Connect infotainment ecosystem. It put me up in a swanky lodge and stored me fed for just a few days, and I additionally acquired a short probability to drive the Korean-market Grandeur.

In South Korea the Grandeur is obtainable with 4 powertrains: the bottom naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-4 that produces 195 horsepower and 183 pound-feet of torque, a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 with 295 hp and 265 lb-ft, a hybrid utilizing a 1.6-liter turbo 4 with a complete of 235 hp and 195 lb-ft, and an LPG-fueled 3.5-liter V6 that produces about 236 horsepower and 231 lb-ft of torque. Unfortunately I solely acquired time behind the small-diameter steering wheel of two Grandeurs that have been each saddled with the bottom four-cylinder, and let me let you know, it isn’t nice. I’m certain the opposite drivetrains make this a extra compelling automotive, however I used to be solely compelled to be upset.

The Grandeur is an enormous, cozy, luxury-adjacent sedan that stays in its lane — because of lane-keep help, sure, but additionally because of a scarcity of sporty aspirations. This automotive prioritizes consolation over all else, which I appreciated. I needed to sift via the touchscreen to seek out and activate Sport mode, and after I did, it actually solely held gears longer and made the transmission shiftpoints barely extra aggressive. And there’s solely a lot that little four-cylinder may provide.

Logan Okay. Carter/ Jalopnik

At one level I had two different adults within the automotive with me and I wanted to merge onto a freeway with a slight incline – nothing loopy, a reasonably normal maneuver one would count on a midsize sedan to deal with in stride. I needed to give it full throttle, which stuffed the cabin with a high-pitched, thrashy engine noise, and I nonetheless wasn’t capable of rise up to the velocity of visitors by the point the merge lane ended. Most of the roads in Seoul have low velocity limits and are suffering from velocity cameras in addition to average-speed cameras, so it wasn’t like there was a necessity for gobs of energy in lots of eventualities, however the usual engine nonetheless felt woefully underpowered to my American sensibilities.

Hyundai says the V6 will full the 0-to-62 mph dash in 7.5 seconds, which is almost two entire seconds faster than the bottom engine’s 9.3-second declare. The hybrid additionally dunks on the four-cylinder with a 0-to-62 time of 8 seconds, so I hope anybody who buys a brand new Grandeur opts for one of many extra highly effective drivetrains. Beyond the wheezy engine, the Grandeur’s dealing with was nothing to put in writing residence about, with a lot of physique roll, gentle and numb steering, and low limits of adhesion, as I found on a looped freeway onramp. It was a snug trip, not less than!

A giant motive for my journey to Korea was to expertise Hyundai’s new Pleos Connect infotainment system, which we have seen in vehicles just like the Grandeur, new Elantra and Ioniq 3. I’ve executed a separate full evaluation of the brand new infotainment ecosystem, but it surely’s an enormous a part of the Grandeur’s driving expertise, so you are going to take heed to me discuss it once more right here. The new UX consists of a giant 17-inch central touchscreen, a slim driver’s show, and a big colourful head-up show. As promised, Hyundai stored a row of actual bodily controls as properly.

Initially I had some bother familiarizing myself with the brand new infotainment interface whereas driving on Korean roads for the primary time in my life, however I acquired a greater really feel for it after spending extra time within the automotive. The heart show could be very Tesla-like, with the left-most portion of the display devoted to car features like velocity, gear choice, gasoline, a numerical tachometer, journey data, and highway signal data. The different two-thirds of the display could be devoted to both one different perform or additional break up to permit two extra app home windows. I totally appreciated the redundancy of getting navigation instructions on the HUD, driver’s show, and heart display, so irrespective of the place my gaze landed I may simply see my subsequent transfer. Hyundai’s signature blind-spot digicam feed has moved from the driving force’s show in present fashions to the middle display in vehicles with Pleos, and you’ll swipe the digicam feed to any nook of the display relying in your desire, which I favored as a result of I may examine my proper mirror and cross-reference with a fast take a look at the digicam feed in the identical visual field.

Logan Okay. Carter/ Jalopnik

I did not have sufficient time to play with all of the layouts and options, however from my expertise the system felt intuitive sufficient after familiarizing myself with it, with crisp graphics and seamless, glitchless operation. Wireless Apple CarPlay additionally labored with out flaw, and the choice to toggle the system between gentle mode and darkish mode is sweet.

To me the Grandeur’s inside appears to be like nice, with distinctive upholstery on the seats and the door panels, and a slick-looking dashboard with hidden local weather management vents on the edges. Unfortunately these hidden vents can solely be aimed and readjusted via the touchscreen, which is without doubt one of the most annoying selections an automaker could make for my part. Luckily fan velocity, temperature, and local weather modes could be simply adjusted with out a lot mind energy by utilizing the row of bodily toggle switches beneath the display, which felt sturdy and good to make use of. The inside supplies look nice, and all the things above the arm rests feels nice too, however all the things under them is fabricated from exhausting plastics. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but it surely’s proof of the Grandeur not fairly getting that luxurious automotive designation.

The structure of the Pleos infotainment system necessitates a squat steering wheel that the driving force appears to be like over to see the driving force’s show, which some folks might dislike, however as a card-carrying tall individual, I had no concern with it. The wheel might look small and surprisingly formed, however I did not discover myself wishing for a extra conventional setup, regardless that I solely had a short while with the automotive to get used to it. Shorter drivers might really feel in another way relying on their most popular driving place, however taller of us should not have any concern.

Logan Okay. Carter/ Jalopnik

The entrance cabin felt huge, even to my 6-foot-8-inch tall, leggy body. I did not even have to scoot the driving force’s seat all the best way rearward to be able to obtain a cushty driving place, which is a exceptional feat. The vast grid-stitched entrance seats have been cozy and comfortable with out being completely devoid of facet bolstering or assist, and the door panels provide a contemporary tackle a basic button design harking back to Cadillac Broughams of yore. I solely slid into the rear seats to take some images, however I used to be met with ample legroom, and restricted head room regardless of the Grandeur’s distinctively lengthened roofline and D-pillar.

Looks are subjective, however I’d be remiss if I did not talk about the Grandeur’s placing exterior styling. The ultra-modern appears to be like are achieved by remarkably skinny lighting components entrance and rear; the pre-facelift Grandeur had the slimmest taillights of any manufacturing automotive and so they acquired even slimmer on the facelifted Grandeur that I drove. Beyond its lights, the seventh-generation Grandeur retains a signature styling cue of Hyundai’s first-generation Grandeur of the late-Eighties: the additional facet window behind the frameless rear door, which necessitates the presence of a D-pillar. In my opinion, it creates a barely awkward roofline, however I like that this characteristic distinguishes the Grandeur from most different sedans on the highway.

Honestly, the Grandeur’s driving expertise felt extra carefully associated to an previous American luxurious barge than a contemporary midsize sedan. From the pleated door panels to the square-stitched seat design to the floaty driving expertise, it was a charmingly nostalgic package deal. It’s simply too unhealthy the underpowered engine was additionally harking back to previous gutless luxobarges.

Logan Okay. Carter/ Jalopnik

The throwback driving expertise of my base-engine check vehicles was juxtaposed with the ultra-modern design and Pleos Connect system, which helps make the Grandeur a charmingly spacious and comfortably numb near-luxury sedan. We’re not lacking out on a lot by not having the four-cylinder Grandeur within the U.S., however the absence of the V6-powered automotive could be a special story for carbuyers on the lookout for reasonably priced luxurious and fashionable tech. For now, these patrons should keep on with one thing just like the Toyota Crown, or maybe a used Genesis G80.