With XG350, Hyundai offers a low-cost option
The Hyundai XG350 will never outsell the Honda Accord.
Or the Toyota Camry.
Both of the Japanese mid-size sedans easily outsell the Hyundai by at least 375,000 units a year.
But since the 2001 model year, when Hyundai Motor Co. of South Korea added a mid-size to its lineup, the XG has given consumers a low-cost alternative to those heavyweights.
The XG350 doesn’t have the quality, reliability or durability of the Accord or the Camry, but it has proved to be a rather good car in its short time on the market.
Hyundais used to be considered disposables, like single-use cameras or razor blades, but there is no longer any shame in having chosen the function of the XG350 over fashion -- and a better known name.
It may not be a car that you drive off the dealer’s lot and to the homes of friends and relatives to boast about what you just bought, but it’s not one you hide in the garage, either.
The 2004 Hyundai XG350 is basic transportation that looks good, acts good and comes with just about all the amenities as those higher-priced cars for a little less money.
When the XG300 bowed, it caught a lot of people by surprise. It was priced at about $24,000, and where Hyundai hoped to attract 15,000 customers, it welcomed almost 17,000 into stores, including several who had never visited before.
For 2003, sales totaled about 20,000, and for ‘04, the betting is at least 25,000.
What had been the XG300 became the XG350 in ’03 when a 3.5-liter V-6 replaced the 3.0-liter. That’s the same engine offered in the Hyundai Santa Fe sport utility vehicle for ’04.
The XG350 is offered in base and top-of-the-line XG350L versions. The next-generation XG will come out in ’06 or ‘07, so for ’04 you have to settle for some minor cosmetic changes and system upgrades rather than new sheet metal.
We tested the XG350L, which sports a new grille, bumpers, fog lamps, headlamps and taillamps. Also, the license plate holder has been moved from the rear bumper to the deck lid. As a result, to some eyes, the XG350 may look a little like a Buick, a compliment even if Buick probably wouldn’t think so.
There also are upgrades such as gas struts for an easier opening deck lid, heated leather seats (standard in the L), lighter wood-grain trim in the cabin, a new Infinity sound system, a self-dimming mirror and a Homelink garage door opener. And although it’s a little touch, leather has taken the place of the cheap plastic cover on the center console lid.
Hyundai offers an even larger sedan called the Equis in South Korea and took it on the auto-show circuit two years ago to display, but the company says it won’t market that car in the U.S. And no word on whether the XG350 will swell in size when the next generation appears.
However, thanks to the partnering of Hyundai and its subsidiary Kia, an even larger version of the XG350 will go on sale in December as the Kia Amanti.
Hyundai-Kia also share a platform for their Optima and Sonata cars and will use the same platform for the all-new ’05 Hyundai Elantra/Kia Spectra cars and the ’05 Kia Sportage and a Hyundai derivative code-named JM.
The XG350’s 3.5-liter V-6 is teamed with a five-speed automatic with Shift-tronic, which allows you to slide the lever for manual, clutch-less shifting. You’ll be treated to good, if not overly brisk, takeoffs, but it would be nice if you could count on fewer landings at the fuel pump with its disappointing 17 miles per gallon city mileage rating, a couple of mpg lower than expected.
There’s a smooth enough ride and adequate handling, but the soft XG350 suspension isn’t meant for roughhousing in sharp corners -- though it’s unlikely many XG350 buyers would tend to be aggressive at the wheel. Squeaks and rattles were noticeably absent, but you’ll experience more road noise filtering into the cabin than you would in a Toyota Avalon.
The cabin is roomy, front and back, and the trunk is spacious, so much so that you’ll get more bags of golf clubs in the trunk than you can get golfers in the cabin.
The XG350L starts at $25,599. Standard equipment is abundant -- automatic climate control with rear-seat vents, power and heated front seats, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes traction control, driver and passenger front and side-impact air bags, power tilt-slide moon roof, premium Infinity sound system with cassette and CD player, leather upholstery, heated power mirrors, power windows and locks, remote keyless entry and 16-inch all-season radial tires with alloy wheels plus a full-size spare.
On my test car the only option was carpeted mats at $89. A navigation system isn’t offered -- in keeping with the idea of function over fashion.
