Korean Suv's

[SUV]

Dear All,

I want to buy a diesel SUV under the permit. I have looked at the prices and I think the Korean made one's are the one's that are in the affordable range. I have looked at the following.

Hyundai Tucson

Hyundai Santa Fe

Kia Sorento

Micro Ssangyon Korando

I want you guys to tell me about your opinion. Do you think going for Korean vehicles a good choice? Or else do you think I should forget about SUV's and go for Toyota Corolla Diesel?

[toosea]

A friend of mine who does buying and selling of vehicles for a living told me that one should not go for Korean vehicles. The reasons that he gave as I remember are that it is difficult to find parts and also repair.

I don't have any other thing to back up this claim.. only his experience in the trade..

[heavyD]

A friend of mine who does buying and selling of vehicles for a living told me that one should not go for Korean vehicles. The reasons that he gave as I remember are that it is difficult to find parts and also repair.

I don't have any other thing to back up this claim.. only his experience in the trade..

Well no offence, but that sounds like the typical bs our people sprout. The Koreans are ripping it up in every market outside SL, and there are more Santa Fe's on the roads than I'd care to count. Not to mention the amount of new Sorentos and Sportages popping up everywhere. The age old 'Korean = cheap and nasty' days are long gone now. I own a Korean vehicle too and it is superb.

Edited June 14, 2011 by Big_D

[Schiffer]

if i were you.. id go for the kia sorento.. i dont know much about korean vehicles

i have 2 friends who uses Ssanyong Reztons

one uses it monthly to go to jaffna from kandy.. and its such a nice suv but he said the seats arnt big enough for a suv (dont know why though)

and the other said that the interior start to fall apart slowly..

but thats ssangyoung..

hope i could be any help mate.. good luck

[Schiffer]

Well no offence, but that sounds like the typical bs our people sprout. The Koreans are ripping it up in every market outside SL, and there are more Santa Fe's on the roads than I'd care to count. Not to mention the amount of new Sorentos and Sportages popping up everywhere. The age old 'Korean = cheap and nasty' days are long gone now. I own a Korean vehicle too and it is superb.

agreed.. the korean vehicles are slowly getting a good reputation now a days..

for me.. the Sorento is breath takeing.. it stands out from other SUV's of its class

[Crosswind]

Dear All,

I want to buy a diesel SUV under the permit. I have looked at the prices and I think the Korean made one's are the one's that are in the affordable range. I have looked at the following.

Hyundai Tucson

Hyundai Santa Fe

Kia Sorento

Micro Ssangyon Korando

I want you guys to tell me about your opinion. Do you think going for Korean vehicles a good choice? Or else do you think I should forget about SUV's and go for Toyota Corolla Diesel?

AFAIK, nothing much is wrong with Korean vehicles. As a permit buyer, you may have to wait till 2012 March or April to finally get hold of your Hyundai. KIA does a bit better in this department but you may still have to wait till 2011 December or beyond.

Also the agents (especially KIA) treat you like dirt and act like they are doing you a favour, when you walk in to a showroom with a permit. I wonder how their after sales is going to be.

You have some more options for SUVs - Ford Everest, Mitsubishi Montero Sport. Both are diesel and Everest is really a man's vehicle. You won't have much issues with parts because its rebadged Mazda BT-50.

Edited June 14, 2011 by Crosswind

[techlove]

I have a friend of mine,a well expierienced, ASE certified mechanic,who's all the way biased on american cars. Once he was fixing a HYUNDAI ELANTRA and I just asked him,"Are these cars good?"

He told me very straight,"They are not bad."

Hyundai North America gives the highest warrenty on their power trains,100,000 miles or 10 years; wich ever comes first .I think that's the highest or one of the highest warrenty on such in the continantal USA.

While North American versions are a lot differnt from their Asian versions,I believe Korean makes become technologically advanced over the past years,not just with automotive but with consumer electronics,etc as well.

When they talk about TV's,I've heard many comments like,"It's gotta be Sony or Samsung".

I have a Samsung cell phone ,bought it around 2004 or so,used it like hell, still use it as a back up phone with no problem at all and the original battery came with it still gives me a decent,reliable talk time.

Any way these could be some individual expieriences too,So, do some more research,try to test drive an interested model and do hang up in the forum for some time before make your move.

[bagUrE]

A friend of mine who does buying and selling of vehicles for a living told me that one should not go for Korean vehicles. The reasons that he gave as I remember are that it is difficult to find parts and also repair.

I don't have any other thing to back up this claim.. only his experience in the trade..

I was in the same boat as your friend bearing the same belief until I got to know how Hyundais and Kias are recognized in other countries. After selling the old Nissan I had, did a thorough search on Korean vehicles, specially cars. Now I own a Hyundai car and I'm much delighted with it. It seems to have very well designed and constructed. Of course Japs have more advance particulars in some contexts but you get the best value for your investment with a Korean vehicle. Finding spares and doing repairs ... - nothing to worry about these days.

[SeanD]

I can vouch for the Kia sorento as a good vehicle. Was not a fan of Korean vehicles or even of SUVs before I had to get that, but I've changed my mind. Not only is it (diesel) fuel efficient even in city driving, it has also never let me down in a lot of hill country/tea estate driving (not off-roading of course, but definitely not good roads for sedans either). If you want a decently sized SUV that won't take up the whole road and is not a b**** to park, and can handle rough terrain on occasion, highly recommend it. Have no experience with the other vehicles you mentioned.

[asanka424]

A friend of mine who does buying and selling of vehicles for a living told me that one should not go for Korean vehicles. The reasons that he gave as I remember are that it is difficult to find parts and also repair.

I don't have any other thing to back up this claim.. only his experience in the trade..

I do not think there is a limitation in parts used for running repairs. But you will have problems finding some body parts. Of course you can order any parts through agents. or ebay .

[MAS]

I own a Hyundai Tucson (2005 model, petrol) since 2008. Imported it as a used vehicle. It has been very reliable to me so far and no, things do not fall apart in these Hyundai's.

The only repairs I have done are to replace the battery, brake pads, a by-pass hose, drive belts, rack ends, rack mounts and tie rods (thats mainly because its on 18 inch rims and the steering/suspension parts take a beating )

The agents are good. At least the spare parts division. I do not do my services/repairs there.

I love the new Sorento and the new Sportage (especially the orange package). But it seems the KIA agents are pig headed. But if you can get your parts and find a good garage for basic repairs, then I would not give a f###. I do not like the styling of the new Tucson. The Santa Fe is also good but maybe not as fuel efficient as the other newer models.

You get a lot of shops dealing with Korean parts now. The market is growing here and so there will be more shops taking up parts.

Bottom line, you cant go wrong now with the new Korean (Hyundai & KIA) vehicles.

Good luck with your choice!

Edited June 15, 2011 by MAS

[Magnum]

go for the Hyundai Santa Fe, it was the "top pic" in US back in 2008!

[SUV]

Thnak you all for your valuable comments.

[rangerover]

No Point going for the santa fe now, as it is due for a model change next year

[New to the newbees........]

Go for the Sportage... One hell of a ride... Top in Comfort man.........

[kush]

I would say to go-ahead Korean vehicles have come a long way during the past years. Build quality is maybe equal or better than that of Japanese brands which are actually manufactured in Thailand. (Mitsubishi Montero Sport)

Kia is owned by Hyundai or vise versa so basically mechanical parts are shared.

Kia gives a three year warranty and Hyundai only 2 years.

I would stay away from Santa Fe cos the replacement is due soon and by the time you get your vehicle it will be out dated.

I had a Mitsubishi Lancer EX which we bought for the last permit and had several issues with the vehicle and my vehicle was not the only one, it was made in Japan. Japanese vehicles are not as reliable as they used to be.

Best part is that the Korean vehicles are invoiced in USD so basically you will be cushioned for any upward movement in the currency value (Dollar is expected to come down or remain at current level against the Rupee) . Last time people who opened LC’s in JPY, Euro has to pay extra duty due to unfavorable exchange movements.

With so many vehicles coming in to the country there is definitely going to be more importers and service centers catering to Korean vehicles in the future and the second hand market also will improve with time to come.

Best part of the deal is you could buy a diesel SUV for little more that of a petrol Jap car

[jdnet]

Japanese vehicles are not as reliable as they used to be.

What?

[dilku]

I would say to go-ahead Korean vehicles have come a long way during the past years. Build quality is maybe equal or better than that of Japanese brands which are actually manufactured in Thailand. (Mitsubishi Montero Sport)

Kia is owned by Hyundai or vise versa so basically mechanical parts are shared.

Kia gives a three year warranty and Hyundai only 2 years.

I would stay away from Santa Fe cos the replacement is due soon and by the time you get your vehicle it will be out dated.

I had a Mitsubishi Lancer EX which we bought for the last permit and had several issues with the vehicle and my vehicle was not the only one, it was made in Japan. Japanese vehicles are not as reliable as they used to be.Best part is that the Korean vehicles are invoiced in USD so basically you will be cushioned for any upward movement in the currency value (Dollar is expected to come down or remain at current level against the Rupee) . Last time people who opened LC’s in JPY, Euro has to pay extra duty due to unfavorable exchange movements.

With so many vehicles coming in to the country there is definitely going to be more importers and service centers catering to Korean vehicles in the future and the second hand market also will improve with time to come.Best part of the deal is you could buy a diesel SUV for little more that of a petrol Jap car

Oh! boy ,well analized ,Post of the year so far to me.

[heavyD]

Oh! boy ,well analized ,Post of the year so far to me.

Ye gads! I sincerely hope not!

[bagUrE]

Japanese vehicles are not as reliable as they used to be.

Controversial...

I believe they are more reliable than they used to be

[MrCat]

Controversial...

I believe they are more reliable than they used to be

Build quality is not up to the mark in some brands due to manufacturing out of Japan. Bad reliability, if you take Jap brands as a whole, I don't think so.

[DarkangeL]

Well no offence, but that sounds like the typical bs our people sprout. The Koreans are ripping it up in every market outside SL, and there are more Santa Fe's on the roads than I'd care to count. Not to mention the amount of new Sorentos and Sportages popping up everywhere. The age old 'Korean = cheap and nasty' days are long gone now. I own a Korean vehicle too and it is superb.

agreed 100%

[Pericles]

Oh! boy ,well analized ,Post of the year so far to me.

More accurate than the man who made the post realized Pretty sure dilku knows all about analizing well.

[Schiffer]

Japanese vehicles are not as reliable as they used to be.

huh!

[AbeysinghE]

Go for the Sportage... One hell of a ride... Top in Comfort man.........

BTW do you know the fuel economy of new KIA sportage 2010 or 2011 petrol????