97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

I loved the 2011 Camry I drove with the 4cyl and 6spd auto. It's a great drivetrain that is made in Japan. Much better then the older models. What year was the Camry you drove?

LexFather

Sorry Paul but the bandwagon is out of control now. Yes they are stylish but they are only marginally better and arguably better than the competition and simply copied the Honda/Toyota playbook. I'm not sure why people are fapping off constantly to French Vanilla Korean cars compared to the traditional vanilla Japanese or American cars.

I think we all get that they have come a long way and they sell better now. Great, now what exactly do they do best in exactly? MPG I guess?

spwolf

KIA finishing in front of Honda Accord is an PR piece by KIA.

mmarshall

I'd say that the main thing that Hyundai and Kia do today is offer comparable or better quality and, in most cases, a longer warranty, at a lower price. That has been the main formula for their increasing success for the last decade or so. Ford, to an extent, is also traveling that route now, although their pricing and warranty can't quite compete with the Koreans.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

Seriously... That list looked like our shopping list when we were looking for a new car for my mother. Minus the Altima because of my gf's long standing mechanical/electrical issues with hers. Top contenders were Sonata and camry. Optima was 3rd, Kazashi was alittle too small but seemed like a great deal. Ended up with Camry in the end.

spwolf

what made you pick camry over the others?

spwolf

we certainly do not know enough about KIA/Hyundai long term reliability.

Based on short term ratings, they are very much improved.

Alucard

Why does the success of the Korean brands seem to get unders some people's skin here?

I always thought that the better the competition, the better it is for the market as a whole.

spwolf

that is true... for the same reasons other people discard Toyota/Lexus success?

Fact is Hyundai/KIA poached best world talent from Europe and Japan in order to improve their vehicles.

mmarshall

Yes we do. They've been making better vehicles for a good ten years now. The days of the classic Hyundai and Kia junk are long-gone, though the Kia Sedona minivan, with a Consumer-Reports below-average reliability-rating, seems to be one of the few holdouts. Still, the few people who I have shopped with for Sedonas (one of who was a co-worker of mine before I retired), have been pleased with them, with only minimal problems.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

A little off topic, but I've actually been thinking about this recently due to the increased Kia Sedona tv commercials. I have no doubt that when a new Sedona debuts, Odyssey, Sienna, Quest and T&C are gonna have some stiff competition considering the direction the line-up has gone.

jimbosr1

cant comment on the kia,but i had a 09 accord and it was the most boring car that i ever owned.had the lx-p and could not wait to sell it.it took me a year to sell it for what i would take for it.bought the lexus a week later.

mmarshall

If you think an Accord is boring (and I agree it is no Ferrari), you probably haven't driven a Corolla or one of the older Toyota Tercels.