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Hyundai XG300 sedan brings deluxe features at reduced prices
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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TULSA, Okla. -- Enjoy the ride in a deluxe new luxury car rolling up tree-shaded South Peoria Avenue in Tulsa as we flow with the commuter cars, pausing occasionally at cross-street traffic signals but moving steadily toward the downtown skyline.
Our transport -- the XG300 by Hyundai, largest automaker out of South Korea -- amounts to a sedately styled four-door sedan of generous scale for the mid-size class. Its arrival signifies a deluxe new flagship for Hyundai as well as the largest sedan in the Korean fleet.
The XG300 carries a V6 powertrain with sophisticated five-speed automatic transmission and such safety systems as anti-lock brakes and traction control plus four air bags. The passenger compartment, with leather-lined seats and automatic everything, is a cushy environment that mimics the finest luxury models in class.
Congestion on Peoria seems like a silent movie projected on broad expanses of glass in our vehicle because sounds on the avenue do not penetrate insulated perimeters of the cabin.
Instead of harsh street noises, music drifting through the passenger compartment consists of soothing melodies out of a dashboard CD deck as amplified in stereo through six speakers scattered discretely around the space.
We're in the driver's seat of a cockpit-style layout with a push bucket on each side of the central console trimmed in glossy plastic simulating a rich wood veneer.
Front buckets, covered in supple leather hides, feel comfortable but supportive with bolsters that cradle the back, shoulders and thighs. The driver's seat moves eight ways by power controls, with two-way movement for the passenger's seat and a heat element imbedded in each.
A padded armrest mounted high on the console offers right-arm support immediately behind a console-mounted lever for the five-speed automatic transmission with a side gate for the shift-it-yourself manual mode.
Ahead of the shift gate, the console flows up into the dash to define a tall cluster of controls for the audio and climate systems with large rotary knobs and square buttons.
Facing the driver, a recessed pod of instruments contains round analog gauges including a large tachometer and speedometer in white-on-black display.
The four-spoke steering wheel adjusts in height to fit the driver and has thumb buttons governing the cruise control on one side.
Other control buttons mount on the driver-side door to operate the power windows, door locks, exterior mirrors and locks for a fuel door and trunk lid.
The rear bench seat, with room for three but indents for two, is also a plush area with generous room for legs and heads. A central padded console folds down to reveal twin pop-out cupholders and a broad and long storage bin trimmed in the plastic wood.
Behind the cabin, a sealed trunk provides 14.5 cubic feet of storage space.
Exterior styling for Hyundai's largest sedan appears subtle but elegant with a series of flat horizontal and vertical surfaces united by crisp angled surfaces that form etched character lines across the hood and along each side as shoulders.
The face focuses on a wide center grille rimmed in chrome with vertical bars. Stepped creases in the hood taper inward from the base of the windshield to sides of the grille and thrust it forward as the leading edge of the prow. Twin headlight clusters with articulated projector-style lenses flank the central grille, while round foglamps cut into a thick bumper and low air dam.
Flat sides with recessed chrome-tinged door handles are interrupted only by the two round wheelwells and a low strip of chrome between wells extending along both doors.
Shiny alloy wheels have a chrome XG medallion at the center and carry 15-inch all-season belted radial tires.
The forward roof pillar tips rearward at a conservative angle to set up a high roofline that extends over the blackened center door pillar to a back pillar sloping gracefully down to a flat deck of the trunk. Bold red lamps ringed in chrome mount on each corner of the tail underscored by a broad and thick bumper tinted to match the body color.
Hyundai has equipped the XG300 with a peppy engine that also pulls down reasonable fuel economy.
The 3.0-liter V6, capped by dual overhead cams on an iron block with aluminum heads, produces 192 hp at 6000 rpm and torque muscle of 178 lb-ft at 4800 rpm.
While the power rating of this engine is by no means a leader in the class, it's smooth, quiet and sufficient to propel XG quickly with confidence when passing.
Bonus is thrifty fuel numbers up to 27 mpg.
The transmission shifts smoothly and automatically with the lever pulled back to D-for-Drive mode. Slip it right into the manual gate and one tip forward or one tip back moves the shift point up or down the gears one at a time.
Steering, with speed-sensing power controlling a rack and pinion device, feels taut on the wheel at speed but easy to turn at a snail's space or when parking.
Brakes, with a disc at each wheel and power assistance, act fast when deployed and link to an anti-lock mechanism as well as the traction controller.
And the ride quality of XG300 emulates a fine luxury car with smooth sensations when gliding over pavement rough stuff.
The independent suspension system consists of double wishbones up front and a rear multi-link design, with coil springs and gas-filled hydraulic shocks over each wheel and an anti-roll bar pinned fore and aft.
Despite all of this favored hardware plus the appointments of a luxury car, bottom-line prices on the XG300 fall to the bottom of the class among all four-door mid-size imports.
Hyundai offers the XG300 at only $23,499 plus a delivery fee of $495. It's so complete that the only optional gear consists of a deluxe audio system that adds additional speakers and a CD deck to the standard AM/FM stereo system with cassette tape player.
Then Hyundai supports the XG300 with an extensive warranty program that reaches well beyond protection for other vehicles. The powertrain is insured for ten years or 100,000 miles and there's a five-year or 60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper shield against defects plus five years with unlimited mileage in a roadside assistance program that includes towing service.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2001 HYUNDAI XG300 Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size 4-door sedan
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| Model Options: |
Mid-size 4-door sedan
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| Wheelbase: |
108.3 inches
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| Overall Length: |
191.5 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 3.0-L V6
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| Transmission: |
Auto/5 Shiftronic
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| Drive: |
Front
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| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS/TCS
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 2 (side)
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| Gas Mileage: |
19/27 mpg
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| Price: |
$ 24,000 to $ 25,500 |
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