Hyundai Grandeur 2006 Review

What we liked
>> Good looks
>> Spacious interior
>> Clever packaging

Not so much
>> Steering kickback
>> Unsupportive seats
>> So-so tyres

OVERVIEW
Hyundai has taken its second bite at the prestige car class with its new Grandeur. This is the second generation Grandeur -- the first was launched here in 2002 to a lukewarm reception from both the motoring press and the buying public. Indeed, one big-name noter at the new Grandeur's Snowy Mountains launch called it's predecessor's suspension an abomination.

The first-generation Grandeur all but disappeared two years after its launch, although official VFACTS figures show Hyundai sold three Grandeurs last year.

Significantly, this is the first Grandeur launched here by Hyundai's factory-owned Australian subsidiary -- which took over here in October 2003 from its predecessor independent distributor, Hyundai Automotive Distributors Australia. It's also the most expensive and, on paper, the most potent Hyundai yet launched in Australia.

Just as they were globally, Hyundai's Australian sales were good last year. Here, the brand grew 12.9 per cent during 2005, grabbed number five spot in the passenger car market and showed the third highest growth among the local importers.

All without Hyundai's strong range of commercial vehicles (not yet imported into Oz), without the four new products and two facelifts it has planned for this year, and without a flagship model to showcase its ability as a carmaker. Hence the Grandeur.

Hyundai has a modest 1000-a-year sales target for Grandeur, and offers it with its traditional 5-year/130,000km warranty and, in this case, 24/7 roadside assistance.

There are two Grandeur equipment levels: V6 and Limited, and Hyundai claims they are the most powerful prestige cars under $50,000 with naturally-aspirated engines. Prices are $42,990 and $46,990 respectively.

In profile, the new Grandeur presents a Mercedes-Benz CLS-style sloping roofline, Tiburon curves around the flanks and definite a BMW 5/7-Series tabletop "Bangle boot".

The car looks good front and rear, too, especially the upper-spec Limited model, with its standard Xenon headlamps and LED tail-lights. Badge spotters will notice that the word "Hyundai" doesn't appear on the rear of the car. "Grandeur" and "Limited", yes; "Hyundai", no. There is, however, the corporate badge.

The nose is fairly blunt and upright, but -- one of the most important tests -- it looks good in the rear-view mirror. Attention to aerodynamics -- including to the car's undercarriage -- has yielded an impressive 0.29 Cd number.

FEATURES
Both Grandeur models come well equipped. Both get such niceties as leather trim, electronically-adjusted seats (10-way on the driver's side, four-way on the passenger's), dual-zone automatic climate control air-conditioning, cruise control, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, trip computer, power windows, powered and heated side mirrors, reverse parking sensors and keyless entry with alarm.

The audio system comprises US-made Infinity speakers linked to a MP3-disc-compatible, six-disc stacker/radio with, curiously, a cassette player for, we're told, "yuppie tragic" tape collections. Hyundai's straight-shooting product planning manager -- and the man behind the two-wheel-drive Tucson City and Melbourne motor show-friendly Getz SXi ("sexy" in txt) and Getz Protectz safety pack -- Ben Hershman says the Sonata's flatter-faced, twin-DIN unit just didn't work in the Grandeur's curvier dash.

The system sounds good, too, with the EQ switch delivering the kind of one-touch adjustment we like on the move. Sound quality comes from eight speakers all up, including a good-sized unit centre-dash, crisp tweeters left and right of the dash and a sub-woofer in the rear.

Grandeur Limited adds auto-levelling, auto-on/off Xenon headlamps, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, powered tilt-slide sunroof with reactive solar glass, heated front seats and door mirrors, four-way electrically-adjustable steering wheel and two-setting integrated memory system for the driver's door, mirrors and steering wheel, and an electrically-operated rear blind.

Fit and finish throughout the car is good. The exterior door handles are contemporary pull-out style; inside, the door pulls are solid-but-prosaic items flanked by brightwork rings. You can see and feel the improved attention to detail in things like the soft damping on the glovebox door, overhead grab handles and cupholders.

COMFORT
Apart from the fit and finish and the cabin's light ambience, the first thing you notice when you step into the Grandeur is its space. Leg- and headroom is generous both front and rear, and will suit archetypal "six-footers". No complaints.

It's hard to go past leather seats for cushy comfort, although those in the Grandeur disappoint in terms of lateral support when you need it (more about which, below).

No complaints about the driving position, which is hard to get wrong with 10-way adjustable seats and four-way adjustable steering.

No complaints either about the dual-zone automatic climate control air-conditioning, which also incorporates vents in the rear.

You can see and feel the improved quality in the Grandeur's interior. Also impressive is the well-finished headlining and touches like the flock-lining in the glovebox, and custom-made carpets.

Pop the boot, and you'll see that it's spacious, too, helped by the Grandeur's combination front-drive/compact rear suspension arrangement. Hyundai claims the boot fits four full-size golf bags. There's a luggage net in there, too. The rear seat is a 60/40 split fold-down item.

SAFETY
The Grandeur has strong active and passive safety stories to tell. Apart from the ESP, ABS, EBD and other active safety features detailed below, there are eight airbags onboard both Grandeur models.

That airbag count includes dual front, front and rear side thorax and full-cabin side curtain airbags.

Front head restraints are active, the front seats both get dual pretensioners. The three child seat anchor points come with brackets already fitted but hidden behind flip-up covers.

MECHANICAL
Both Grandeur V6 and Limited share a 3.8-litre twin overhead cam V6 -- a larger-capacity version of the Sonata's 3.3 Lambda engine, with continuously variable valve timing and variable intake system. It is matched to a five-speed automatic transmission with Hyundai's Selectronic sequential manual mode. Again, the transmission is from Sonata, but beefed-up to cope with the bigger-engine's greater torque.

Speaking of which... On tap is a claimed 194kW and 348Nm, available via a fly-by-wire electronic throttle.

Left to its own devices, the automatic does the job well but, like the Grandeur's steering and suspension, only until it is really pushed, when changes can become slurred.

Suspension is independent all round via double wishbones at the front, and a multi-link system at the rear. Interestingly, the dampers are German-made Sachs units. Hyundai Australia says it was involved in the Grandeur's suspension tune.

Brakes are good-sized discs -- ventilated fronts and solid rears -- and backed up with an anti-lock system, electronic brake force distribution (EBD) and brake assistance (BAS). Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and traction control systems are standard on both models.

Kerb weight is 1636kg for the Grandeur V6 and 1645kg for the Limited, and Hyundai claims 0-100km/h acceleration in 7.2sec. City-biased ADR/81/01 fuel consumption is 10.8lt/100km and fuel tank capacity is 75 litres. Fuel is regular 91 octane.

Wheels are 17-inch alloys shod with Korean-made Kumho or Hankook 235/55 tyres. And, put a notch on the wall, under the big boot floor is a full-size alloy wheel and tyre. Increasingly, that's something you don't see every day.

COMPETITORS
Hyundai itself sees as the Grandeur's main competitors Nissan Maxima, Mitsubishi 380, Commodore Berlina, Accord Luxury, Chrysler 300C and even Ford Fairlane and Holden Statesman.

As far as we're concerned, the big call in that lot is the new Maxima, which gives away 24kW of power and 15Nm of torque to the Grandeur but delivers a six-speed continuously variable transmission (CVT) and more in the base model ST-L for under $40,000.

Mind you, the ST-L doesn't get the Grandeur's 10-way seat-adjustability, speaker count or side thorax airbags -- and you'll have to pay more for the curtain airbags that are standard in the top-spec Maxima Ti.

ON THE ROAD
The leather-bound steering wheel feels good in your hands, although, underway, the steering itself is vague at first at the straight-ahead position.

The engine is quiet at suburban and freeway speeds, and the Grandeur responds well to the throttle -- although induction roar becomes evident when you stomp on it, and in self-shifting mode gearchanges become less precise. The tyres are relatively quiet at those speeds, too, and ride is good, although it can be unsettled by low-speed bumps.

But press on, and the Grandeur's dynamics disappoint.

If you're hoping for a prestige four-door with sporting prowess, you'll find the Grandeur wanting mainly in terms of seat lateral support, kickback-free steering and higher-performance tyres. Indeed, in hard cornering, the lack of lateral support from the seats becomes obvious, there's rack-rattle through the wheel, and the tyres squeal and start to lose grip. In that sort of driving, the Grandeur's suspension also feels underdamped.

Okay, most buyers won't drive the Grandeur that hard. But it's the best way to test a car's dynamics. It also shows that Hyundai's new flagship is almost as good as the marketing hype that will surround it.