2007 Hyundai Veracruz Limited AWD review from North America

Rear wiper arm broke in car wash.

Engine failed would not start.

Transmission failed would not shift out of park.

Door seals worn, torn.

Some button/control faces worn down to black plastic.

Arm rest vinyl worn down to rubber like texture.

Rear window defroster element broken.

Power seat motor burned out.

Rear door latch ceased.

Passenger side mirror motor burned out.

My wife and I won this car at a local raffle for a childrens hospital and were one of the first people to have one in New Jersey. We actually were in the market for an SUV when we got the call that we won so it worked out. We're just glad we didn't have to pay for it.

We like the comfy seats which are easy to adjust and the room all around.

Overall the layout is good and on par with the build quality of materials of the Ford Edge and Saturn Vue.

We drove from NJ to AZ in 100+ heat and the A/C worked great.

The ride is pretty smooth and its quiet inside. The only problem with noises came from the windshield which whistles around 50mph and the transmission which makes groaning sounds under acceleration. Otherwise its quiet and comfortable.

We were surprised to see the gas go so fast especially in the city when it returned only 13-14 miles per gallon. On the highway we saw a couple times 19 but mostly 16-17 at 65mph. Not very good.

We are not impressed with the reliability and warranty coverage. On our trip to AZ, we had to have the car towed to a dealer when it refused to start after refuelling. Dealer said the gas sensor was defective. OK not that a big of problem, but annoying, and it left us stranded without a loaner car. So we had to rent a car for a day. When we got it back, the dealer said it needed an oil/filter/tuneup (with only 3500 miles?) and we had to cough up a heart stopping $520 for this service! My wife made a lot of noise saying we wouldn't pay so the service manager gave us $200 off. We left very upset. Thank God the rest of the trip was without incident because we wouldn't pay again!

Once again in September the car needed to be towed when the transmission would not shift out of park. This time again, the dealership where we got the car, charged us a painful $850 (!!!) for a brake pad service, oil/filter/tuneup/inspection all required under the so called "best warranty". crap!! If we owned a Toyota and got an extended warranty for 10 years 100,000 miles it would cost less than the money we paid to have this serviced and we probably would not need to use the warranty so often!

Now its December and time to write our review - a real review from real people not some dealer pumping his product. Overall an OK product with some quality problems and a dealer network bent on sucking money out of customers.

Some additional problems we had encountered so far- broken rear window wiper arm broken in a car wash, defective window defroster element, defective driverside power seat motor and front door seals that have worn down to nothing and leak in the car wash.

Also, this car cannot be compared to a Lexus- quality is too low. Lexus has real wood- this one fake wood. Lexus has real leather on seat back and arm rest, this has vinyl that looks terrible after some use. The Lexus is a Lexus. Yes it costs more, but you also get what you pay for.

BTW, a GMC Arcadia costs $41k fully loaded, the Veracruz $44 and the Toyota Highlander is $3k cheaper and has better resale value.

We are glad we didn't buy it and would never buy a Hyundai. Hope this helps.