Strawberry fields forever. The Hyundai Veracruz was great for taking in the sights, but not the sounds.
There's a lot to love about the 2008 Hyundai Veracruz. On my recent trip from L.A...
First, I like a quiet cabin, and the Veracruz had some pronounced road and wind noise. Granted, I was moving quickly most of the time, but even at 60 mph, I felt it was noisier than I like. By 80mph, it sounded more like a wind tunnel.
Second, while I don't want a too-soft ride, the Veracruz' abilities to absorb the bumps in the road were less than ideal. Case in point: I I was trying to right-lane it for a while, because I had already received a speeding ticket (see below). (At least the CHP officer was nice -- he chopped quite a few miles off the ticket because we were honest about our speed. There's a lesson for you.) But the right lane was a little rougher, presumably from all the truck traffic, and those bumps entered the cabin -- disturbing my sleeping kids. And as any parent can tell you: keeping the kids asleep is priority numero uno.
Uh-oh. Looks like someone's going to be attending traffic school.
It was the same situation over road seams, changing surface conditions, etc. The ride wasn't stiff by any means, but it became apparent that, for all the luxurious touches inside, the Veracruz can't compete on sound dampening and road feel with cars that cost more. So while it's built for family cruising, it's not exactly the ideal cruiser. This wouldn't necessarily stop me from buying one, though. Priced at $26,900 for the base model, you still get more than your money's worth. More on that, later.
- Joanne Helperin, Senior Feature Editor @ 9100 miles
desmolicious says:
05:40 PM, 05/13/08
Hate to say this, but if the CHP officer was nice he would have let you off with a warning.
SubyTrojan says:
05:45 PM, 05/13/08
I disagree, Huss. I believe a CHP officer can be nice and still issue a ticket. That being said, it would've been great if he let Joanne go!
cx7lover says:
08:27 PM, 05/13/08
They can be nice and not give you a ticket, but they can be nice while giving you one.
That said they need to stop giving out tickets on these backroads where the speed limit should be like 95mph..
s197gt says:
09:42 PM, 05/13/08
i don't suppose your employer picks up the tab for speeding tickets? aren't they a business expense for which you should be reimbursed? just keep the receipt!
730 says:
01:24 AM, 05/14/08
So how fast were you going? My friend set a new speed record in one of the back roads in CT. I believe he was going 125+ where the limit was 35. From what I hear, the town police guys weren't so nice when they arrested him.
dougtheeng says:
05:57 AM, 05/14/08
Are police in California more strict than other places in North America? It seems like Edmunds staff get way more tickets then the average group of people.
bal169 says:
06:56 AM, 05/14/08
Quoted from the following link:
http://66.160.188.111/roadtests/Comments/17#cm
"I have Inside Line's trusty new Passport 9500i Blue radar/laser detector. This handy device saved my bacon twice in Indiana alone. Plus, its readout is -- get this -- blue.
"
I take it you didn't have the Passport 9500i on board during this road trip.
dragonflight says:
09:30 AM, 05/14/08
@ bal169:
Whomever has the M3 probably has it ;)
mymaxima says:
11:10 AM, 05/14/08
Did anyone actually compare the cabin quietness between CX-9 and VeraCruz? Even with Enclave? I couldn't find such comparison data or articles anywhere.
cx7lover says:
11:59 AM, 05/14/08
The CX-9 has a lot of tire road noise
it's pretty quite otherwise.
It would probably go V=C>E
EDIT: I can't find any numbers for the Veracruz since Edmunds didn't do a full test on it but here are the Enclave and CX-9 numbers.
Enclave
Db @ Idle: 44
Db @ Full Throttle: 73.8
Db @ 70 mph Cruise: 67
CX-9
Db @ Idle: 40.4
Db @ Full Throttle: 72.9
Db @ 70 mph Cruise: 66.7
desmolicious says:
01:15 PM, 05/14/08
SubyT said:
"I disagree, Huss. I believe a CHP officer can be nice and still issue a ticket. That being said, it would've been great if he let Joanne go!"
I disagree Loren! Based on personal experience, all the cops that were nice to me let me off! He did not HAVE to give Joanne a ticket, he chose to. Nuttin' nice about that! That stretch of the I5 is just a revenue generator.
SubyTrojan says:
01:25 PM, 05/14/08
=Þ We'll agree to disagree. Fight On! :o)
korvsjap says:
01:49 PM, 05/14/08
okay, so is the veracruz louder than the CX-9 or not? can edmund posts be a bit more informative?
researchqueen says:
04:31 PM, 05/14/08
Don't know if the Veracruz is louder than the CX-9 without the testing team having at it. Will try to ask about that.
But as for the cop, well, whether the cop let me off or gave me a ticket, I can't blame him: We were were well over the speed limit though we were "only" doing 80/82 mpg -- cruising speed for most cars making that long trip. When we had originally come northbound on the 101, the limit was 65 or 70. So 80 wasn't a big deal. Going southbound, though (I think it was the 46, before we got to the 5), the limit was a lot lower; we just didn't know it. The cop explained that because there were no dividers in the road, the speed limit is 55. I guess we had missed the sign or had gotten onto the road after the last sign, 3 miles back.
What mattered more to me is that he didn't try to traumatize me, which I've had some nasty cops do in the past (one in Florida comes to mind. You know, the kind that thing their job is to put the fear of G-d into you? (Not that I get stopped so many times, mind you.) ;)
Alas, we had no radar detector, of course. And unfortunately, Edmunds does NOT pay for our tickets.
A note: If the Edmunds staffers drive faster than most folks, it's probably because 1)there's so many enthusiasts on staff, and 2) we put a lot of miles on the road in general. Still we know better than to cross the law too much -- it could cost us our jobs.
cx7lover says:
04:54 PM, 05/14/08
Yes, I hate those types, although it's true it's not needed, especially coming from them.
"OMG you know you could have killed someone?????"
Then you see that same cop driving @ 100mph on the same road... uh oh that actually DID happen to me.
researchqueen says:
03:42 PM, 05/15/08
So true! Unless they're chasing a bad guy, I think cops should follow the rules they enforce. Good luck with that, though... they're the fastest drivers on the road.
estreka says:
07:59 PM, 05/17/08
Back when I was in college (San Marcos, TX for those in the know), I'd go down to Sewell Park after class to hang with Frisbee Dan (long story). Every single day, 2 cop cars would race along Aquarena Blvd and down Sessom (a very dangerous road to speed on, and I'm not joking). One day I decided to see where they were always going in a hurry. Turns out a donut shop. Loser bought the donuts, apparently.