The North American introduction to Hyundai automobiles started in 1983, when the extremely low cost Pony appeared in Canada to do battle with the Soviet-built Lada Signet on the extreme-low-end area of the new-car value spectrum. For the 1986 mannequin yr, the considerably extra refined Hyundai Excel confirmed up in america, undercut on value solely by the wretched Yugo GV. Step by step, Hyundais right here shook off their popularity as nothing greater than low cost transportation home equipment, and a giant step ahead in that course of was the Hyundai XG luxurious sedan. This is one of many later XGs, present in a Colorado self-service yard lately.
Hyundai started promoting the Sonata in america as a 1989 mannequin, and it was fairly a bit larger and nicer than the Excel however nonetheless seen as a lowly cut-rate Accord competitor. Quick-forward 12 years, and Hyundai felt sufficiently entrenched within the North American market to deliver the Grandeur XG throughout the Pacific. That automotive was known as the XG300 over right here, and it went on sale as a 2001 mannequin.
The XG bought an engine improve for the 2002 mannequin yr and have become the XG350. Gross sales continued via the 2005 mannequin yr, after which the next-generation Grandeur TG turned the Hyundai Azera. The earliest Grandeurs have been license-built Mitsubishi Debonairs, however the XG300 and XG350 have been developed solely by Hyundai (although some Mitsubishi DNA continues to be obvious).
For instance, the three.5-liter Sigma V6 engine within the XG350 — rated at 194 horsepower and 216 pound-feet — traces its ancestry again to the Mitsubishi 6G engine present in the whole lot from the Montero to the LeBaron.
That is the top-level L model, so its MSRP was $25,999 (about $47,083 in 2023 {dollars}). The Mitsubishi Diamante, then in its remaining mannequin yr right here, listed at $26,557 ($48,094 in immediately’s cash), however the XG350 additionally needed to compete in opposition to its Kia-badged sibling, the Amanti, and its value of $24,995 ($45,265 now).
The XG350 provided a whole lot of luxurious for the worth, but it surely wasn’t fairly as much as the swank degree of later massive Hyundai sedans.
The XG has develop into a uncommon sight immediately, on the highway or elsewhere, but it surely’s an vital piece of automotive historical past.
Inside the grasp of the up-and-coming businessman in 2004 … and smashing his face in a parking storage.
It was pitched to the genuinely rich in its homeland.
Why not shoot SKDM TV commercials in Europe?
