Hyundai continues to amaze. With the addition of the all-new,
2007 Hyundai Veracruz crossover to its line, it now offers no fewer than nine models in the U.S., ranging from the subcompact
Accent to the upscale
Azera sedan to the mainstream
Entourage minivan to the
Santa Fe and
Tucson SUVs to the sporty
Tiburon. And with the Veracruz, Hyundai isn't just filling a heretofore unnoticed empty spot on its dealers' showroom floors. It's also taking another step up market in price, quality and performance.
The all-new Hyundai Veracruz is no tentative, exploratory step. Its powertrain goes head to head with the competition, primarily the Honda Pilot, the Toyota Highlander, and the Subaru Tribeca. There's no weak-kneed four-cylinder engine or aging four-speed automatic transmission, either. Instead, the Veracruz gets a modern V6 more powerful than competing engines and just as frugal at the gas pump. The transmission is a thoroughly modern, six-speed automatic, putting it one gear up Honda, Toyota and Subaru. There's also a choice of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, again giving away nothing to the competition.
The Veracruz also enjoys a styling advantage. This is Hyundai's first venture into the crossover market, so it has no mistakes to be corrected, no design vocabulary that has to be slavishly followed, no legacies to be exorcised. It's all a clean-screen project, but with the additional benefit of being able to learn from what others have tried. And learn Hyundai has. The Veracruz presents a clean, uncluttered face, a balanced, sleekly executed profile and maybe a bit of a copycat rear aspect, but if it is, it's at least a copy of a winner.