Meet the Hyundai Grandeur – From the Old Box

Over the years, there have been many brands from different corners of the world that have tried to knock the standard top class off the throne. Lexus is a well-known example from an Asian corner, but a little after Lexus there was also an attempt from another country in Asia. The South Korean Hyundai, which was still really known as a budget brand here, shipped the Grandeur to our continent. He arrived here in the Netherlands for an interest survey. Exactly 30 years ago, AutoWeek was able to sniff extensively at this odd duck in the bite.

With the Hyundai Sonata in mind, the first introduction to the Grandeur was a pleasant one. Not that the Sonata was bad, but it was clear that the Grandeur was of a different order, not only because of the higher segment for which it was intended. Hyundai had really done a decent job of it. “Inside the Grandeur, it’s ‘grandeur’ that rings the bell. All modern delicacies have been baked into this Korean dish. The seats are of course upholstered in leather, and both front and rear are electrically adjustable and heated. The many buttons around the driver for controlling the extensive hi-fi system with CD player, air conditioning, cruise control, electric seat adjustment and the electric window and mirror controls. Anyone who thinks that they are short of something in the back is wrong. There are also buttons for the air conditioning in the center armrest , the sound system, the heating and adjustment of the furniture. The car has no less than two climate control systems. The interior is finished with leather and precious wood. The clock seems to have been stolen from Maserati.”

So a luxury affair. We thought it was all packaged a bit ‘anonymously’. “The styling of the Grandeur is clean and unobtrusive. The nose has an elaborately chromed grille, proudly surmounted by the gold-plated Hyundai badge.” The latter took some getting used to. “We couldn’t believe our eyes for a moment, but what we saw was no mirage: a top class car with a proud nose … the Hyundai emblem!” Although that was a bit awkward, we trusted that the Grandeur could perform well technically. After all, the technology came from Mitsubishi and that inspired confidence. In fact, the Grandeur was the result of a joint project from which the Mitsubishi Debonair also emerged. So the Hyundai was not completely ‘own’ and that was still a plus in our eyes in 1993. Incidentally, Hyundai had a bigger finger in the pie with this Grandeur than with its predecessor, because that was really simply a rebadged Mitsubishi Debonair.

The big question that remained was whether the Hyundai Grandeur would actually be available in the Netherlands. We were somewhat shocked when we heard that it would probably cost about a ton (in guilders, of course) here. “Can the average Hyundai dealer handle such a complex car when it comes to service? Can the dealers make the huge leap into the expectation of a premium car driver? Do these people see something in the Grandeur?” The answer to all those questions came later: Hyundai did not take the step yet. Only with the successor, which went through life here as XG, did it come to this. That, just like its successor called Grandeur, was not a resounding success.