Friday Fleet Notes: 6.15.07

It’s definitely summer. The weather’s warm and the Cars.com test fleet is full of interesting cars. This week we even got some extra content courtesy of a rental car company stocking new GMC Acadias and Saturn Outlooks.

2007 Hyundai Veracruz

This is the best Lexus that Hyundai has ever built. The cabin in our Limited-trim test car had soft leather seats and plenty of high quality buttons with Arial-font labels — a well-worn standard at Lexus. It’s too bad Hyundai’s heated seat controls don’t conform. Admittedly, not everything is up to luxury snuff: the door handles are black plastic, not chrome, and only the driver’s power window gets a one-touch function. But those are nitpicks; this really is one of Hyundai’s best efforts yet.

On the road, easy-does-it is the name of the game. The suspension allows plenty of roll, but it glides over bumps, helping maintain churchlike silence inside. There isn’t a lot of immediacy from the V-6, though pushed hard in the passing lane it can hightail the Veracruz along as well as any crossover SUV. I found the brakes particularly impressive, delivering solid stopping performance for such a large ‘ute. And the Veracruz definitely feels large – even the third row has tolerable headroom, though adults will be squatting on the floor thanks to the low seat cushions.

Kelsey Mays, Cars.com reviewer

After all the hype around this model, and our own somewhat positive review from Mike Hanley, I was really surprised at how lackluster the Veracruz was. What most upset me was the awful steering feel. It had about as much precision as the 1985 Cadillac I had to borrow from my mom when I was in high school. Body roll and lean were noticeably pronounced. Acceleration, however, is comparable to the rest of the class, while the interior exudes Lexus-wannabe status.

The Veracruz was in the fleet for an upcoming comparison against the GMC Acadia and Mazda CX-9. I won’t be pulling for the Veracruz there.

David Thomas, KickingTires editor

Having driven the turbo Mini Cooper S, I was a little concerned about how the base, automatic Mini would drive, and some of my concerns were borne out. The automatic is a little pokey, unless you use the paddle shifters, which give you a lot better control over the acceleration. The ride was definitely rougher than it was in the Cooper S, but the climate controls worked way better in the base model. The S has cheap plastic toggle switches that often got stuck in the wrong position, or needed more attention from the driver than one would want to give them. The base Cooper had plastic rolling switches that felt cheap but worked much better. Go figure. Still, despite those issues, it’s still a Mini, and I still enjoyed driving it. The paddle shifters even suggest I could buy an automatic base Cooper. A shame, I know, but it would keep my wife happy.

Patrick Olsen, managing editor

I was mightily impressed with the new base Cooper. In manual mode, the paddle shifters worked to perfection, though I still can’t stand BMW’s method of having both paddles upshift when you pull toward you and downshift when you push away, rather than having the right and left do one or the other.

Handling was still ripsnort sharp but, like Patrick, I was surprised at how rigid the ride was, especially on the sweeping suburban roads of Colorado where we were driving. For the money and the great mileage, this is now one of my favorite cars.

David Thomas, KickingTires editor

I’d already driven the Outlook’s twin, the GMC Acadia, but I’d been unable to get much open highway time in it. Because my driving in that crossover was largely in the city, I was dismayed by its low gas mileage but appreciative of its creature comforts and smooth, quiet ride. The Saturn trip on the highways around Denver was not a lot different, although the gas mileage was better: We got about 18 mpg on the open highway, versus the 13 mpg we got in our city driving in the Acadia. I’d argue that 18 is still too low, even for a car as big as this, but there are likely plenty of drivers who put few miles on their SUVs who may see the Outlook and Acadia as good choices.

I traveled with two other adults in the Outlook, and we were impressed by its roominess, especially when it came to second-row legroom. Road and engine noise were almost non-existent, even on a day with a high-wind advisory. The Outlook was sure-footed, and there was very little body roll or lean. The brakes were a little grabby, and the hood-release handle was so high up under the dash it was mistaken for the break-release lever. I’m a fan of these new large crossovers, but I’d kill for better mileage.

Patrick Olsen, managing editor

I was along for the ride in the Outlook with Patrick. Since I had tested the crossover so often, I resigned myself to the backseat. Our rental wasn’t loaded up to the gills with equipment like most of our test vehicles are, so it was nice to take in the look and feel of the cloth fabric. I was really surprised by how nice the base model’s cloth really was. It seemed very durable, which is what you need in a family ride. The backseat had plenty of legroom for me — I’m 5-foot-10 — and after five hours of airport/airplane travel and an hour in the Outlook’s second row, my back was feeling fine.

I’m also one of those folks who needs air blowing on them at all times in the car, so the vents in the ceiling and my own climate control were a godsend.

After the trip, I left impressed that the Outlook still delivers, even in its lesser trim level.

David Thomas, KickingTires editor

I, too, spent some time in our rental Outlook; I only drove it a couple of miles, so my thoughts on that are few: Basically, I don’t like big cars, and the Outlook felt big. Take that for what it’s worth. More useful, perhaps, are my views on some of the crossover’s practicalities. I had no complaints as either a front- or backseat passenger. The seats are comfortable, cupholders are close at hand from either position and there’s plenty of space for someone my size (5-foot-3 on a good day) to stretch out. My frame, however, was less suited to easy use of the cargo space; I could just reach the handle to close the liftgate, so anyone much smaller is likely to have trouble with it. Likewise, the handles on the back doors were oddly placed; they’re positioned at the front of the door, giving you little leverage to pull it shut. The doors aren’t particularly heavy, but the design made them feel as if they were.

Beth Palmer, copy editor

Related
2007 Hyundai Veracruz Expert Review (Cars.com)
2008 Mini Cooper S Expert Review (Cars.com)
2007 Saturn Outlook Expert Review (Cars.com)