The full-size SUV is old and busted, the minivan even more so. The new hotness for soccer moms these days are large crossovers like the 2008 Hyundai Veracruz that's recently joined our long term fleet.
Although I'm horribly outside of the Veracruz's target demographic -- and I'm a tad too old for the "I'm just borrowing my mom's car" excuse -- I figured what the hell, I'll play suburban slappy in it for the weekend. Do some freeway cruising, buy some milk, that sort of thing. No kid hauling, though, thankfully. The Veracruz is a great option for all of those types of activities, however. The interior is cavernous and comfortable. Cargo room is variable. Flip up the third row, and you can fit about two golf bags in the back. Fold it, and it's ready to receive the day's haul from Costco.
One thing Hyundai did particularly well is the XM radio interface. It actually allows you to switch either the category or the station without going through a confusing menu. In fact, the only real ergonomic issue I had with the Veracruz is the lack of auto up/down power window switches for the front-passenger window. As someone who likes to drive with the windows down instead of setting the A/C to "Arctic tundra," I found it a nuisance. The auto open/close power sunroof is a nice touch, however.
The Veracruz isn't exactly memorable when it comes to attributes such as handling or acceleration, but this is a good thing -- the crossover handles its road business without your noticing anything out of the ordinary. The one thing it isn't is agile, with a rear end that constantly reminds you of its presence when cornering. The 260-horsepower V-6 gets the job done, but the gearbox seems a bit too quick to shift all the way to sixth, likely due to an effort to maximize fuel economy. Floor the pedal, and it takes a bit for it to navigate down through the cogs, even if you're cruising along at 40 mph. The manual shift mode works better than I expected, with the gearbox holding the gear you picked and downshifting on its own only when coming to a complete stop. It feels silly, though -- shifting your own gears in a two-ton-plus cross dresser. If you want driving excitement with your family car, pony up the extra cash and head over to your local BMW dealer and grab an X5.
Looking for a roomy, three-row, $38,000 crossover that you won't be embarrassed to be seen in, provided you're a soccer mom or the husband of one? Then the Veracruz is your machine. Matt Stone isn't kidding when he says the Veracruz stacks up well against the Lexus RX.
Writen by Kirill Ougarov
Photos by Julia LaPalme
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