"gin-san - shitpost specialist" (gin-san-)
04/25/2016 at 11:50 • Filed to: Korea
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"gin-san - shitpost specialist" (gin-san-)
04/25/2016 at 11:50 • Filed to: Korea | 3
| 12 |
In brief: Koreans love their big sedans, and they keep it Korean, so Hyundai and Kia rule there, along with their spinoff “brands” like Genesis and Equus. Those upmarket names are treated as brands and thus you don’t see any Hyundai badging on Genesis/Equus, and they all have their own model designations; this is unlike North America where we get a Genesis and an Equus.
My uncle recently bought a K9 (the K900 in North America) and I gotta say it’s pretty damn nice. I don’t really have a basis for comparison since I’ve never been a passenger in a premium-brand large sedan like those from German or Japanese marques, but it was pretty damn comfortable. I can’t imagine buying a new K900/Genesis/Equus in North America since depreciation on Korean cars is heavy, but it would definitely be something I’d consider as a used purchase simply due to value for your dollar.
As a lover of small cars, I did like the Kia Ray, of which there were many:
It’s small, and the boxy shape is reminiscent of the Nissan Cube; it looks like a Kia Soul which had all its angles taken away. Seoul is a traffic congestion nightmare, and the parking situation is dire, so something like this would be very practical in that sense.
In Seoul, where image is important, you see a lot of black, full-size sedans like the Azera and Cadenza (respectively known as the Grandeur and K7 in NA) while the rich drive equally black MB S-Classes.
Cars, for the most part, are very bland with the variations being model number designations and which part of the grayscale the buyer likes the most.
However, once you get to richer parts like Yeouido and Gangnam, you start to see more interesting things:
For those with a keen eye, that is also a Maybach in the background; yes, these are street-parked. Parking is at a premium and is a HUGE problem in Seoul as a lot of older apartments weren’t designed with adequate underground parking, if at all.
I didn’t see too many flashy cars: I saw a yellow Ferrari 360 with a tricolore stripe; a new Ferrari California, and an Aventador which had all the angles accented with white stripes while the rest of the car was black. I only spotted these because of their boisterous engine notes.
All that said, driving in Seoul is really unfortunate: congestion is a nightmare and driving etiquette is pretty much non-existent. You’re much better off using the subway system where possible, since the buses are subject to the same awful congestion except from the roads where they do have their own dedicated lanes.
For the true driver, the best place to go is located at the south of the country. Our family had gone to a maritime city called Geoje (pronounced like guh-jeh) and the mountain roads there were much like what you see in Initial D: lots of curvy roads, tight corners, and elevation changes where an agile, small car would be an absolute dream to drive (a Lotus would be at home here). Although there is still a little bit of traffic to deal with, there’s no congestion: the moments where you’d find open road would be any driver’s dream.
If you guys have any questions (car related or not) I’d be happy to try and answer them if I haven’t dozed off while trying to adjust to this time difference. I’ll leave you with one of the panoramas I shot while in Geoje:
Dr_Doctor
> gin-san - shitpost specialist
04/25/2016 at 12:00 |
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I like the looks of the Ray, it looks like the old Gen 1 Scion xB.
Is it the size of a Soul or is it closer to a kei car?
not for canada - australian in disguise
> gin-san - shitpost specialist
04/25/2016 at 12:08 |
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I’m surprised the Kei-esque formula of the Ray hasn’t gotten more popular in Korea. The Ray is one of the only Korean cars I can think of like that.
Basically, what I’m saying is we need a KDM Kei cars. Weird that a country with that amount of parking woes would be so big into big sedans and the like.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> gin-san - shitpost specialist
04/25/2016 at 12:14 |
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Worth mention outside of the Equus and Genesis, there’s also the Ssangyong Chairman.
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> not for canada - australian in disguise
04/25/2016 at 12:18 |
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SK isn’t really in quite the same stew that Japan is, parking-wise. Once you get down-country away from Seoul, it’s almost more of a Europe paradigm. Lots of crowded city/town space, but if you really need a car you can have one stashed somewhere - and long drives on the “gosogdolo” (new romanization spelling, which is crap) are worth having a big car for.
extraspecialbitter
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
04/25/2016 at 12:35 |
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Also, lots of Chevy Express conversion vans used by celebs.
just-a-scratch
> gin-san - shitpost specialist
04/25/2016 at 12:52 |
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From what I was told, the taxes to import cars are huge. Consequently, the Korean brands are much, much more numerous on the streets. Imports were described as significant status symbols.
Also, I don’t remember seeing many Japanese cars there. You know, there must be some people with long memories. Korea, Japan, and China haven’t always treated each other well.
I can only remember seeing one pickup truck in Seoul, likely driven by a US military stationed there.
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gin-san - shitpost specialist
> just-a-scratch
04/25/2016 at 13:31 |
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I believe this is correct, and as a result a lot of imported vehicles are actually company/business vehicles and are treated as those expenses.
You’re right about the whole Japan/Korea relationship; I think I saw less than 10 Hondas the whole time I was there, and I saw maybe three Toyotas (one of which was a new Prius, which I thought looked ghastly).
I saw no pickup trucks at all.
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gin-san - shitpost specialist
> not for canada - australian in disguise
04/25/2016 at 13:33 |
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With the overcrowding of roads in Seoul, I’m surprised myself. Cars like the Cooper or 500 should be a lot more popular, but it’s mostly full-size sedans and crossover-types which really doesn’t help their situation.
Outside of Seoul is a lot more reasonable from what I saw.
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gin-san - shitpost specialist
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
04/25/2016 at 13:34 |
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Yep, I thought it was just an old Equus at first.
Ssangyongs are quite tragic to look at; I’m glad we don’t get them in NA.
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> gin-san - shitpost specialist
04/25/2016 at 13:39 |
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The old Chairman was based on the W124 Benz, and is thus bulletproof. I saw them everywhere back in... I think it was 2011 when I was there last. The new Chairman is a lot lumpier and more awkward looking, but also has mostly Benz derived mechanicals.
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> gin-san - shitpost specialist
04/25/2016 at 13:43 |
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I can’t recall having seen any US style pickups there, but cabover small pickups with utility beds (fold-down sides) are, of course, everywhere. I’m given to understand that it’s largely the lingering status considerations of working physically for a living that makes pride in owning a pickup truck pretty much anathema... so it’s just something you use to get a job done.
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gin-san - shitpost specialist
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
04/25/2016 at 17:23 |
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There’s definitely plenty of those - I think in terms of utility they’re very useful but you’re right: for Koreans, labour work is looked down upon compared to your educated businessman.
The only pickup style vehicle is probably the Ssangyong take on the Honda Ridgeline:
I did see a few with exposed beds but most had the cap installed. This one looks rather normal but from the back it has very strange proportions. None that I saw appeared to be vehicles used for delivery or blue-collar work.