It's almost hard to believe that 25 years ago, anything made by the Hyundai Motor Group was pointed at and laughed at. The interior quality wasn't the best, the styling was drab, and overall, driving one of these vehicles was just not a good experience. Fast forward to today, and things couldn't be more different.
The Hyundai Motor Group has truly risen, the story of which is documented in the Richard M. Steers book "Made in Korea." HMG now excels at just about every aspect of building cars, including powertrains.
One of the more commonly used powertrains made by the group, especially for larger automobiles, is the Lambda V6 engine. This engine first appeared in 2006, and we've seen plenty of versions of it. Various capacities, induction systems, multipoint and direct injection, and even versions that run on the Eastern European favorite, LPG aka autogas or propane autogas.
There aren't many HMG vehicles left today that use the surprisingly sturdy and powerful Lambda V6, but there are still a few that you can buy, as well as a handful of pretty recent ones on the used market. At the start of the 2020s, Kia revealed its largest SUV for the North American market that would provide transportation for larger families at an affordable price. One step above the Sorento, the Telluride can be seen as a spiritual successor to the Borrego.
While the Borrego was a total flop, however, the Telluride has proven much more successful, and with good reason. While the rest of Kia's lineup emb.