Hyundai Veracruz

Hyundai Veracruz: Which Version to Buy and Why

The Hyundai Veracruz was produced from 2006 to 2015 as an SUV 5-doors in a single generation. Choosing among its six listed versions comes down to engine character and drivetrain: the 3.0 AT Diesel is available with 240 hp or 255 hp and either FWD or AWD, while the 3.8 AT Gasoline has 260 hp or 264 hp and AWD.

The Hyundai Veracruz was produced from 2006 to 2015 as an SUV 5-doors in a single generation. Choosing among its six listed versions comes down to engine character and drivetrain: the 3.0 AT Diesel is available with 240 hp or 255 hp and either FWD or AWD, while the 3.8 AT Gasoline has 260 hp or 264 hp and AWD. The 3.8 AT versions deliver the quickest measured acceleration, but the 3.0 AT Diesel provides substantially more torque and, where consumption was measured, uses less fuel.

Hyundai Veracruz generations and versions

The Hyundai Veracruz has one generation, built from 2006 to 2015. This 1 generation uses an SUV 5-doors body and contains six versions in the supplied catalogue data. Because there is no second generation in the data, the buying comparison is entirely between engines, output levels and drivetrains rather than between successive designs.

The six entries consist of four 3.0 AT Diesel versions and two 3.8 AT Gasoline versions. Repeated names must be distinguished by power and drive: the 240 hp 3.0 AT appears with FWD and AWD, the 255 hp 3.0 AT appears with AWD and FWD, and the 3.8 AT AWD appears with either 260 hp or 264 hp.

Engine and drivetrain specs

All engines are mounted Front, transverse and have 4 valves per cylinder. The 3.0 AT Diesel has an 87 × 92 bore and stroke in every listing. The 260 hp 3.8 AT Gasoline has a 96 × 87 bore and stroke, a 10.4 compression ratio and Distributed injection (multi-point); its 264 hp counterpart also has Distributed injection (multi-point), but bore and stroke and compression ratio are not measured.

Output per litre separates the choices clearly. The 240 hp 3.0 AT produces about 81.1 hp per litre, while the 255 hp 3.0 AT reaches about 86.2 hp per litre. The 260 hp 3.8 AT develops about 68.8 hp per litre, and the 264 hp 3.8 AT about 69.9 hp per litre. Moving from the 240 hp Diesel to the 255 hp Diesel therefore adds 15 hp and 20 Nm without increasing displacement. Moving from the 260 hp Gasoline version to the 264 hp one adds 4 hp, while torque remains 348 Nm.

Performance and fuel economy

The two 3.8 AT AWD versions share the quickest measured 0–100 km/h time at 8.3 seconds. They are 0.8 seconds quicker than the 255 hp 3.0 AT FWD, 0.9 seconds quicker than the 255 hp 3.0 AT AWD, 1.1 seconds quicker than the 240 hp 3.0 AT FWD and 2.4 seconds quicker than the 240 hp 3.0 AT AWD.

Only one Diesel entry has complete consumption data. Compared with that 240 hp 3.0 AT AWD, either 3.8 AT AWD uses 5.2 l/100 km more in the city, 1.5 l/100 km more on the highway and 2.8 l/100 km more combined. These are direct comparisons between measured figures; economy for the other three Diesel entries is not measured.

Top speed is 190 km/h for the 240 hp 3.0 AT AWD and both 3.8 AT AWD versions. Top speed for the 240 hp 3.0 AT FWD and both 255 hp 3.0 AT versions is not measured. The 240 hp 3.0 AT AWD is classified Euro 4; the environmental class of every other version is not measured.

Dimensions, weight and practical specs

Wheel sizes are not measured for any Hyundai Veracruz version in the data. All six versions have 205 mm of ground clearance and a 78-litre tank. Each also uses Independent, spring suspension at both ends and Disc brakes at the front and rear.

Among versions with measured kerb weight, the 255 hp 3.0 AT FWD is the lightest at 2035 kg. It weighs 80 kg less than the 255 hp 3.0 AT AWD and 185 kg less than either the 240 hp 3.0 AT AWD or 264 hp 3.8 AT AWD. Its weight-to-power ratio is about 8.0 kg per hp, compared with 8.3 kg per hp for the 255 hp Diesel AWD, 9.25 kg per hp for the 240 hp Diesel AWD, 8.1 kg per hp for the 260 hp Gasoline AWD and 8.4 kg per hp for the 264 hp Gasoline AWD. A kerb-weight ratio cannot be calculated for the 240 hp 3.0 AT FWD because its kerb weight is not measured.

Which Hyundai Veracruz version should you buy?

Choose the 255 hp 3.0 AT FWD when the strongest measured Diesel performance is the priority and AWD is unnecessary. It combines 470 Nm with a 9.1-second 0–100 km/h time, and at 2035 kg it has the lowest measured kerb weight. Against the 240 hp 3.0 AT FWD, it adds 15 hp and 20 Nm and reduces the measured acceleration time by 0.3 seconds. Its top speed and fuel consumption are not measured.

Choose the 255 hp 3.0 AT AWD when you want the higher-output Diesel with AWD. It retains the same 255 hp and 470 Nm as the FWD version, but weighs 80 kg more and reaches 100 km/h 0.1 seconds later. Compared with the 240 hp 3.0 AT AWD, it supplies 15 additional hp and 20 additional Nm, weighs 105 kg less and cuts 1.5 seconds from the measured 0–100 km/h time. Its economy and top speed are not measured, so those points cannot be compared numerically.

Choose the 240 hp 3.0 AT AWD when complete measured Diesel economy and top-speed figures matter more than maximum output. Its 9.4 l/100 km combined consumption is the lowest measured combined figure in the supplied data, and its top speed is 190 km/h. The trade-off is the slowest measured acceleration, at 10.7 seconds to 100 km/h.

Choose either 3.8 AT AWD for the quickest measured acceleration. Both reach 100 km/h in 8.3 seconds, both have a 190 km/h top speed, and both record 17.6 l/100 km city, 9.1 l/100 km highway and 12.2 l/100 km combined. The 264 hp version adds only 4 hp over the 260 hp version and has the same 348 Nm and performance figures. Moreover, its measured kerb weight is 110 kg higher. On the supplied numbers alone, the 260 hp 3.8 AT is the more convincing performance choice: it matches the 264 hp version’s measured speed and economy while delivering a slightly better calculated weight-to-power ratio.

For the broadest balance of measured output, torque, acceleration and AWD, the 255 hp 3.0 AT AWD stands out. For minimum measured fuel use, the 240 hp 3.0 AT AWD has the only complete Diesel consumption record. For outright measured acceleration, the 260 hp 3.8 AT AWD is the strongest numerical proposition because the 264 hp version brings no measured performance advantage. Reliability, problems, prices and equipment cannot determine the choice here because those facts are not present in the supplied data.