Among Korean drivers, stress experienced by owners of foreign cars while driving is mostly due to problems with their vehicles, according to a survey cited by the Korea Times.
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Renault Samsung Motors’ customers reported feeling the least stress over their cars, followed by those of Hyundai, Kia and Ssangyong, according to F-inside, an automobile marketing company, the paper said.
In a survey of 16,949 drivers who bought a brand new car last year, F-inside said 40.1% had encountered stress due to discomfort, anxiety, loss and anger over their cars.
Around 23.6% of Renault Samsung buyers had been troubled by their car at least once, the lowest among the five domestic automakers. Hyundai scored 37.1%, followed by Kia (43.9%), GM Daewoo (47.2%) and Ssangyong (54.8%).
In contrast, 42.6% of imported car buyers had been troubled by their vehicles once. It may mean that drivers of expensive cars have high expectations of their vehicles or that these owners are more sophisticated than the buyers of Korean cars, an analyst told the Korea Times.
In the SP100, or stress per one hundred vehicles, Renault Samsung scored the lowest mark of 57, while Hyundai was runner up with 102. Kia and GM Daewoo received 134 and 136, respectively while Ssangyong received the highest with 182.
Of the 33 models polled, Renault Samsung’s SM5 gave buyers the least stress with the lowest 56.8%, followed by Renault Samsung’s SM3, Hyundai’s Click, Grandeur XG and Verna, the paper noted.
