In this week’s Ask Nathan:
- Please build the Hyundai Boulder now!
- Monterey Car Week sucks?
The first question comes from a Facebook follower who asked about the Hyundai Boulder
Q (Via Facebook): RE: Hyundai Boulder production?
I can’t get enough of the Hyundai Boulder. I am so sick of there being so few choices for 4×4 SUVs. Can we stop with the endless Jeep and Bronco comparisons? I know there’s others like the 4Runner but it’s not quite there.
Now I see this Hyundai Boulder and I wonder if that is my next vehicle. I have been nursing my 2002 Jeep Wrangler for a while and it’s falling apart. Not a bad vehicle but nothing special either. I think the older Wranglers were misunderstood. They work better off-road when you leave the thing alone. Maybe some better tires and shocks but forget those stupid massive lifts. All of that weight and build up ruins the thing.
Anyway. I want something that can go off-road and looks cool. All of that with a fat warranty! I want the Hyundai Boulder!
Are they building it or not?
– Young G
A: Something like the Hyundai Boulder concept is being developed!
Oh, I completely understand why you’re obsessed with the Boulder. And I have good news, with one very important asterisk.
Are they building the Hyundai Boulder?
Sort of.
Hyundai has officially confirmed that it is developing a new body-on-frame midsize pickup for the U.S., with production targeted for 2030. The Boulder Concept is specifically described by Hyundai as a design study that previews the architecture for that truck. Hyundai also says future body-on-frame vehicles will be designed, developed and built in America using Hyundai’s U.S.-produced steel.
But here’s the frustrating part:
Hyundai has not confirmed that the Boulder SUV itself will go into production.
And that distinction matters.
The Boulder is officially a SUV-shaped design preview of Hyundai’s first U.S. body-on-frame vehicle architecture. That architecture is confirmed for a production midsize pickup, but Hyundai hasn’t said, “Yes, we’re building this SUV.”
And frankly, that’s the part that makes me want to bang my head against a rock. Because this is exactly the Hyundai so many consumers want.
Right now, the production midsize Hyundai pickup is the confirmed vehicle. The Boulder SUV is not. Hyundai has given us a very serious hint about where it is going, but it hasn’t promised that the SUV will make the trip.
And that’s a shame.
Because Hyundai may have accidentally stumbled onto something that the market desperately needs. A proper, relatively attainable, American-built off-road SUV from a company that isn’t Jeep, Ford or Toyota. I’d buy that.
And if Hyundai builds something reasonably close to the Boulder, keeps the weight under control, gives it legitimate four-wheel drive and puts that big Hyundai warranty behind it, I might be standing in line right beside you.
Just don’t make us wait until 2030!
— N
The last question comes from a fan who hated this year’s Pebble Beach Car Week.
Q (Via Facebook): RE: I’m done with Car Week.
This is my last year going to the Pebble Beach Automotive Week. It’s so frustrating. There are so many BMW punks and massive crowds; it makes little sense to spend thousands to participate. Plus, I used to meet interesting people and legendary journalists whom I followed. Now I meet arrogant “journalists” who are more interested in selfies and catered playtime than stories. The remaining attendees who were interesting are dying out. It’s sad.
Do you still go to this mad house? I remember you guys did, from time to time. Let me give you a word of advice: don’t bother anymore. It’s a masterclass in wasted money.
I hope you’re doing well in California.
— Justice EE63
A: Yes, I’ve head about how bad things are getting.
The saddest part is watching the old guard disappear. Many of the journalists and industry veterans who made these events interesting are retiring or simply attending fewer events. The people replacing them aren’t always interested in the same things.
I don’t care how many followers you have if you can’t explain how a suspension works. Or busted a knuckle or two wrenching on an engine. Or, (at the very least) understand what makes a car special. For the love of god.
Give me the guy with 2,000 readers/followers who spends three hours talking to an engineer about suspension geometry. That’s my guy. I’ll buy him a beer.
A friend attended the event this year and said it wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d expected. He did, however, notice some of the same things that bother me.
So maybe we’re not completely yelling at clouds.
I don’t hate social media. I don’t hate influencers. And I don’t hate change.
I just miss automotive journalism being about cars and journalism.
Maybe that’s old-fashioned.
Fine.
I’ll take old-fashioned.
— N
Here’s the first time TFL Studios covered the event… and we found a MUCH better venue to spotlight!
