Fantastic news for music-loving drivers. If you haven't yet heard much about XM radio, get ready to be informed. Hyundai is the first automaker to launch XM Satellite Radio as standard, factory-installed equipment in every vehicle across its entire model line-up.
Where the Japanese--and increasingly,the Koreans--go, so usually go the rest of us. The first time I heard about XM radio, I was drooling. What with the generally uninsipring--and sometimes downright crappy--music being played on mainstream radio today, somebody had to give us an alternative eventually. The folks who invented XM are doing a great job so far. Here's a site that's got XM fans exchanging info with each other.
Use the free trial to try a lot of the different XM stations. You'll find a tremendous variety (with some variation in quality), and generally you get a whole lot more worth listening to than on your regular radio.
Article comments
1 - alienboy
XM Radio sounds fun. Is it available ex-USA?
Nice story but can I point out one slight inaccuracy? Hyundai is in fact a Korean company and not Japanese, and have been making great new vehicles at fantastic prices for quite some time now.
I was in the local showroom recently and they were offering one of those 7 seat MPV vehicles (I forget the model, but it was top of the range, automatic and with air con too) for only 24,000 Euros (or about 31000$) with a 5 year parts, labour AND roadside assistance guarantee. Now THAT is a guarantee worth having!
I might trade in our Honda Civic for that...
2 - SFC Ski
WEll, AB, I don't think it is, and considering the way the airwaves are regulated in Europe, I'd be surprised to see XM allowed there, but it sure would be a welcome option.
If I'd stayed in West Texas for another year, I would have taken the XM plunge. Now that I have an iPod, at least I have a good option for long road trips.
3 - Barbara Payne
Oh, MAN. That is not the first time I have mistakenly identified Hyundai as a Japanese company. My sincere apologies. Will correct immediately.
I assume XM is available anywhere. You can get it streaming online, too.
4 - SFC Ski
I think if you check the XM website, it tells you that it is a system using 2 or 3 satellites over the US to beeam the music down to your car. If it exapnads to cover Europe, better yet, Baghdad, I am buying the portable receiver ASAP.
5 - Barbara Payne
Thank you! Didn't realize it wasn't international. Guess I automatically associate satellites with global--when, of course, they only can point in so many directions at once... " )