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The new Accent is the latest major redesign from Hyundai to up the ante considerably over its previous version. The old Accent was a nice little car, but nothing particularly special, as was expected generally from Hyundai back then. But the most recent Hyundais I've driven, from the reborn Santa Fe and Sonata to the all-new Azera and Entourage, are vehicles that can compete head to head with the competition from anywhere in the world. This Accent continues that happy trend. If you're looking at something in the Fit/Yaris ball park, this one's well worth consideration. more.... Another Hit for Hyundai with its new Santa Fe? SUVs may be evil incarnate to some, but that isn't stopping the automotive industry from continuing to create interesting and, in many if not most cases, increasingly efficient new versions of the species. Enter the 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. This isn't just an upgrade of the previous model, it's a whole new beast, bigger and more upmarket than before and with a third row of seats that was previously unavailable in a Hyundai SUV. It's quite the looker, too. more.... Hyundai Entourage – A Winner of a Minivan Entourage. According to Webster's, it's "a group of attendants or associates, as of a person of rank or importance: The opera singer traveled with an entourage of 20 people." Not the central figure, then, but the hangers on. Well hang on! For Hyundai, the word means they're finished hanging around watching other companies sell minivans, and are leaping into fray themselves. One would think that if "Hyundai Come Lately" is going to be noticed in a market already crowded with good examples, it'll have to be really good. Fortunately, it is. more... Hyundai Azera – A Large Corporate Statement If you think Hyundai threw down a gauntlet with its new Sonata, wait'll you see their new flagship, the Azera! The Korean automaker's brand new premium sedan, the replacement for the XG350, is a beautiful car, exquisitely executed – a vehicle that will undoubtedly help propel Hyundai's well-deserved climb up the ladder of automotive credibility. more... Hyundai has really upped the ante with its new Sonata sedan. The automaker, which was once the butt of jokes, has been working hard to overcome that past and has been doing an excellent job of it. Such vehicles as the Tucson SUV, the second generation Tiburon and even its updated Elantra and Accent, have gone a long way toward ensuring the company is taken seriously. more... Hyundai Expands SUV Line with Tucson Hyundai has upped its SUV ante with the new compact ute Tucson. Why, when it already sells plenty of its Santa Fe? Profitability probability, undoubtedly. The Tucson is smaller than the Santa Fe, as well as being a little more “entry level,” so it allows the Korean automaker an opportunity to introduce a handsome new vehicle and give itself the potential to move the Santa Fe upmarket. more... Hyundai Accent Opens New Doors for ‘05 What do you do to make a good value even better? Add a hatch, if you’re Hyundai updating its popular entry level Accent. When I test drove previous models of the Accent I thought they were nice vehicles that would make a very good first car for someone just getting into the market, or a nice second car for someone who wants a decent commuter vehicle that’ll get the job done without making a fuss or breaking the bank. It would also work well for folk who tow a little car behind their behemoth RV’s to use for running around once they’ve set up shop in an RV park. more... 2005 Santa Fe Ups Its Own Ante For the 2004 model year, Hyundai offered a major upgrade to its popular Santa Fe SUV: a top of the line model that sports a bigger engine and five speed automatic transmission also found in the company’s XG350 luxury sedan. And the result was a very nice SUV, not that the Santa Fe was a slug to start with. The Santa Fe GLS 3.5 V6 AWD comes with a 3.5 litre six cylinder engine (as opposed to the standard 2.7 litre). Horsepower and torque go from 170 horses @ 6,000 rpm in the base V6 to 200 @ 5,500 rpm, and torque rises from 181 @ 4,000 rpm to 219 @ 3,500 rpm. The difference is obvious the first time you tromp on the gas pedal. more... '04 Elantras Turn in Nice Drives Well, hasn't Hyundai been cutting a swath in the automotive marketplace recently? And judging by my experience with the company’s 2004 offerings, it seems well on the way to carving out quite a respectable niche in automotive history. Hyundai likes to say it offers more car for less money and the '04 Elantra is pretty good evidence of that. more... Hyundai Accent-ing the Positive It must be tough being Hyundai and trying to overcome the “Rodney Dangerfield Syndrome.” It’s tough to get respect, that is. After all, while Hyundai may be Korea’s largest automaker, it’s facing a real challenge in a marketplace teeming with terrific cars; it has to offer quality and value comparable to longer-established marques who’ve had decades to refine even their entry level vehicles. more... 2004 Santa Fe Ups Its Own Ante Hyundai’s Santa fe has always been a nice SUV, but for 2004 the Korean carmaker has added “really” to that description. All it took was some tasteful upgrading of the interior and the addition of the running gear from the company’s XG350 luxury sedan. A luxury sedan? Yep. This year, the Santa fe is also available with that other car’s very nice 3.5 liter six cylinder engine and five speed automatic transmission, along with assorted other interesting tweaks and wrinkles. more... Hyundai Tiberon Tuscani Ups its Sporting Ante Hot on the heels of its hot new Tiburon design, Hyundai has offered kind of a “version 1.5” in the racy Tiburon Tuscani. It's basically the high end Tiburon, but with a few new tweaks and toys added to sweeten the deal. And, as with the “garden variety” Tiburon GS-R I drove last time, it's a blast to drive. This version comes in what Hyundai refers to as “Tuscani Yellow,” which is a racy and bright shade that nearly cries out “Hey, Officer! Come and get me!” This can be like poking at fate with a pointy finger if, like me, you tend to have a foot made of one of the heavier elements. more... Hyundai Tiburon Sports Car a Blast If anyone still has doubts that Hyundai is serious about being taken seriously as a real player in the automotive marketplace, their new Tiburon should dispel them. The version of the new Tiburon that I drove for a week is not only terrific looking, it’s fully equipped and, best of all, it’s fast and fun to drive. It was the top of the line GS-R model (you can also get base, SE, and GT models) and if there was something Hyundai had forgotten to put in it never leapt out at me. more... High End Hyundai XG350 a Highly Happy Hauler Hyundai continues to prove it's making strides against the competition with its entry into the luxury sedan market. And with the 2004 XG350, it's proving that while it's knocking on the door - it isn't quite ready yet to come into the house. But, ah, they're sure making some nice vehicles! Will the XG350 do the job for them of bringing mainstream credibility to the marque? It's hard to say. It's a heck of a good start, and a darn nice car, but considering its price and features there are other cars out there that offer more refinement for the same dollar. The Honda Accord springs to mind. more... Santa Fe Introduces Front Driver Last year, the Hyundai Santa fe entered the market as an affordable four wheeler. This year, the Korean carmaker is tweaking its first SUV, offering a two wheel drive version for people who want the convenience of an SUV but who don't plan to go off-road or drive through a lot of snow. This is the version I recently test drove and it seems like a decent vehicle, though I must confess that I preferred the four wheel driver. more... Hyundai Composes a Sweet Sonata for 2002 Who'd have thought that Hyundai would have the wherewithal to tackle the best selling Honda Accord and Toyota Camry? It does, if the $18,324 Sonata LX I've been driving for the past week is any indication. This four door sedan is handsome, performs well, seems well built, and offers just about all the toys you could want. And that's just the beginning. more... Hyundai Elantra Offers Bang for the Buck The 2002 Hyundai Elantra is a good example of how the Korean auto company has started to mature. Time was when Hyundai cranked out Ponys with few horses and Stellars that weren't particularly. But that was then and now Hyundai is threatening to give the Japanese giants a real run for your money. And that's good news for consumers. more... 2001 Santa Fe Gets Big Things Right The 2001 Hyundai Sante Fe is no Acura MDX. Then again, it doesn't pretend to be. The $20,499 Sante Fe is priced only a bit more than half the MDX's sticker - and even the respected Mazda Tribute/Ford Escape twins are about four grand more than the Hyundai. So how much do you sacrifice to save that money? more... Korea's leading automaker's entry level model has a tough job. It has to offer as much as possible for as little as possible, while assuring potential customers that their modest investment won't turn around and bite them a few miles down the road. To that end, Hyundai's 2001 Accent does a good balancing act. On one hand, it's a sporty-looking (in a dumpy way) and fairly stripped down three door hatchback, while on the other it displays good fit and finish and offers more than adequate power and performance. more...
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