The Truth About Cars » Hyundai

Test Drive: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Y20 [Korean-Spec]

Walter Foreman — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:37:38 +0000

Hyundai’s on a roll. It wasn’t too long ago that the only things its cars generated were pollution and repair bills. Today, however, Hyundai cars are generating awards, increased sales, and most importantly, opinions. Read the comments section of any post on anything Hyundai, and people will have something to say. Many have good [...]

Review: 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring

FreedMike — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:49:36 +0000

In a very short time, Hyundai has made an amazing transformation from basket case to the automotive equivalent of a “nice girl” – dependable, easy to live with, and undemanding. But can Hyundai get its nice girls to do tequila shots and dance on tables from time to time? The conventional wisdom was that the much-heralded Genesis sedan and coupe would be the Hyundais that bucked the trend, but they were variations on the same old Hyundai theme. As it turns out, the rebel Hyundai is an unlikely one - the Elantra Touring, a five door hatchback version of the Elantra sedan. Unlike the sedan, which has all the excitement of C-SPAN, the European-developed Touring has the same eager, quick-to-corner, drive-me-until-I-cry-uncle feel that you normally find in a Mazda 3, with the interior space of a midsize sedan and hatchback practicality tossed in as part of the deal.

2009 Hyundai Sonata SE

Michael Karesh — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:03:03 +0000

Quick: name a Hyundai sports sedan. Can’t do it, can you? If there’s ever been one, I’m not aware of it. No, the late unlamented Hyundai Elantra GT doesn’t count. Even with a red “GT” on the rump, the suspension tuning decidedly prioritized ride quality over handling. Perhaps “GT” means “standard leather” in Korean? But let’s not count Hyundai out just yet; there’s no Sonata GT in the lineup at the moment. Meanwhile, for 2009, the Korean manufacturer has quietly dipped a toe into the sport sedan pool by adding a “sport suspension” to the Sonata SE. This site has deemed the Sonata—in GLS form—“a great car for people who don’t care all that much about cars.” Do firmer springs and dampers transform the midsize sedan into “a great car for people who do care about cars?”

Review: 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 (Grand Touring)

Mike Solowiow — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:11:28 +0000

In comparison to the Genesis sedan, the Genesis Coupe has appeared on dealer lots like a Stealth bomber sliding into Whiteman. Either Hyundai thinks their new two-door makes such a strong impression it doesn't need a huge marketing campaign to jump-start the public imagination, or they blew their wad with the sedan. Whatever Hyundai's intentions, the Genesis Coupe speaks for itself, surpassing its current competitors in the pony car market. (2010 Ford Mustang test to follow.) If you're looking for a rear-wheel drive, high powered sporty car at recession friendly pricing, exodus forms on the right.

Review: 2009 Hyundai Sonata GLS

Michael Martineck — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:28:14 +0000

The Hyundai Sonata is a great car for people who don't care all that much about cars. That's not a slam. I have a friend who considers his car a device for moving bicycles around. Another buddy would drive a large teapot if it promised a cheap commute. These are bright, successful guys for whom "driving dynamics" are as valuable as GPS on a squirrel (hunters excluded). These motorists deserve a decent ride. Once again, Hyundai's stepped up to the pump with an automobile that's so generic you expect to find it in the paper towel section of your local supermarket.

Comparo: Lexus RX350 vs. Hyundai Veracruz

Sajeev Mehta — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:55:12 +0000

A note to TTAC’s Best and Brightest: if this comparo sounds oddly familiar, that’s because something stinks. But it’s not the husky, malodorous adhesives wafting from the pleather-wrapped Hyundai Veracuz. Nor is it the you-gotta-be-kidding me popularity of a premium-priced Toyota Camry sitting on stilts. The funk comes from mentioning both in the same breath. But I swear on the effeminate grille of a B9 Tribeca that I’ve never read a certain Motor Trend review elucidating this very notion. Fair enough?

Comparo: 2009 Hyundai Elantra vs. 2009 Kia Spectra

Anthony Erickson — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:39:26 +0000

In the last ten years or so, Hyundai decided it’d be fun to build things that resemble cars that people want to buy. In the process, the Korean automaker acquired struggling brother Kia. As you'd expect, the company offers the now-essential model in any current car range: the budget-priced, fuel-efficient compact car. In fact, American buyers hunting in that market segment can choose between Hyundai's Hyundai Elantra and the Kia Spectra. Is it a distinction without a difference, in the not-so-grand tradition of General Motors? Let's have a look to each model’s respective brochures...

2009 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 Review

Sajeev Mehta — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:46:33 +0000

One of the cornerstones of TTAC's existence is reminding the auto industry that "those who don't learn from the mistakes of the past are destined to repeat them." As a corollary we can say that learning from history's successes forms part of the recipe for a flat-out victory in today's highly segmented, price sensitive market. We have seen almost two decades since the boring sheetmetal of the Lexus LS400 hit our shores, forever changing the way we think about luxury cars. Fast forwarding along that school of thought brings us to the new, V8-powered, Hyundai Genesis 4.6.

Review: 2009 Hyundai Genesis 3.8 V6

Justin Berkowitz — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:01:45 +0000

In 2002, my friend Patrick threw a glass ashtray at me in a bar in Boston. “Berzerkowitz!” he barked, celebrating the successful hit right in the middle of my forehead. That’s how he said hi. The next morning, once he sobered up, and my face still hurt like a sonofabitch, we went for a ride in the car he rented for the weekend. “It’s the most generic car I have ever driven,” Pat told me from the driver’s seat of a Hyundai XG350L.

Hyundai Elantra Review

Justin Berkowitz — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 11:22:08 +0000

Look in Hyundai’s high school yearbook and you’ll see “most improved.” Almost every model the Korean automaker has sent stateside has been a quantum leap forward from its predecessor. The Elantra's roots stretch back to the Excel, which excelled at falling apart. The Elantra name survived; the model went from crap, to cheap, to "say that's not bad." Now we've got the fourth generation Elantra. Does the all-new iteration follow the Sonata and Santa Fe in Hyundai's relentless march from cars you buy because they're dirt cheap to cars you buy because why the Hell should I pay more?

Hyundai Santa Fe Review

Justin Berkowitz — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 11:53:03 +0000

Back before gas prices scared SUV owners sensible, most CUV’s were “cute utes.” As the SUV exodus gathered pace, several abandoned truck makers figured SUV refugees were ~~a bit half-assed~~ not fully committed to downsizing. They built CUV’s that are only slightly smaller than their SUV’s, only without the towing capacity, off-road ability and, most importantly, extreme thirst. Never one to miss a trick, the transplants have been growing their CUV’s to nibble away at the same market. Case in point: the Hyundai Santa Fe.

Hyundai Accent Review

admin — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 12:42:22 +0000

The Yugo and Excel are automotive nameplates synonymous with pistonhead schadenfreude. Yet both models sold well (at least initially). Their success proves two things: 1) you can flog just about anything if the price is low enough and 2) building a car for the lowest possible price does nothing to elevate the automotive arts. While the Yugo has gone to the place where forgettable cars are eventually forgotten (save by those who endured them), Hyundai’s successor to the Excel, the Accent, still strives for, um, sales. After twenty years of evolution, is the Accent still a contender for a Forbes’ best product?

Hyundai Tiburon Tuscani Review

Lesley Wimbush — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 11:14:56 +0000

Tuscany. The name evokes images of dining al-fresco in pastel stucco courtyards watching sleek 12-cylinder convertibles cruise by, their impossibly chic passengers hiding behind oversized shades. Tuscani. The name evokes an automotive product that wants to proclaim Italian flare but doesn’t have the necessary accent or copyright. To those who delight in unmasking fake Rolexes and other pretentious twaddle, the Tuscani is an instant classic: a car that pays homage to a Ferrari 456 GT made in South Korea.

Hyundai Azera Limited Review

C Douglas Weir — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

There are three basic markets for any car: price, value (price plus quality) and quality (price no object). Automobiles aimed at the top and bottom of the food chain are relatively easy to produce; price-oriented manufacturers can let things slide, quality-oriented carmakers can afford perfection. Value is a bitch. Automakers in this arena have got to do it all, do it right and do it at a price. One false step and competitors on either side of the financial divide reach down or reach up and snatch your bread and butter. In short, the new Hyundai Azera is something of a miracle: a car that hits the value bulls-eye with supernatural precision.

Hyundai Sonata LX Review

Robert Farago — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000

You know what I love about the new Hyundai Sonata? Nothing. You know what I hate about it? Nothing. In other words, it's a hit. Out there in the real world-- away from the elitist, over-educated automotive palate of a professional car reviewer-- any vehicle that asks nothing whatsoever of its owner is guaranteed a place in the average American motorists' affections. If the automobile in question is cheap, reliable, comfortable and inoffensive, millions of people will buy it, love it and, eventually, buy another one. The new Hyundai Sonata is all that, and more. Not much more, but some…

Aesthetically, you've got to credit Hyundai for their tireless pursuit of total inoffensiveness. Rather than stick with any one of the company's four previous schnozzes, the Sonata's designers opted for yet another round of plastic surgery. This one's a winner; it's vaguely Japanese, completely unobjectionable and utterly forgettable. The Sonata's front end is proof positive that it's easier to copy a copy (i.e. the Honda Accord) than it is to knock-off an original. The same principle holds true for the rest of the Sonata's sheet metal; it's a riff on the Ford 500's riff on the Audi A6. For people who can't afford the real deal, or even recognize it when they see it, the Sonata is a perfectly judged pastiche.