Category Archives: 2009

Hyundai Genesis and Elantra Named AutoPacific 2009 Ideal Vehicle Award Winners

Hyundai models top Audi and Ford competitors in respective categories

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., 06/29/2009 Automotive research and consulting firm AutoPacific named the Hyundai Genesis and Hyundai Elantra 2009 Ideal Vehicles in their respective categories. In the Aspirational Luxury Car category, the Hyundai Genesis beat out top rivals including the Audi A5 and A4, Volvo XC70 and Cadillac CTS, while the Hyundai Elantra topped the Ford Focus, Mazda3 and Kia Spectra in the Compact Car segment. Additionally, the Hyundai Sonata finished second in the Premium Mid-Size Car segment.

AutoPacific’s fourth annual Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVA) rank auto manufacturers for how closely their 2009 model-year cars or trucks came to matching owners’ expectations and criteria. To determine the winners, AutoPacific asked owners to rate their new car or truck on how close it came to “ideal” in 15 different categories ranging from power and acceleration to safety features and storage. The vehicles that customers said they would change the least were considered the most “ideal.”

Hyundai has created two vehicles that owners say are nearly perfect just the way they are: their ideal vehicle,” said George Peterson, president, AutoPacific. “Owners of the Genesis and Elantra indicated through AutoPacific’s survey that they are driving a vehicle that meets their expectations, meaning they desire little to no change to their vehicle.”

“Having our models recognized for AutoPacific’s 2009 Ideal Vehicle Awards is a testament to the hard work and dedication that goes into all the vehicles in the Hyundai lineup,” said Scott Margason, director of Product and Strategic Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “At Hyundai, we strive to exceed customer expectations in safety, quality and performance and look forward to continuing to develop more award winning vehicles.”

Hyundai’s Genesis sedan sets a new benchmark in the premium car category. With a starting price of just $33,000, Genesis includes performance and luxury features typically found on vehicles costing thousands of dollars more.

The Hyundai Elantra has unsurpassed standard safety in the compact segment and is equipped with six standard airbags. Elantra includes many extras like standard audio auxiliary input jack – all at an affordable price point any customer will appreciate.

AUTOPACIFIC

AutoPacific is a future-oriented automotive marketing and product-consulting firm. Every year it publishes a wide variety of syndicated studies for the automotive industry. The firm also conducts extensive proprietary research and consulting for auto manufacturers, distributors, marketers and suppliers worldwide. Additional information can be found at AutoPacific.com.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 790 dealerships nationwide.

2009 Hyundai Genesis – First drive: An impressive effort, but still a gamble for Hyundai

Everyone talked about a crisis of confidence. Everyone had an opinion as to what banks, governments and central banks from Maine to Mars had to do to put confidence back into the markets.

That’s what was going on in the world when we got our first drive in the Hyundai Genesis. It is a bold gamble by the rising Korean car company that is confident it can make an attractively priced luxury car, and then go out into the schoolyard and selectively tweak the established class presidents like BMW and Mercedes.

On many fronts, the Genesis should have the establishment worried.

The Genesis is nearly 196 inches long and rides on a 115.6 inch wheelbase. It is a comfortable 74.4 inches wide. To put that in perspective, the car is about the size of an Acura TL, Cadillac STS, and the BMW 5. That is heady territory for an upstart firm that also cranks out the $11,000 Accent. But in driving the car, or even walking around it, you would not guess it is that big.

Interested parties can choose from a responsive 3.8 liter, 290 horsepower V6 or a 4.6 liter 375 horsepower V8 — the firm’s first solo venture into eight cylinders. Both are tied to very smooth six-speed automatics. The V6 we drove seemed to have plenty of get-up-and-go when we floored it away from a tollbooth. Look for zero to 60 in 6.2 seconds. The V8 will hit 60 in 5.7 seconds. Both seemed very refined and silent workers. The 6 is rated at 18-27 mpg by the EPA and the 8 at 17-25 mpg.

Luxury abounds inside, especially at the prices charged. There’s virtually every amenity that one could want, and it’s all just a short reach away. The instruments are easy to read and there is ample room for a 6′ driver, and a 6′ passenger can fit into the rear seats. We think if you took your boss out to lunch in one he would never guess that he was riding in a Hyundai.

“Boy, this car is quiet,” said our fellow auto writer about a dozen times during our test drive. In fact, it was more peaceful inside than the Jag XF that we were also testing at the time. Hyundai kept us on smoothly paved interstates and side roads during our drive, so there was no chance to test the handling of the car. We got the impression that the emphasis is on a soft ride, and the Genesis is not into carving up back roads.
There is a huge trunk out back with 16 cubic feet of storage space — more than enough to stock the house for the next Sunday NFL party.

As for prices, Hyundai can put you in a well-equipped base model V6 for $32,250. The base V8 slides out the door for $37,250, with fully loaded ones breaking the $40,000 mark. We think that latter figure is heavy coin for a Hyundai. It is interesting to note that nowhere on the outside of the vehicle does it say Hyundai. There is the familiar Hyundai symbol on the trunk lid, and the Genesis name just below the right rear tail light. Hmmm. Perhaps Hyundai is considering one day making Genesis a stand-alone model like Lexus or Acura, but that is something they deny, citing the huge set-up cost.
Or maybe, we wondered, the company wants to keep people guessing, “What was that car?” That might create a subtle buzz that could pull people into the showroom thanks to an advertising blitz in upscale magazines. Our bet is that Hyundai is really targeting not BMW or Mercedes, but the Toyota Avalon, lower scale Acuras and other introductory luxury makes. And don’t forget, it doesn’t hurt to have something in the lineup for Azera owners to move up to.

The Genesis is an impressive first effort, but how many customers will trek into a Hyundai dealer for luxury wheels? People investing that much money want the name and the symbols on the car, the kind that says they are doing well and want you to know it. On the other hand, successful shy people, like A Prairie Home Companion’s Norwegian Lutheran bachelor farmers would love the Genesis — nothing that screams fancy, but nice nonetheless and a heck of a lot more comfortable than riding a John Deere.

Hyundai Elantra Touring wagon is a looker

While I’m admittedly partial to the offerings by our domestic carmakers, if a really attractive looking foreign car is introduced, I’m not about to ignore it. Recently Korean automaker Hyundai started delivering a new vehicle to dealers, and it is one handsome crossover/station wagon.

The vehicle I’m speaking of is the subject of today’s column – the 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring. I first heard about the Touring from Rob, my son, who lives in Kalamazoo. Knowing that I’m going to replace my Neon in the months to come and knowing that I’m looking for something economical with a little more utility, he steered me to the Touring. Following a lunch date with Rob in Kalamazoo a few weeks back, I drove over to the local Hyundai dealer and briefly gave the new car the once over. Indeed, it did look nice. Time did not permit me to stay and take the car for a test drive. I postponed that pleasure for a later date.

On a warm sunny day recently I found a few moments and stopped by Signature Hyundai and arranged for a test drive of a new Elantra Touring. The new vehicle was introduced earlier this spring and is arriving at dealers now in increasing numbers. Signature had two models, one on their Napier Avenue lot and one on display at the Orchards Mall.

The model on the lot, and the one I took for a spin, was dark gray with only three options: the Premium Package that included a power tilt and slide sunroof, heated seats and 17′ alloy wheels ($1,500); floor mats ($95); and mudguards ($85). With a starting price of $18,600, the aforementioned options and a destination charge of $695, the Monroney sticker on the side window came to a reasonable $20,975. Sweetening the deal was a $1,500 rebate or 60-month’s financing at 4.39% interest.

I was especially pleased to note in the Elantra Touring’s catalog that the interior can be purchased in beige. That is good news to buyers like myself who won’t purchase a car with black or dark gray interiors. The model I test drove had the gray interior. Fortunately it was a cool day and I survived nicely. Didn’t even have to turn on the standard air conditioning.

Speaking of standard equipment, the Touring comes nearly loaded with no-charge good stuff. Things that make the car so attractive — in addition to its great looks – are the many safety and comfort features on the car. Here are items of note: outdoor temperature gauge, split rear seat, lighted vanity mirrors, express down power windows, cruise control, ABS, electronic stability control, traction control system, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, eight-way adjustable driver’s seat and sport-tuned suspension. All that safety equipment enabled the Touring to garner five stars in driver/passenger frontal crash ratings and four stars on the side crash and rollover tests.

On my brief test drive, I found the Touring to be a competent driver. Power from the two-liter, four-cylinder engine is rated 138 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 137 pounds-feet of torque at 4,600 rpm. The five-speed manual with B&M Racing brand sport shifter is standard; the four-speed manual is optional. With only 138 horses under the hood, you would expect performance to be sluggish with about 3,000 pounds to pull around, but the Touring is a frisky mount and provides more than adequate power. You won’t mistake the engine under the hood for a Hemi V-8, but its performance will please you most of the time, especially when you realize that you’re getting 23 mpg in town and up to 31 on the highway. The engine burns regular fuel and the gas tank holds 14 gallons.

As one who drives long distances quite a bit, I often have to depend on the caffeine in a big bottle of Mountain Dew to keep me awake. Happily, the Touring has two big expandable cup holders in the center console. A slew of cubbyholes were thoughtfully placed throughout the passenger area and in the rear compartment. The center console armrest concealed two hidden compartments. Out back, by the tailgate, three covered storage areas are available to hide valuables. I appreciated the option on the power sunroof that enabled me to use it in the tilt position or in the open position. A classy, high-end touch.

If I had to find one complaint, it would be in the front seats. They are really firm. My rear prefers cushions a little softer and not quite so flat.

Other than that, the Hyundai Elantra Touring is one fine automobile. With an industry-leading warranty, good marks from both the government and from Consumer Reports, with a very attractive body and interior, there is little to fault this newest station wagon, – er, crossover -on the market. If you want to buy a car with a high North American materials content, the Touring is not for you. Only 1% of the vehicles have pieces and parts from North America. At the Ulsan, Korea, assembly plant, over 96% of the Touring is Korean-sourced.

If you need a small, economical and well-designed utility vehicle and you aren’t reluctant to buy a foreign-made vehicle, then the Touring may be your steed.

Dar Davis
Herald Palladium

Hyundai Accent reliable, easy on the wallet

MUNCIE — A Muncie resident who works in Indianapolis, Mike Stults puts in more than his share of “windshield time,” and his 125-mile round-trip commute tests a car’s reliability.

Last month, Stults bought a 2009 Hyundai Accent to drive back and forth to his job at Enzon Pharmaceuticals, where he is a maintenance supervisor and security administrator.

The new Accent is the fifth Hyundai that Mike and his wife, Genessee, have bought at Gaddis Hyundai of Muncie over the past nine years.

“These cars have been a godsend to me,” Stults said. “I have looked at hybrids, but I paid $11,800 for the Accent, which gets 34 to 35 miles per gallon on the highway, so it’s hard for me to justify the higher price of a hybrid.”

The Accent’s price is comparable to that of a used car, he said.

“A used car that’s reliable enough to drive as many miles as I do would cost at least $9,000 to $10,000 — not much less than I paid for the Accent, which was new,” he explained. “I need a car that’s dependable, and in nine years, we’ve never had any Hyundai that we’ve owned in the shop for anything other than normal maintenance.”

While Stults chose the Accent mainly for its low cost of ownership, he has also found the car safe, comfortable and pleasant to drive.

“With my previous car, which was also an Accent, I hit a concrete barrier at 50 to 55 miles per hour; the car was a total loss, but I walked away without a scratch,” he said. “The Accent is also very quiet on the highway, and it’s comfortable and easy to relax in after working all day.”

Jim Raines, sales representative at Gaddis Hyundai, said the Accent offers more than many people expect.

“For under $12,000, you get side-impact and side-curtain airbags, air conditioning and a great warranty,” he said. “As is typical with Hyundai, value is the big story here — the Accent is an inexpensive car that’s also a wonderful car to own.”

The Accent three-door hatchback is available in two models: The base Accent GS starts at $9,970; the Accent SE has a base price of $15,070.

The Accent four-door sedan, available only in GLS trim, starts at $12,920.

All come with a 110-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission. A four-speed automatic is optional.

Other standard features include six airbags, a six-way adjustable driver’s seat, tire pressure-monitoring system, 60/40 fold-down rear seat, four-speaker audio system and rear defroster.

Additional features of the Accent SE three-door include air conditioning, fog lights, tilt steering, rear washer/wiper, XM satellite radio, a six-speaker audio system and a B&M Racing sport shifter.

The four-door Accent GLS has many of the same features as the three-door SE, except the sedan has standard 14-inch steel wheels and optional 15-inch alloy wheels instead of the SE’s standard 16-inch alloy wheels. Also, four-wheel antilock brakes and power mirrors, both standard on the SE, are optional on the GLS.

By KEN WICKLIFFE

Hyundai Santa Fe Named Least Expensive 2009 Vehicle to Insure

Insure.com’s “20 Least Expensive 2009 Vehicles to Insure” list also ranks the Hyundai Entourage in third place

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., 06/04/2009 The Hyundai Santa Fe topped the “20 least expensive 2009 vehicles to insure” list by Insure.com, an online consumer insurance information service that caters to the needs of self-directed insurance shoppers. According to Insure.com research, the Santa Fe is the least expensive vehicle to insure at an estimated average annual premium of $832. Following closely behind on the list, the Hyundai Entourage minivan ranked third with an estimated average annual premium of $848.

“Low rates tend to reflect a vehicle’s safety, which is why larger cars and minivans dominate the least-expensive list,” said Amy Danise, editor of Insure.com. “If you are a car buyer not looking to spend an inflated premium on car insurance, both the Hyundai Santa Fe and Hyundai Entourage are great options.”

Insure.com compiled average car insurance rates for almost 300 model year 2009 vehicles. To compare rates, Insure.com used a driver profile of a 40-year-old single male who drives 12 miles to work. Rates across multiple ZIP codes and insurance companies were averaged. Individual rates will depend on driving history, age, location and other factors.

Hyundai has always been a strong proponent of providing consumers with the best all-around value, without sacrificing quality and safety,” said Dave Zuchowski, vice president, National Sales, Hyundai Motor America. “With this recognition from Insure.com for both the Santa Fe and Entourage, Hyundai continues to hit the mark with today’s value-minded shoppers even after leaving the car lot.”

The 2009 Santa Fe continues to raise the bar with a the convenience of Hyundai’s USB/iPod® auxiliary inputs, a roomy interior, and leading safety technologies earning the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) top five-star crash test rating for front and side impacts and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest honor — Top Safety Pick.

Hyundai’s minivan, the Entourage, combines top safety ratings and new technologies to redefine value in 2009. Entourage now sports standard XM Satellite Radio and iPod® integration with its top five-star crash test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) — the best rating ever for a minivan.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 790 dealerships nationwide. All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by The Hyundai Advantage, America’s Best Warranty. In addition, the Hyundai Assurance Program is now offered on all new vehicles leased or purchased from a certified Hyundai dealer. The program is available to any consumer, regardless of age, health, employment record or financed amount of the vehicle. The program is complimentary for the first 12 months.

INSURE.COM

Originally founded in 1984 as Quotesmith Corporation, Insure.com owns and operates Insure.com, an online consumer insurance information service that caters to the needs of self-directed insurance shoppers. Insure.com provides a comprehensive array of comparative auto, life and health quotes, including a vast library of originally authored insurance articles and decision-making tools that are not available from any other single source.

The perfect mix: Hyundai Elantra combines popular features from many vehicles

With the best parts of a sedan, wagon and hatchback combined into a great-riding, roomy and attractive vehicle, I’ve found the next car I want to buy.

Remember those books when you were a kid, in which you could mix and match body parts, (head, torso and feet) to make funny concoctions like a police officer with horse legs and a cowboy hat on? That’s what the Touring Elantra is like.

Up front, it looks like a sporty, small hatchback. Inside, in the rear seats, it looks and feels like a midsize sedan, and the cavernous rear cargo area is like what you’d find in a wagon. It’s the best of three worlds.

The 2009 Elantra Touring is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 138 horsepower and 137 pound-feet of torque. These 138 horses work hard to give the Elantra Touring a get-up-and-go takeoff.

Gas mileage is great in the Touring. I got a whopping 25 miles per gallon during the week I drove the Touring — on the highway and in city traffic.

As good as the drive is in the Touring, the real selling point is inside the cabin. As a hatchback, the Elantra Touring provides a surprising amount of space. According to Hyundai, it can hold a maximum of 65 cubic feet of space, which is twice that of a Mazda 3 and a few more cubic inches than many compact SUVs.

Some standard features include air conditioning, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, power windows and door locks, heated mirrors, remote keyless entry, eight-way adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support, a 172-watt AM/FM/XM audio system with six speakers and fog lights. USB/iPod auxiliary inputs are also standard.

The Elantra Touring comes fully stocked with antilock disc brakes with brake assist, traction and stability control, front-seat side airbags, side-curtain airbags and front seat active head restraints.

In government crash tests, the Elantra Touring received a perfect five stars for its performance in a frontal collision and four stars in a side collision.

The price tag for the Elantra Touring is a reasonable $18,500, less than most of its competitors.

by Jenny White
New York Daily News

2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring makes travel a real treat

Isn’t this a sweet surprise? The 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring could be the best auto bargain going.

The small/midsize wagon seems to fashion contradictions into complementary attributes, rather than settling for compromises. For instance:

Elantra Touring takes up the road space of a compact, but provides the passenger room of a midsize and the cargo area of a middling SUV.

It’s simple in presentation to keep costs down, but comes across as elegant and refreshingly restrained.

It’s not very powerful, but is loads of fun to fling.

It looks dumpy in pictures, but appealing in the flesh — resembling an elongated, well-proportioned Honda Fit without the Fit’s silly spoilers and other plastic dreck.

It offers an automatic transmission, of course, but almost demands that you take the manual, to enjoy the tingling satisfaction of manipulating the B&M Racing brand sport shifter.

It’s an economy car, but comes with sophistication lacking in some pricier cars, including independent suspension front and rear, disc brakes all around, standard stability control and alloy wheels.

It has an enticingly long warranty — five years or 60,000 miles overall, 10/100,000 powertrain — that’s better than some luxury brands.

And you probably won’t need it. The Touring hasn’t been on sale long enough to have a track record, but the Elantra sedan on which it’s based has a “recommended” rating from Consumer Reports magazine with top scores in reliability and ownership cost. Two-thirds of all Hyundais on sale long enough for a record are recommended by CR.

If you still think Hyundai’s the cheap brand you buy instead of what you really wanted, boy, are you out of date.

In addition, most details got unexpected attention. Some examples:

-The top model has an exceptionally well done and useful storage tray under the cargo floor, sitting atop the spare tire.

-Bottle holders in the door panels are angled for easy grab-and-gulp moves while underway. (If the bottle’s much smaller than the holder, though, it merely tilts precariously.)

-All three rear seating slots have safety head restraints. You find only two on some higher-price cars, as if somebody decided that the middle rider needed no whiplash protection.

The Elantra Touring test car was so unexpectedly good that it called for two separate test periods, to see if the good first impression was illusory. It wasn’t.

Touring is a daring car because it’s a wagon introduced into the U.S. market, which doesn’t like those much. (“We don’t call it a wagon here; kiss of death,” says Hyundai’s small-car product manager in the U.S., Mark Dipko. “We call it a versatility vehicle.”) In Europe, its main market, it’s a “crossover wagon.”

And, truly, it’s easy enough to think of it as a hatchback with very generous cargo space.

Hyundai has added the Touring to the U.S. lineup, Dipko says, because “We saw the opportunity to enliven the Elantra line with something styled in Europe.”

The gripes, and it’s a short list:

-All-wheel drive. Not available. It wasn’t designed to accommodate it, so don’t expect it, period, Dipko says. “We have the Tucson (SUV) if you need all-wheel drive,” he says.

-Leather. Not available. Cloth was comfy (and available heated), but leather sheds spills better.

-Visor notch. Too small. Hard to get a finger behind the sun visor to fold it down. Wearing gloves? Forget it.

-Lighting. Too light. The small green lamp that shows the air conditioning is on was unreadable in daylight. The dashboard lighting is a gorgeous, classy blue, but it didn’t illuminate the gauges as well as expected.

-Shifting. Mainly terrific, and that B&M linkage delivered a light metallic click as you moved it among the gears, somewhat like the precise sound of a rifle bolt. But the shift between first and second gears, up or down, sometimes took an extra push.

The clutch engagement could be tricky. If you sit close enough that your left leg always can let out the clutch pedal smoothly, you might find your right leg too close to the throttle and brake pedals.

Most people probably could adjust their way around that. The driver’s seat had what seemed like more notches, closer together, than most manually adjusted seats. Thus you could slide very slightly fore or aft to fine-tune your relationship with the pedals. The manually adjustable seats in most cars have big gaps between the positions.

Touring is a slick piece of work; a lot of satisfying automobile for the money. It’d be tragic if America’s aversion to cars that look like wagons killed it in showrooms.

ABOUT THE ELANTRA TOURING

– What? Compact, front-drive, four-door, five-passenger wagon. (Must you? asks Hyundai. How about crossover-utility hatchback or some such, since “wagon” is the kiss of death in the U.S.) New to the U.S. lineup, based on the Elantra sedan that was new for ’07.

– When? On sale since fall.

– Where? Made in South Korea.

– Why? Already being manufactured for the European market, where buyers are wise enough to appreciate the benefits of wagonlike cars; not a big investment to test the waters in the U.S.

– How much? Starts at $18,495 including $695 shipping. Premium model starts at $19,995. Nearly loaded test vehicle: $20,455.

– Who’ll buy? Hobbyists, do-it-yourselfers and others who like a trim-size car, but need extra capacity. About 55% female, 65% married, 45 years old (plus or minus), $65,000 median annual household income.

– How punchy? More than the specs suggest: 2-liter, four-cylinder engine is rated 138 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, 137 pounds-feet of torque at 4,600 rpm; five-speed manual with B&M Racing brand sport shifter is standard; four-speed automatic is optional.

– How deluxe? Unexpected standard features: stability control, fog lights, outside mirror defrosters, four-wheel disc brakes, four-wheel independent suspension.

– How big? Compact outside, midsize inside. Elantra Touring is 176.2 inches long, 69.5 inches wide, 59.8 inches tall on a 106.3-inch wheelbase.

Weighs 2,937 to 3,112 pounds.

Passenger space listed as 101.2 cubic feet. Cargo space: 24.3 cubic feet behind rear seat, 65.3 cubic feet when rear seat’s folded.

Turning circle: 34.2 feet.

– How thirsty? Rated 23 miles per gallon in town, 31 (manual) or 30 (automatic) mpg on the highway, 26 mpg combined.

Trip computer in manual test car showed 22.7 mpg in spirited suburban driving (4.41 gallons per 100 miles).

Burns regular, holds 14 gallons.

– Overall: Terrific surprise; pocket change for remarkable blend of practicality and satisfaction.

By James R. Healey
USA TODAY

Hyundai Entourage Named a Best Family Car for 2009 by Parents Magazine and Edmunds.com

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., 05/19/2009 The 2009 Hyundai Entourage minivan was recognized as a Best Family Car for 2009 by Parents magazine and Edmunds.com in their annual list of family vehicles. The Best Family Cars of 2009 will appear in the June 2009 issue of Parents magazine and is on newsstands nationwide today.

“The Hyundai Entourage emerged as one of the top three minivans in our test,” said Dana Points, editor-in-chief of Parents. “Our survey takes into special consideration the priorities of families, and the Entourage has many features to accommodate their real-world needs.”

The Parents/Edmunds.com Best Family Cars for 2009 are based on six months of analyzing and test-driving dozens of vehicles. The list includes 15 top models — three each in Sedan, Budget, Crossover, SUV and Minivan categories. Each car was judged on safety, performance, interior, exterior and family-friendly features. In addition to professional reviews, editors took into account feedback from parents who own and drive the vehicles everyday.

Hyundai offers standard, family-friendly equipment in the Entourage making it an ideal minivan for parents,” said Brandon Ramirez, product planning manager, Hyundai Motor America. “Additionally, safety is the most important aspect of a vehicle for families and the Entourage’s six standard airbags, including side air curtains for all three rows of seats, electronic stability control, and active front head restraints make it one of the safest minivans on the road.”

The Hyundai Entourage combines top safety ratings and new technologies to redefine value. The Entourage uses a powerful 3.8-liter V6 engine and a five-speed automatic transmission — all backed by Hyundai’s 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty. It includes standard safety features like electronic stability control (ESC), six air bags and active front-seat head restraints, which have earned the Entourage a top five-star crash test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) and a TOP SAFETY PICK rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) — the best rating ever for a minivan.

Inside, Entourage is one of the most comfortable and convenient minivans on the market, thanks to a number of highly desired standard features including multi-adjustable captain’s chairs for the front and second rows, 60/40 split fold-into-floor third row seats, front wiper de-icer, cruise control, front conversation mirror to view children in the rear seats, rear sliding doors with power windows, front and rear air conditioning, roof-mounted rear-seat vents for both the second- and third-row passengers, and a foldaway tray table with four cupholders mounted between the front seats.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 790 dealerships nationwide. All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by The Hyundai Advantage, America’s Best Warranty. In addition, Hyundai Assurance is now offered on all new vehicles leased or purchased from a certified Hyundai dealer. The program is available to any consumer, regardless of age, health, employment record or financed amount of the vehicle. The program is complimentary for the first 12 months.

It Looks Boring Even in Red, but Consider It Anyway

“Boring is better than stupid” might be an axiom applicable to haircuts, aircraft design and your behavior at the office holiday party, but with a car as compelling as the 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring, it’s a shame Hyundai didn’t go for something a little more stupid in the way it looks.

Even in Chili Pepper Red, the otherwise exceptional Elantra Touring comes off like a diminutive Hyundai Veracruz, which is to say, a fine-looking and competent vehicle, but, yes, boring.

If the final version of the 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring had resembled its original design sketch, we think it would’ve been easier to get people to notice it rather than merely consider it. Because it’s an exceptional car in its class.

Wagons Ho!
Hyundai is on a roll. First the Genesis Sedan shook up the luxury-sedan market, and now the 2010 Genesis Coupe promises to do the same with sporty coupes. The timing is right for the Elantra to make waves in the ever-expanding compact crossover market.

Based on the hot-selling Euro-spec Hyundai i30 CW, the 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring (that would be the code word for “wagon”) has much to offer. The base price is $18,495 with a five-speed manual transmission (a four-speed automatic is an $800 option), and standard equipment includes electronic stability and traction control; four-wheel disc brakes (with ABS, brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution); six airbags; USB/iPod auxiliary input; XM Satellite Radio; a tilt-telescoping steering wheel with audio controls and cruise control; power windows and mirrors; and more. Sheesh! Never mind the Subaru Impreza wagon or Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen; you don’t even get all this on a base BMW 328i wagon for $36,000.

Command Performance
The Elantra’s 141-horsepower DOHC 2.0-liter inline-4 has continuously variable intake-valve timing (CVVT) and is rated by the EPA at 23 mpg city/33 mpg highway/26 mpg combined. We can vouch for these ratings, as our worst/best/average fuel economy figures cooked up 23.6, 33.6 and 25.6 mpg, respectively. This has got to be some sort of Inside Line record for precise (and restrained) fuel economy.

CVVT gives this small engine good throttle response and adequate torque in everyday driving conditions. And when you put the spurs to it, the Elantra is no slowpoke, as the engine revs crisply all the way up to its 6,500-rpm redline. At the track we recorded an 8.7-second run to 60 mph (8.4 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip. Shift action from the five-speed manual is remarkably crisp and precise, maybe better than it needs to be. The clutch engagement is remarkably smooth and intuitive as well.

The brake pedal’s effort and effectiveness are well matched. The 120-foot stops we recorded repeatedly are good for a wagon that weighs 2,998 pounds. The four-wheel discs are up to the task in this case, as some cars in this class come with rear drum brakes as standard equipment, which don’t deliver the same resistance to brake fade. While there’s some noise from the ABS during panic stops, most of it comes from the all-season tires. Otherwise, wind and tire noise are surprisingly restrained. The tires also offer good grip on the skid pad with a 0.81g performance, and prove predictable in the slalom.

With the standard stability control shut off, the 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring is willing to be chucked between the cones without threatening to spin. The balance between benign understeer (as the sidewalls of the tires flex) and mild oversteer (once the tires respond) is pretty unique in this segment, and entertaining besides. The chassis obviously has been tuned with fun in mind, although the stability control intrudes immediately and abruptly like an old-school system. If you want it sharper, consider the optional package of 17-inch wheels and tires ($1,500, which includes cast-aluminum wheels, P215/45VR17 all-season tires, a power sunroof and heated front seats). They look less boring, too.

The Tiller
As fun as it can be in certain circumstances, the Elantra Touring is held back by the ultralight effort of its electric-assist power steering (EPS). Hyundai engineers claim they’ve made big strides in tuning the EPS to feel more like a traditional hydraulic-boosted system, but we say they need longer legs. Chipping away at a fast corner in the Elantra is as vague and confidence-sapping as feeling for the light switch in a darkened hotel room.

It must be said that some buyers actually might prefer this lack of feel, although only the 2009 Toyota Corolla offers a tiller more dead than this one when it comes to feedback from the road. Luckily, the Elantra Touring’s chassis and tires work well together, so you can almost forget about the vague feel of the steering unless your commute involves narrow, 60-mph sweeping corners.

Inner Qualities
Inside the cabin, we were happy to visually corroborate Hyundai’s claim that the 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring offers the largest overall interior volume of any vehicle in its class, some 125.5 cubic feet. Rear-seat accommodations are ginormous, although they lack ventilation vents and the seatbacks can’t be reclined. Even when the rear seats are occupied, you have 24 cubic feet in which to stow your luggage. With its 60/40-folding rear seats laid down flat, the Elantra Touring can gobble up 65 cubes of cargo. That’s more than a Nissan Murano.

The driver seat is adjustable six ways, and the passenger gets by with four ways. It’s worth repeating that the tilt-telescoping steering wheel is a notable addition in this class, especially because it makes the Elantra Touring more suitable for full-size American drivers. We get the thing that says a black interior means a sporty interior, as BMW has practically made it an industry standard, but it does the Elantra no favors. Have a look at a two-tone version, which is a no-cost option, and we think you’ll agree it appears more upscale.

Meanwhile, all the knobs and secondary controls are placed well and feel substantial. The materials feel good and there are numerous cubbies and bins throughout the interior. The standard six-speaker, 172-watt audio system with CD changer, satellite radio and MP3 capability sounds OK, but we found ourselves turning the volume knob and then turning the volume knob again, only to discover we had already maxed the output. No distortion, no blown speakers — it just needs to go louder.

Sport Utility
Like most wagons, the 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring has the interior size and utility of a small sport-utility, the sportiness and feature content of a well-tuned sedan and the fuel economy of a compact car, and it delivers all this at a price that makes sense, with a warranty that can’t be beat.

If you must, call the Elantra Touring a five-door or even a four-door hatch if the wagon thing is too much to wrap your imagination around, but consider test-driving one before you plunk down $30,000 or more on a vehicle that’s overweight, overpriced and over the hill. The 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring might look boring, but it’s certainly not stupid.

By Chris Walton
edmunds.com

Hyundai Genesis and Sonata Win AutoPacific 2009 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards

Owners give two hyundai vehicles top ratings in national survey on satisfaction

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., 05/19/2009 Hyundai owners placed the Genesis and Sonata at the top of their classes in AutoPacific’s 2009 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA) research. Both models won in highly competitive segments. Genesis topped the Aspirational Luxury Car category for its affordable operating costs, value and extraordinary warranty. The Sonata was the highest ranked Premium Mid-Size Car, beating out the segment-defining Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. In addition, Hyundai’s overall brand satisfaction rating among Hyundai purchasers jumped 11 positions earning Hyundai 2009 Rising Star honors. This positive move was more than any other manufacturer in the survey. Hyundai scored higher in 40 of 48 rating categories in 2009 compared with 2008.

“Having conducted this industry research since 1997, we see vehicles that score highest in AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Awards have hit the mark delivering value and satisfaction with their buyers,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. “This year’s results made it clear that Hyundai owners are extremely pleased with their new cars.”

AutoPacific’s annual VSA is an industry benchmark for objectively measuring how satisfied an owner is with their new car or light truck, and reflects the opinions of consumers nationwide. The awards summarize results from AutoPacific’s 2009 model year vehicle satisfaction research. More than 25,000 consumers around the country participated in the survey.

“It’s an honor to not only be recognized by a trusted automotive resource like AutoPacific for vehicles satisfaction, but by our Hyundai owners as well,” said Michael Deitz, product manager for Genesis sedan and Sonata. “Also coming out of the survey as the most improved brand year-over-year only solidifies our dedication to continually providing consumers with safe, well-designed, quality vehicles.”

In addition to identifying category winners, AutoPacific’s VSA establish numerical satisfaction ratings for virtually every passenger car and light truck in the North American market. Owner satisfaction is measured across specific areas related to a vehicle’s operation, comfort, safety and the overall purchase/lease experience. The 2009 ratings reflect input from buyers and lessees of new vehicles acquired September through December 2008.

Hyundai’s Genesis sedan sets a new benchmark in the premium car category. With a starting price of just $33,000, Genesis includes performance and luxury features typically found on vehicles costing thousands of dollars more. The fuel-efficient Sonata combines refined design, proven dependability, spirited performance and an extensive list of standard features that increase its appeal to a broader range of customers.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 790 dealerships nationwide. All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by The Hyundai Advantage, America’s Best Warranty. In addition, the Hyundai Assurance Program is now offered on all new vehicles leased or purchased from a certified Hyundai dealer. The program is available to any consumer, regardless of age, health, employment record or financed amount of the vehicle.

AUTOPACIFIC

AutoPacific is a future-oriented automotive market research and product-consulting firm. Every year AutoPacific publishes a wide variety of syndicated studies on the automotive industry. The firm also conducts extensive proprietary research and consulting for auto manufacturers, distributors, marketers and suppliers worldwide. Company headquarters and its state-of-the-art automotive research facility are in Tustin, California, with an affiliate office in the Detroit area.