RideLust

You’ve got to love a carmaker with a sense of humor. The ad below is really for the Hyundai Elantra, but the car is barely seen in the ad until it gets binned by a giant, inflatable gorilla. Maybe the funniest thing of all is that the gorilla is atop a mildly disguised Kia dealership, and the woman appears to be buying a 2007 Kia Spectra. Last time I checked, Hyundai was the parent of Kia, so they’re really making fun of their own cars; I guess that’s safe, since Kia isn’t likely to slap Hyundai with a lawsuit for portraying their (previous generation) cars in a negative light. Read More…

I’ve already given you a fairly detailed review of the new Hyundai Elantra, but I recently had a chance to spend a week with one, as opposed to a single day behind the wheel. This time it was a GLS model with the Preferred Equipment Package, which will most likely be Hyundai’s best-selling version. The GLS comes with cloth seats, not leather, but still includes a long list of standard equipment. On the safety and handling side, four wheel disc brakes are standard, as is electronic stability control and traction control. You’d expect ABS to be standard, but the Elantra also gives you Brake Assist and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution; if those aren’t enough to avoid trouble, the Elantra comes with front, front side impact and side curtain airbags. Read More…

The i40 Estate is a European market, midsize wagon version of the latest Hyundai Sonata sedan. Hyundai released these pics ahead of the cars debut in Geneva, and the i40 should be on sale in Europe later this year. Sadly, the chances of the right-sized wagon making it to this side of the Atlantic aren’t good, despite interest from consumers and Hyundai Motors America personnel alike. I say “bring it”, and if the 1.7 liter turbo-diesel motors can’t be EPA certified for a reasonable cost, feel free to use the 2.4 liter four from the Sonata sedan or (even better) the 2.0 liter turbo from the Sonata Turbo. A reasonably priced midsize wagon with 274 horsepower and a six speed? I’d be on that like Charlie Sheen on an eight ball. Read More…

Let’s face it: car commercials really haven’t changed much over the past forty years. Take the hottest pop culture trend, throw in some actors and actresses who know nothing about the car, then tell people how spacious, luxurious or fuel efficient your latest model is. Bonus points are awarded if your video has a saxophone player, figure skater or lederhosen-wearing horn blower in it. While no actual commercial were harmed in the filming of this latest “Compact Conspiracy” ad from Hyundai, some of the fashion trends were (hopefully) ridiculed beyond repair. Watch the video below, and see how many of them you remember. Read More…

A 2011 Genesis Coupe R-Spec. Image: Hyundai Motor America

If you’re like me, the first thing that came to mind when Hyundai announced a new 429 horsepower V8 for the Genesis sedan was a hotter version of the Genesis Coupe. Who wouldn’t want an R-Spec Genesis Coupe with that much horsepower and a six speed manual gearbox? It would be the ultimate track day terror for those of us on a budget, but it looks like Hyundai isn’t thinking along the same lines. Even worse, the Genesis Coupe won’t be getting the same upgraded 3.8 liter V6 as the sedan, which now puts out 333 horsepower and 291 ft lb of torque. The Coupe stays the course with the 3.8 liter V6 putting out a mere 306 horsepower.
Read More…

Hyundai is positioning the new Veloster as their “sporty” coupe aimed at Generation Y. The challenge they face is getting the car noticed above the others in the coupe or hot hatch segments, so Hyundai is reverting to age old wisdom: win on Sunday, sell on Monday. Hyundai isn’t going stock car racing (which isn’t big among Gen Y, anyway); instead, they’re going to campaign three Velosters in Rallycross and Summer X Games competition. Want to see a Veloster fly? Check out the video below. Read More…

An artist's rendering of the 2012 Grandeur, sold here as the Azera.

If you like the lines of the new Hyundai Elantra, but wish they made it in a sportier, two door version, your wish has been granted. Hyundai has confirmed that an Elantra Coupe is not only in the works, it’s practically in the pipeline, with dealers expecting inventory this spring. Details are sorely lacking, but I suspect the initial Elantra Coupes will be built in Korea (since the Montgomery plant is running near capacity building Elantra and Sonata sedans) and will come with the same 1.8 liter four cylinder engine as the sedan. I’ve asked for an Elantra R-Spec, but Hyundai wants to emphasize the Veloster as their sport-oriented entry level car, so I’m not holding out much hope. Read More…

The 2011 Genesis V8. Image Hyundai Motor America

We speculated on this last year, but Left Lane News now says it’s official: Hyundai will show a Genesis sedan with an upgraded 5.0 liter V8 at the Chicago Auto Show. The new engine is said to be good for 429 horsepower, up from 378 horsepower in the outgoing 4.6 liter Tau V8. At a time when most automakers seem preoccupied only with fuel economy, Hyundai Motors America president John Krafcik had this to say about the new engine: “We like to have our cake and eat it too. We want to lead the industry in fuel economy. At the same time, we’re launching 429 horsepower V8 engine cars that get amazing fuel economy.” Read More…

When Hyundai offered me the chance to tour their Montgomery, AL, plant, my first question was, “No pictures, right?” After all, every possible entry to every possible building was posted with “No Photography” signs, which I assumed would extend to visiting journalists as well as the general public. Not so, and Hyundai gave us media types unrestricted photographic access to the Montgomery plant. We were allowed to go just about anywhere we wanted, accompanied by a guide, except for Hyundai’s paint shop. It’s not that they’ve got super-secret-squirrel stuff going on with their paint, it’s just that they’re trying to minimize outside sources of dust and contamination. One thing we learned early on is that Hyundai takes quality very seriously, and each and every production line worker has the ability and the obligation to stop the line if they spot a defect or problem. Read More…

The 2011 Hyundai Elantra Limited

Compact cars used to be a compromise. They were short on style, lacking in amenities and not exactly entertaining to drive. They were usually cramped, especially for those unlucky enough to draw the back-seat-short-straw. In their defense, compact cars were good on gas, and usually cheap to buy and maintain. They certainly weren’t aspirational purchases (unless you were buying your very first car), but were usually a rational decision designed to stretch the family budget. What if you could buy a compact car that had style, enough interior room to qualify it as a midsize car and enough luxury amenities that you were forced to do a double take on the window sticker? What if that car was even relatively entertaining behind the wheel, yet still returned up to 40 miles per gallon of fuel economy? Would this be the stuff of science fiction? Actually, it would be Hyundai’s new Elantra. Read More…