2012 Minneapolis Auto Show: Hyundai

This year, I paid the most attention to Hyundai; in the last three years, the company has improved tenfold. Now, their entire stable is full of useful vehicles that make sense. Unlike a few car brands, all of Hyundai's vehicle feature one design language. Clean, and clear, the "fluidic sculpture" design theme does not fall flat. Where BMW and to an extent Audi's design languages suffer is in execution. BMW's language is hit or miss-- some cars look great, and others.. not so much. Audi suffers from the "one style, different size" solution that also seems to plague its more pedestrian VW and Skoda sibling. Not Hyundai-- they have an intricate weave of curves, and swoops that work together to form a great looking car-- for the most part. Some details could be left out, and other simply would work better on another car or at least in another application, but for the most part the design language is rock-solid.
Like years past, Hyundai has used this year' auto show to debut (for me, anyway) more than one new car. The outgoing Azera was a very nice car, if not a tad overpriced. The idea behind the car that would be the Azera in our market first hit the US in 2000 as the XG300. Seen as the first real "luxury car" by Hyundai, it sadly wasn't taken very seriously in our market. Retail value plummeted, and second hand cars were worth less than half of the MSRP in just three short years. In 2006, Hyundai realized that the car had to not only be a better Hyundai, but a better car altogether; the Azera was born. Taking away the letter-number nomenclature did wonders for the car. The styling, too, was much more refined; instead of resembling a generic luxury car thrown together for an insurance commercial, the Azera was penned with the styling of a larger Sonata; it worked. While even the new car was not a very hot seller, Hyundai kept it updated enough to where people actually cared. But, as with other cars, the Azera quickly lost the limelight, and roughly five years after it's introduction, a replacement was born.





Like the old car, the new one has all the "luxury" features you'd expect in a midsize upper-class car. It's roughly the size of a Mercedes E-Class, or BMW 5 Series; but like other Asian luxury cars, it eschews RWD V8 power for a more traditional FWD V6 choice. In these times, that may not be a such a bad thing, but the whole V6 FWD thing is getting quite old--quite quickly. The new Azera, again like its predecessor, has a styling theme not that different from the Sonata that bowed a couple years ago. What does all this cost? It starts at a $32,000 and rises to a hair under $37,000 fully loaded. Not too bad considering that an Accord costs roughly the same when fully loaded. I'd choose an Azera over and Accord any day.





Next in Hyundai's stable of significant lineup is the 2013 Genesis coupe. Launched in winter 2008 as an early 2010, the Genesis Coupe proved that Hyundai was indeed to be taken seriously. Offered as a 2.0T or a 3.8, and in two trimlines, the Genesis Coupe marked Hyundai's foray into the ponycar/muscle car/sports coupe market. And it works. For 2013, the car receives its first restyle that includes a new grille, fascia, hood, and headlamps. Likes the Azera sedan shown above, this too stickers right around the $30,000 mark. It doesn't quite have the legacy of more established players like the Mustang and Nissan's Z-Car yet, but it doesn't need to. This is Hyundai's first dive into the serious sports car market, and so far, it's proven to be quite successful.


For now, I will decently cover the rest of what I think is important in Hyundai's lineup. Since I didn't get a full shoot of everything in the Hyundai stable, I will quickly cover the rest of the lineup.


The Veloster is new, too. An unconventional three door hatchback, this new Hyundai promises decent fuel economy at the pump paired with supposedly sporting driving dynamics. I feel a bit let down, though, because from what I've read, it's a tad on the slow side. Hopefully the upcoming Turbo model will rectify that. Otherwise, it seems like a great car in search of a better powertrain.



These are the new Accents; up until now, the Accent was the lowest of the low in terms of cheap compact cars. It screamed crapbox, and was likely the first purchase of many college students scrambling for a new car when their aging Dodge Neon kicked the bucket. Now, Accent buyers needn't feel ashamed. Yes, it's still at the low end of the Hyundai lineup, but it' far better than it once was. Cohesive styling, decent wheels on the up-spec models, and good build quality--especially for a car bearing this name--all make for a wonderful starter car. At $16,000 decently equipped, it sure beats the Nissan Versa-- and dare I say it the Chevrolet Sonic in terms of value for money.



This is the rest of the 2012 Genesis line. With the coupe new for 2013, the 2012 is a carryover year. The sedan gets a few improvements, too, though its time to shine comes next year. New this year are a 5.0L Tau V8 producing 429 horses and mated to a 9-speed automatic. Like the refreshed coupe that bows next year, this year's sedan gets LEDs as well, and a slight bump in content and price across the range.


Lastly, we have the Sonata blueHybrid. I think it' great, although is a hybrid really neccesary when the regular sedan gets exceptional fuel economy? So far, I haven't seen any of these on the road, so I'm betting that more and more people are choosing a fully loaded Sonata and not worrying about the $4,000 price premium. If I were into hybrids, I'd go for it, but I'm not. So I'll choose the regular Sonata-- and make mine the Turbo.

Hyundai really impressed me this year with their offerings. This is the fourth straight year I've been impressed with the whole lineup. I wish them many great years ahead, I know that with a great North American CEO (John Krafcik) the company has many more doors to open, and new niches to feel. If the continue at this rate, they may surpass Honda and Toyota for customer satisfaction levels.