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Archive for the ‘Hyundai’ Category

The midsize Hyundai Sonata has been around since 1985, and the latest eighth generation is definitely the most exciting of the bunch. However, it looks like Hyundai will add even more heat to the four-door with a new N Line edition next year, as revealed during the 2020 Sonata’s debut at the New York Auto Show.

As one of the most essential Hyundai sedans, the new 2020 Hyundai Sonata debut marks a pivotal moment for the Hyundai brand. With a revolutionary and bold design, new technology on board, and all-new architecture under the metal, some would even say that the Sonata reaches for the premium segment. While completely redesigned, and now inspired by the gorgeous Le Fil Rouge concept, the Sonata features a few bold styling novelties we have never seen before. More importantly, Hyundai stretched its wheelbase and length a little bit, while lowering the car as a whole. This is the trick everyone takes into account when making a clean, planted car. As a final touch, Hyundai reworked the interior to offer significantly more upscale ambiance and equipment.

Hyundai’s new entry-level SUV, the Venue, made its global debut at the 2019 New York Auto Show. Slotted under the Kona, the Venue isn’t notably smaller, but Hyundai aims to attract customers with cool features and an affordable sticker.

The Hyundai Venue is a new crossover that the Korean company will unveil at the 2019 New York Auto Show. Set to become the brand’s entry-level SUV, it will slot below the Kona and compete against vehicles like the Kia Soul and the Nissan Kicks.

Hyundai launched a couple of teasers and sketches before the unveiling, but they aren’t very revealing. However, the Korean describes the crossover as “a great fit in accommodating busy lifestyles with an abundance of playful and practical features including seamless safety, versatility, and connectivity. Fortunately, the mini SUV was spotted testing in the wild, and the paparazzi managed to take a peek under the covers. The Venue will debut on April 17, so stay tuned for a full review of the crossover. Until then, let’s have a look at what we already know about it.

You should know by now that many European or U.S. vehicles are launched with longer wheelbases in China. Sadly, most of them aren’t available outside this country. Hyundai recently jumped on the bandwagon with a slightly longer variant of the Santa Fe, but there’s more to this SUV than a few extra inches between the front and rear axles. Hyundai went wild and completely redesigned the rear end.

The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe represents the fourth generation of Hyundai’s most noticeable SUV. On the market since 2000, we’ve seen it transform from a basic, compact SUV into something that’s a little closer to being midsized but also closer to the premium category. For 2019, it’s more attractive and more advanced than ever. With a new exterior look, more upscale cabin (with more space than ever), and a lineup of fuel-efficient drivetrain choices, you really can’t go wrong with the Hyundai Santa Fe. We actually got our hands on a 2019 model and put it through the paces. Our tester was a 2.0T model, so we had the turbocharged engine that was very enjoyable to drive. As you’ll find out from our driven review below, the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe is easy to enjoy.

In March 2019, Hyundai confirmed it will bring a new crossover to the New York Auto Show. The Koreans confirmed that it will be called Venue and released a not-so-revealing teaser. Come April, and we can see how it looks like before the official unveiling thanks to a batch of leaked photos. Specifically, someone managed to take photos of a prototype with some of the camouflage removed and the “Venue” lettering on the tailgate confirms that this is indeed the company’s upcoming crossover.

Hyundai has to be one of the most determined manufacturers in the world, and its ascent through the automotive ranks in recent years stands testament to that. The South Korean automaker is definitely praiseworthy for its business model and the feeling of high ambitions its officials always exude during interviews and press conferences, so if it were to now announce it was making a Mazda MX-5 Miata rival, we really wouldn’t be all that surprised.

Hyundai is preparing an all-new crossover for the masses. The crossover, called the Venue, will make its début at the 2019 New York Auto Show. Once launched, the Venue will slot below the Kona in the Korean automaker’s expanding crossover lineup, making it the smallest crossover in Hyundai’s entire portfolio. Limited details are available, but expect to hear more about the Venue in the weeks leading up to the New York Auto Show. The Hyundai Venue premieres on April 17, 2019.

Granted, Hyundai seems to be putting out a new Sonata almost every other week now. But the latest, newest version, to be released this month in Korea and later the world, is something quite special. This model takes the Sonata a few steps up in the game, making it almost unfair for the other competitors in the affordable sedan segment.

This is not the first time Hyundai has amazed us with their ability to change and improve. Those of you who remember the early Sonatas know what we’re on about. One day we woke up and Hyundai was no longer the maker cheap and crappy sedans you bought because you couldn’t afford anything less horrid. Hiring European designers and enhancing their production methods which resulted in a remarkable boost in quality, Hyundai products gradually became a byword not just for affordability, but reliability and convenience. They invested a lot in getting their act together, but it paid handsomely. The money they made the world over with their fine new sedans and SUVs turned Hyundai-Kia conglomerate into one of the world’s most profitable businesses.

But these Koreans are cleverer than that. Rather than being content with what they had achieved, they are keeping up the momentum by ceaselessly trying to improve their game. The all-new 2020 Hyundai Sonata is the perfect example of this. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the current Sonata (relative to the class it competes in) and one could safely say it has at least three more years of juice to give in terms of marketability. But Hyundai, following the recipe that has served them well so far, took the car back to the drawing board and gave it a complete makeover. Not only have they redesigned the whole thing, they have engineered it like a brand-new product and crammed it with some much high-tech stuff, you’d think this is a Genesis and not a Hyundai. They certainly have come a long way, these “industrious little fellas!”

Looking somewhat like the American luxury sedans of the 90s but a lot more refined, the 2020 Sonata features a distinctive new face with Daytime Running Lights, embedded with Hidden Lighting Lamps, complemented with a four-door coupe-like side profile, and a deluxe rear-end. The upper class theme continues inside where you find a brand-new dashboard and steering wheel as well as much improved switch gear and multimedia system. Inside is where the new Sonata shines best, showing off its multitude of technology features. Besides the wide central screen, you also get a digital binnacle with an active monitor which gives a whole new dimension to safety features such as blind spot monitoring. The car is also incredibly smart, available with a smart key system that basically makes the keyfob obsolete and opens and starts the car via your smartphone.

As for the technical highlights and performance numbers, we best wait for the Euro and American-spec versions to come out. The KDM variants usually get engines you see nowhere else in the world. Rest assured, there will be a new hybrid variant, arguably the best variant of the modern Sonatas, with improved economy and power. You look at this car and you have to ask yourself, do you really need more?

The post Hyundai Rewrites the Rule Book (Again) with the 2020 Sonata appeared first on Motorward.

The Hyundai Tucson becomes the third model to receive the N Line treatment, following in the footsteps of the i30 and i30 Fastback that came before it. The launch of the Tucson N Line marks as a coming-of-age for the Korean automaker’s resident compact SUV. A unique appearance package bolsters the more aggressive-looking SUV. Hyundai also added some subtle interior upgrades and improved the SUV’s driving setup, ensuring that the Tucson N Line can live up to the performance billing that comes by having the “N Line” name attached to it. The Hyundai Tucson N Line arrives to European markets later this year. Unfortunately, the U.S. market isn’t getting it.

Hyundai has lifted the veil off its all-new eighth-generation 2020 Sonata sedan in Korea and what we’ve been shown is a new and revolutionary direction for the model. Not to say the outgoing seventh-gen Sonata isn’t a striking car, but it frankly isn’t aging that well (it looks like a melted Subaru,) and this 2020 model has a completely different vibe about it both inside and out.
Hyundai has improved on its design a whole lot.

The Hyundai Tucson N Line is a slightly beefed-up version of the company’s popular SUV. However, just like the N Line versions of the i30 and Elantra, this Tucson is more about sporty upgrades inside and out, as the engine will likely remain unchanged compared to the standard model. I say “likely” because the Tucson N Line is not yet available. It will make its debut at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, and until then we only have a couple of teaser photos. Although a Tucson with a sportier appearance isn’t hugely impressive, it marks the debut of the N Line package on the company’s SUVs. Not only will this package extend to other haulers, but it also previews a full-fledged Tucson N model. This SUV will have more power and will be able to tackle high-performance SUVs from Mercedes-AMG and BMW M. Until that happens, let’s have a closer look at the Tucson N Line.

The Hyundai Tucson N Line is a slightly beefed-up version of the company’s popular SUV. However, just like the N Line versions of the i30 and Elantra, this Tucson is more about sporty upgrades inside and out, as the engine remains unchanged compared to the standard model. Introduced at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, the Tucson N Line boasts a sportier appearance and features a few extras inside the cabin. While the bundle is far from impressive, it marks the debut of the N Line package on the company’s SUVs. Not only will this package extend to other haulers, but it also previews a full-fledged Tucson N model. This SUV will have more power and will be able to tackle high-performance SUVs from Mercedes-AMG and BMW M. Until that happens, let’s have a closer look at the Tucson N Line.

Four years after dropping jaws on the floor of the North American International Auto Show, we learn the Hyundai Santa Cruz Concept could finally come to our lives in the next few years. Just don’t expect the production version to look anything like the concept that caused a ruckus in Detroit back in 2015. Time is the biggest culprit behind this shift. It’s been four years since Hyundai unveiled the Santa Cruz, and a lot has changed within Hyundai during that time. The company’s new decision-makers are taking a different approach from the regime that championed the concept’s production back then. It remains to be seen how the different stylistic approach affects the production model’s appeal, but that’s also just one of many questions that Hyundai needs to answer before the production pickup arrives.

Hyundai is slowly but surely shifting its image from what it used to be a decade ago to one of a manufacturer that is on par with more established rivals. This is being achieved not only by making better everyday cars but making sportier cars too. The next one in line is the 2020 Hyundai i20 N – a model that’s slated to take on the Ford Fiesta ST and Renault Clio RS.

Gone are the days when SUVs were just spacious vehicles with a basic engine that just about did its job. SUVs are now replacing sedans in almost all the aspects. The big vehicles are now refined, have better on-road driving manners, and come loaded with features and equipment. A lot of automakers have also been getting into performance SUVs lately. The latest entrant to that niche is Hyundai with its upcoming Tucson N. The Tucson N will hit the roads in about two years and will come on the back of 340 ponies.

Just after we saw spy photographs of the Kia Ceed Sportswagon PHEV, the internet world provided us with photographs of the new Kona PHEV. The small Hyundai city crossover is already available in its gasoline, diesel, and electric guise. The upcoming PHEV will, most certainly, circle out the offering of the highly successful crossover. Caught on film (well, on an SD card really), somewhere in Germany, the new Hyundai Kona PHEV may even prepare us for the upcoming facelifted version of the same car. Before all of that, we have to get adjusted to the fact that small, classy, and fashion conscious crossovers are selling as hybrids like hotcakes. Just note the Toyota CH-R hybrid. We actually do know that the photographed Kona is a hybrid thanks to an eye witness of the photographer who said that it was filled up at a petrol station, but it drove off completely silent probably on electric power alone. Well, in that case, that makes this an “ear witness”, but what the hell!?

Hyundai is using its Super Bowl LIII commercial to promote its Shopper Assurance program for buyers, and it even tagged actor, director, and comedian, Jason Bateman, along for the ride. Given Bateman’s presence, the commercial is light with its tone with splashes of humor sprinkled in to get the audience’s attention. In the end, Hyundai isn’t promoting a specific model in its ad, though it did include a cameo from the Hyundai Palisade, the company’s all-new big boy SUV. The commercial is all about promoting Hyundai’s Shopper Assurance and, while it didn’t exactly drive home the point of what the program is all about, the ad succeeded in showcasing that it’s available for customers who need it. The 60-second spot will run at some point in the first quarter of the Super Bowl.

As part of its worldwide effort to spice up its lineup, today Hyundai introduced the 2019 Hyundai Elantra GT N Line for the U.S. market at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show. We have already seen the N Line branded car for Europe – dubbed the Hyundai i30 N Line – when we learned that the N Line performance goodies include something more than just an exterior touch up. It is a similar story for the U.S. car although I did notice some clear differences. In short, the U.S. Elantra GT N Line may well be somewhat better compared to the i30 N Line for Europe.