The styling is pulled almost whole from the “ix-onic” concept truck…or perhaps vice versa, as Hyundai often uses concept vehicles to tease upcoming production cars.

If you’re one of those people who wants to get from Point A to Point B with a minimum of fuss and without carrying more power amenities and frills than you absolutely need, the 2004 Hyundai Elantra may be just what you’re looking for.

It seems like we say this every time we drive a Hyundai, but we’ll say it again anyway: Don’t believe the stereotypes!  Hyundais are no longer the chintzy redheaded stepchildren of the automotive world.  The Elantra makes a good case for this point.  It’s Hyundai’s best-selling car …

There’s a lot to be learned from what’s not on the front of the Hyundai XG350.  Take a careful look at this conservative mid-size sedan’s face, and it soon becomes clear that there’s not a single badge or identifying mark up front.  The big chrome grille is completely unadorned by manufacturer or model names.  It’s as if someone went to a discount warehouse store that sold automobiles and ordered the Generic Imported Luxury Sedan.

The biggest and most expensive sedan Hyundai sells in this country is a surprisingly competent wallflower.  Introduced …

The design carries hints of several Hyundai concept cars–the Talus contributed its greenhouse, and the HCD8 predicted the basic shape of the Genesis Coupe. Don’t remember either of those concepts? It’s not important, they’re just ancestors.

Into the hotly contested front-drive sports coupe market comes a new challenger.  The Hyundai Tiburon’s name means “shark” in Spanish, but this review won’t contain any icthyological puns, because they’ve already been done and frankly, the 2003 Tiburon deserves better.

It’s been changed so thoroughly it skipped a year.  There is no 2002 version of Hyundai’s front-drive sports coupe.  Instead, the Tiburon has jumped ahead to ‘03, and metamorphosed from an awkward-looking, moderately fast four-banger into a sleek, V6-powered coupe that’s more than ready to compete with the Mitsubishi Eclipse and …

That funny-looking sedan with the peanut-shaped headlights should not be dismissed as another also-ran in the midsize sedan class.  Redesigned for 2002, Hyundai’s Sonata is symbolic of Hyundai’s growing influence in the American car market.

Look around and you’ll see more and more Sonatas on the road.  That’s not a surprise, considering Hyundai’s increasing annual sales, which have passed those of some Japanese manufacturers.  With its prosperity on the rise, the Korean manufacturer is making plans to build a factory in the United States as well, just like those of its …

Once upon a time, compact sport-utes were little more than four-wheel drive buckboards, thrown together with minimal attention to styling or comfort.  They were the cheap workhorses of the line, intended to live hard lives and disappear quietly.  When was the last time you saw a Suzuki Samurai or a Daihatsu Rocky running around town?

These days, the compact SUV has grown up into an alternative to a mid-size station wagon or even a minivan.  Case in point; the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe.  Like other small utes, it’s based on a …

If your automotive handbook still says that Hyundais are bargain-basement econoboxes to be avoided at all cost, then you’ve got last year’s book and probably still think Oldsmobiles are exclusively for senior citizens.  Trade in your preconceptions for the most recent update as soon as possible.  Those unattractive, unreliable tin boxes that used to wear Hyundai badges are no more.  Buyers not put off by an outdated stigma will find that the 2000 Hyundai Sonata has matured into an elegant, viable alternative to many more expensive cars.

Hyundai’s biggest challenge with …

Hyundai’s advances at the upper-middle class of the car market have gotten a lot of attention of late; the new Azera luxury sedan and redesigned Santa Fe SUV offer class-leading refinement and modern style. For 2007, the Elantra gets a taste of the roll that Hyundai is on. Is it ready to compete with the class leaders from Honda and Toyota?

Why yes, yes it is. The new Elantra is larger, impressively quiet on the road, and improved interior materials make it an entry-level vehicle that’s not a compromise between …