By Don Hammonds
One look at Hyundai’s 2012 Veloster and two words come to mind: Dream car.

The slick, muscular little car with the dynamite styling looks for all the world like something you see at an auto show, drop your jaw and exclaim “wow,” but aren’t allowed to touch because of the red velvet roping protecting it.
But this is a car you can touch all you like while you enjoy cool features like Hyundai’s awesome Blue Link Telematics system that keeps …

By John Heilig
 
 

Specifications
 
 

Model: 2012 Hyundai Veloster
 

Engine: 1.6-liter DOHC I4
Horsepower/Torque: 138 hp @ 6,300 rpm/123 lb.-ft. @ 4,850 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Wheelbase: 104.3 in.
Length/Width/Height: 166.1 x 70.5 x 55.1 in.
Tires: P215/40R18
Cargo volume: 15.5/34.7 cu. ft. (back seats up/down)
Fuel economy: 28 mpg city/40 mpg highway/36.1 mpg test
Fuel capacity: 13.2 gal.
Curb weight: 2,584-2,740 lbs.
Sticker: $21,300 (includes $4,000 in options)
 
Five reasons to buy this car
1. Fun to drive
2. Surprisingly practical
3. Comfortable
4. Great fuel economy
5. Great looking, even with three doors
 
The Bottom Line: Even when you …

 Remember when Hyundai introduced the Azera?
Back then it was considered nothing short of a revolutionary move by a maker of small cars–now launching into luxury territory.
Of course, you know the story. Later came the Genesis, then came the Equus, and to our view at least, Azera got a bit lost in the shuffle.
Well this week, at the Los Angeles International Auto Show, introduced an all-new Azera, with the same contemporary flowing style we have seen on Sonata, Tucson and the Equus.

The Azera has a  new …

 
By Don Hammonds, executive editor
This model year promises to be a blockbuster one, with so many new models coming out that you’ll need a scorecard to keep up with it all.
Yet, amid the dozens of new models, and hundreds of continuing ones, there are still some diamonds that we believe will shine far above the others before the model year’s out. 
We selected our picks based on their impact on the automotive market, their uniqueness, in some cases, their transformations from …

By JOHN HEILIG
 
SPECIFICATIONS
 
Model: 2011 Hyundai Elantra GLS
Engine: 1.8-liter I4
Horsepower/Torque: 148 hp @ 6,500 rpm/131 lb.-ft. @ 4,700 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic with Shiftronic
Wheelbase: 106.3 in.
Length/Width/Height: 178.3 x 69.9 x 56.5 in.
Tires: P205/55R16
Cargo volume: 14.8 cu. ft.
Fuel economy: 29 mpg city/40 mpg highway/35.1 mpg test
Fuel capacity: 12.8 gal.
Curb weight: 2,661 lbs.
Sticker: $18,480 (includes $720 inland freight and handling charge. $680 in options)
 
Five reasons to buy this car
1. Sonata styling in a smaller package
2. Very good economy
3. Comfortable on long rides
4. Large for …

By Don Hammonds
The accent for Hyundai in 2012 is on ….well, the Accent!
For 2012, Hyndai is introducing an all-new Hyundai Accent that successfully melds the company’s  new “Fluidic Sculpture” design language on a smaller car.
Of course, there’s a lot more to the new Accent than good looks.  There’s a new direct injection 138 horsepower 1.6 liter four, along with your choice of either a six speed manual or six speed automoatic. The EPA economy rating is 30/40 miles per gallon.

         It …

By John Heilig
 Model: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
 Engine: 2.4 liter Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder plus 270-volt lithium polymer battery
Horsepower/Torque: 206.2 hp @ 6,000 rpm/194.4 lb.-ft. @ 0-6,000 rpm (max total)
 Transmission: 6-speed automatic
 Wheelbase: 110.0 in.
 Length x Width x Height: 189.8 x 72.2 x 57.7 in.
 Tires: P215/55R17
Cargo: 10.7 cu. ft.
Economy: 35 mpg city/40 mpg highway/35.0 mpg test
Fuel capacity: 17.2 gal.
Curb Weight: 3,550 lbs. (approx.)
Sticker: $31,650 (includes $720 inland freight and hand ling charge, $5,000 hybrid premium package. $100 carpeted floor mats, $35 iPod cable
 Five …

By Don Hammonds
It’s oh, so difficult to overstate the goodness of Hyundai’s 2011 Elantra.

A week’s test drive convinced me that this car, by viruie of so many things, is so far ahead of the compact car competition–except for perhaps Chevy’s Cruze and Ford’s Focus–that buying a car this size without at least considering the Elantra would be unwise indeed. It’s undeniably one of the best five cars we’ve driven here at “Automobile Journal during this waning model year that ends this …

Hyundai just introduced their 2012 Hyundai Accent at the New York International Auto Show, and from what we see, it’s a winner.

Bu we at Automobile Journal smell blood in the subcompact car waters. There’s a big-time rumble  coming. This market is getting crowded, and somebody’s going down. There will be winners and losers, and it’s clear Hyundai has no intention of being a loser here. You can count on that.
 Still, the Accent is only the latest in a huge group of new …

By John Heilig
Model: 2011 Hyundai Azera Limited
 Engine: 3.8-liter V6
 Horsepower/Torque: 283 hp @ 6,200 rpm/263 lb.-ft. @ 4,500 rpm Transmission: 6-speed automatic
 Wheelbase: 109.4 in
Length/Width/Height: 193.3 x 72.8 x 58.7 in.
 Tires: P255/55R17
Cargo volume: 16.8 cu. ft. Fuel economy: 19 mpg city/27 mpg highway/25.7 mpg test
Fuel capacity: 19.8 gal.
Curb weight: 3,600 lbs.
 Sticker: $33,720 (includes $775 inland freight and handling and $1,850 in options ($1,750 navigation package, $100 carpeted floor mats))
  Five reasons to buy this car 1. Near luxury at a semi-normal price …