First Drive – 2012 Hyundai Azera

To say a person has “made the leap” means they’ve moved from performing at a lower level to a higher one. The phrase is constantly used in the sports world for those that’ve gone from rookies to all-stars, or from performing well in college and then doing just as well in the big leagues. It seems an automaker is capable of making the leap as well.

Hyundai started by hustling its wares as rolling examples of affordability. Now, the automaker offers a suite of products that are stylish, well made, and achieve excellent fuel economy ratings. Additionally, new car shoppers are flocking to Hyundai vehicles so quickly that supply can’t keep up with demand. Hyundai, it seems, has made the leap.

Car shoppers can also make the leap. Naturally, automakers prefer that said leap happens within the the brand portfolio. For Hyundai, that means they want folks to graduate from an Elantra to a Sonata, while aspiring to someday own a Genesis or even an Equus. There’s a problem though, because that’s a mighty big leap to make. Now, however, there’s a new kid on the block that provides the appropriate landing space for Sonata owners looking to live just a little bit larger. Only it’s so much more than a simple stopgap. It’s the 2012 Hyundai Azera… and it’s excellent.

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First Drive – 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe

“Did John Krafcik just compare Hyundai to The Beatles?“

I’m writing this in my notebook, circling it, and staring at the ink which squirted forth from my pen and formed those very words. I even bothered the journalist to my left, making sure my ears are working at this relatively early hour of the morning. Krafcik, CEO of the North American arm of Hyundai, has in fact uttered those words. I’m in a Las Vegas hotel conference room, I’m not drunk, and I’m… nodding in agreement.

The manner in which Krafcik has compared his automotive brand to one of the greatest bands of all time is an interesting one. You see, The Beatles were not exactly an overnight success. They formed in the mid-to-late ’50s, and the proceeded to grind out their sound in German nightclubs. Over the next few years, Stu Sutcliffe died, Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr, and Beatlemania soon became a “thing” a few years later.

Hyundai hasn’t exactly been an overnight success here in the United States. The brand made its North American debut in 1986 with the Excel. Sales were actually strong for a first year foreign brand selling its wares stateside. Still, that early Excel was … not good. For the next two decades, Hyundai was selling vehicles viewed as sub-par to the rest of the offerings available to consumers. Fast forward to the beginning of 2012, and John Krafcik is explaining to assembled media members that Hyundai is the 6th best selling brand in the United States, is seeing a rise in the average transaction price, has shot from 7th to 3rd in ALGs ranking of residual value, and is now working hard just to keep pace with demand for its latest vehicles.

One of these latest vehicles is a refreshed version of the automakers rear-wheel-drive sports car, which has its sights set on competitors such as the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, Nissan 370Z, and the upcoming Scion FR-S. Hell… Hyundai PR folks are even throwing the Infiniti G37 in the mix of possible competition. Are they crazy, or will we love, love this coupe?

I have the keys to examples of the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe with both engines, access to the Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch racetrack, and the good-day sunshine, so let’s find out.

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First Impressions: 2012 Hyundai Equus 5.0

I Love the ’90s was a series on VH1, which ran for 10 episodes over the course of five days. Many might get nostalgic about the past, but not everyone loves the ’90s. Korean-automaker Hyundai, for example, is sick of hearing about its products from days gone by. As a member of the automotive media, I’m also sick of hearing about these stories. Yes, we’re all aware that the 1997 Accent was a pile of junk. So was the 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier, but no one brings that up in a discussion of where Chevrolet is know. Why should we continue to do the same with Hyundai at this point?

We’ve moved on here in the 21st century, and so has Hyundai. In fact, the automaker is pushing out new or refreshed product at an almost alarming rate. It’s not forcing out junk either… we’re talking about cars that range from good to great.

Recently, we got a chance to sample something from the good column, that just so happens to have a great engine mounted under its hood. The 2012 Hyundai Equus has been updated for the new model year, and we scored the keys to the automaker’s  latest lengthy luxo barge under the neon lights of the Vegas strip.

[Lead photo courtesy Zach Bowman]

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2012 Hyundai Veloster

Don’t ever pour a few drinks into me and get me fired up about modern car design, because it’s simply unfair… for me. There are only so many synonyms for the word “suppository,” and trust me, I’ve used them all. That’s why I appreciate it when automakers take a chance in the sheetmetal department. When Nissan decided to denude the Southwest of peyote and come up with the Murano CrossCabriolet and the Juke, frankly, I applauded that someone pushed those cars past the beancounters and the sour-looking management dudes with ill-fitting toupees (there’s probably some overlap there) to hit a retailer near you. I’ve never had an occasion to wear a disguise and try both of them out, but I’ll admit that in my weaker moments the sheer absurdity of the Juke makes me swoon.

Look, anyone could pen an ugly car. I’m convinced that some of the all-time worst styling offenders were simply the product of the management handing the drafting pen to a doe-eyed young designer, with a cranium swollen with wondrous ideas and all high on endorphins for their chance to design a car that people will actually drive in the real world,  and then clubbing said designer over the head and tracing around a piece of toast. This technique led to several Chysler products.

The 2012 Hyundai Veloster is not absurd. Or, at least not in the same class of bonkers as either of those Nissans, but that’s not to say it isn’t as boldly different in other respects. First of all, there’s the asymmetry. Two doors on one side, and one on the other. Obsessive-compulsives may want to avert their eyes, or at least step back and forth through a doorway 35 times before looking closely at this car. In the same vein, grammarians should just ignore the word “coupe” entirely. It’s not worth an aneurism to protest; the world’s moved on, “hella” is rapidly approaching acceptance into the OED, and I have an owl so your argument is invalid.

It only takes a glance to realize the Veloster is different, but how different? Read on to find out.

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2012 Hyundai Genesis R-Spec And V6

There’s a scene in Glengarry Glen Ross when maestro salesman Blake (played by Alec Baldwin, a fact I’m particularly fond of) berates a wage slave of the offices of Mitch and Murray:

Dave Moss: What’s your name?

Blake: F**k you. That’s my name. You know why, mister? ‘Cause you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight, and I drove an eighty thousand dollar BMW. That’s my name.

Well, joke’s on you, Alec Baldwin: Hyundai doesn’t build punchline-worthy cars anymore!

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2011 Hyundai Elantra

You don’t get a second chance at a first impression, so for an automaker it’s essential that you put your best sheetmetal forward. In the compact segment the main design brief is “don’t offend anyone – we’re trying to sell a gajillion of these things.” Inject a little style, a little danger in the mix, and you might alienate Uncle Bob and Aunt Sue. Then again, the right mix of creases, character, and attitude may just appeal to both your older relatives and also their young, Apple device-festooned offspring.

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2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

Turbocharging not enough for the brand-new Sonata, you say? How ’bout hybrid-izing the thing? Hyundai’s bringing polar icecap lovers everywhere another way to burn less dino juice with the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid – but is it any good?

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2011 Hyundai Sonata Turbo

What happened to the attractive, distinctive midsize sedan – where did all the Alfa Romeo Guilia TIs and Triumph Dolomite Sprints go? OK, tinworm probably explains a lot of that, but Hyundai’s new Sonata Turbo is a step toward the midsize getting its mojo back.

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