2012 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited on 2040-cars

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2018 Hyundai Accent First Drive Review | Simply good at under $16 grand

We test a lot of fancy, complicated cars here at Autoblog. Most of the cars that come in are high-trim with as many options as possible. That's why it was rather refreshing when Hyundai sent us its new Accent in the most basic possible form, the Accent SE. It's the bottom of the Accent line starting at $15,880. There are no options available when building one out on Hyundai's website, and according to the window sticker, the only extra added to it was a set of carpeted floor mats. The only potential problem with such a basic car is that there's nothing to make up for a poor driving experience. Thankfully, that's not the case with the Accent. It's a strong value that offers a comfortable and even sometimes fun driving experience. It even provides just enough features to not feel like a total penalty box. Exterior, interior and features Being the SE trim level, our Accent was quite unadorned. It had steel wheels with plastic wheel covers, no fog lights, nothing extraneous. Despite that, it wasn't a bad-looking little thing, sporting slightly shrunken Elantra looks that aren't too far out of proportion. Appealing to this editor was the manual transmission, which is only available on this bare-bones trim. The interior feels about as basic and cheap as the exterior, and is easily one of the weakest points of the little car. The dash and door panels look as though they were molded as one unit from the same hard black plastic. There are only a couple of light gray trim pieces to keep it from looking too bleak, but it feels like a somewhat half-hearted attempt. The good news is that Hyundai doesn't completely penalize you for picking the base trim level. You still get the necessities such as cruise control, power windows and locks, air conditioning, USB and Bluetooth connectivity, six-way adjustable seats, and even hill start assist and rear-view camera. In the Accent's cousin, the Kia Rio, you miss out on the cruise control and power windows and locks. But in the Rio's favor is a far more stylish design that shows cheap materials don't have to be drab and dull. All the Accent's controls feel good and are intuitive, though, which is something fancier cars can't often say. Engine, transmission, ride and handling Where the Accent falls short in visual impressions, it makes up for them on the drive. Most impressive is the car's ride quality. We're at the peak of southeastern Michigan pothole season, and the Accent handled it with aplomb.

Hyundai Elantra snags IIHS Top Safety Pick+

The refreshed Hyundai Elantra has just earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's ( IIHS) highest award – the Top Safety Pick+. Now in its sixth generation, the new Elantra's crash test rating is a large improvement over the previous model's, which didn't earn the prestigious award due to getting a rating of "acceptable" in the small front overlap test. The good rating – the best rating possible – only applies to 2017 models built after March, as the vehicles have stronger bodies and a modified front airbag. The Elantra also has an available front crash prevention system, which is a requirement for cars to qualify as a Top Safety Pick+. In order for a vehicle to qualify as a Top Safety Pick+, it must score a rating of good in the moderate overlap front, small overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint tests. The car must also offer a front crash prevention system that has to earn either an advanced or superior rating. Related Video: News Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety via YouTubeImage Credit: IIHS Hyundai Safety Videos Sedan IIHS Top Safety Pick

2019 Hyundai Santa Fe previewed in official renderings

As we near its official reveal in Geneva, Hyundai is trickling out more teasers of the 2019 Santa Fe crossover SUV. This time, instead of a dark photo, the company released a pair of renderings of the new family car. From what we can tell, it's like a huge, subtle Kona. At the front, we can see the SUV version of Hyundai's corporate "Cascade" grille complete with mesh insert instead of the slats found on Hyundai cars. The most obvious connection between this and the Kona are the headlights. It appears illumination may be split between slim, angry lamps high up, and a set of extra lamps lower in the fascia. The front fascia also looks more upright and tough than that of the current model. From what we've seen in spy photos, the front fascia seen in the rendering will translate very closely to real life. The illustrations also suggest the new Santa Fe will have much more sculpted, detailed flanks, too. Bolder plastic cladding shows up on the rocker panels, complete with contrasting aluminum brightwork. Another nod to the Kona shows up in the wheel arches. The creases rise up at the back, similar to the Kona's plastic flares. The rendering also shows a crease just below the windows running along the length of the Santa Fe. Looking at the last teaser image of the actual crossover, this crease is quite prominent. At the rear, the plastic cladding continues along the bottom. The hatch also looks more sculpted than the plain slab of the current model. It also appears to be raked forward more. But the forward rake is countered by the window line on the sides that rises upward. As mentioned with the front fascia, comparing these renderings to spy shots and the previous teaser, it looks like the production Santa Fe will look very much like it does here. Only the exaggerated things like the ultra-slim windows and massive wheels with rubber-band tires will be altered by the hands of rational, practical engineers. As such, the Santa Fe should be a pretty handsome family hauler, and a slightly bigger one than its predecessor, when it makes its debut at the Geneva show in March. Related Video: