Hyundai’s Most Reliable Car Is Also 1 of Its Oldest
Hyundai is one of the best-regarded car brands, but that wasn’t always the case. Not long ago, the South Korean automaker had a reputation for making low-quality, unreliable cars. The company has since turned that reputation around and become a popular automaker. And one of its oldest vehicles is now the most reliable Hyundai model.
What is the most reliable Hyundai model?
2023 Hyundai Santa Fe | Hyundai
Of the 10 Hyundai models receiving reliability scores, the worst performer is the Ioniq Hybrid. It has a 5.9 out of 10, which still ranks it in the middle of the pack of hybrids. Then there’s the Elantra GT, with a 7.1. That ranks it 21st among 51 small cars.
After that is the Ioniq PHEV, with a 7.2, making it the most reliable plug-in hybrid sedan. Meanwhile, the Veloster sports car has a 7.5 out of 10, and the Accent and Elantra have a 7.7. Similarly, the Ioniq EV and the Sonata Hybrid earned a 7.9. That makes the Ioniq EV the most reliable small EV and the Sonata Hybrid the third-most reliable hybrid sedan. The regular Sonata sits in second place with a reliability score of 8.1. It’s the eighth-most reliable midsize sedan.
Finally, there’s the Santa Fe. The midsize SUV received an 8.5. That score is in the top three of its segment, making the Santa Fe the most reliable Hyundai model.
Why is the Santa Fe the most reliable Hyundai model?
The Hyundai Santa Fe’s high reliability isn’t too surprising. The South Korean automaker has been producing this midsize crossover since the 2001 Santa Fe rolled off the assembly line. Since then, the company has redesigned the SUV four times, and it’s currently in its fourth generation.
That lengthy history has allowed the automaker’s engineers and designers to refine the vehicle and fix its issues. That’s a significant reason why the Santa Fe rates well in reliability.
On the other end of the spectrum, Hyundai has several new models. Though many didn’t receive reliability ratings from iSeeCars, the Ioniq’s poor reliability score isn’t a shock.
The Ioniq is relatively young, and issues plagued the debut 2017 model. However, the Ioniq EV received a good score likely because electric cars are typically more reliable than their gas-powered counterparts. But overall, new models tend to have reliability issues because they haven’t been tested as long in the real world as older vehicles.
The automaker has had many years to improve its oldest models
The Santa Fe isn’t the only old Hyundai model with an excellent reliability score. Second place on the iSeeCars list went to the Sonata, an even older model than the Santa Fe. The South Korean auto giant began producing that midsize sedan in 1985. The Elantra and Accent are also old cars, starting production in 1990 and 1994, respectively.
Those reliable Hyundai models are more evidence that vehicles in production longer tend to improve in quality and dependability. They’re old models because consumers like them enough to continue buying them throughout the years. That encourages automakers to refine those cars and resolve owner complaints.
Next Isuzu D-Max could adopt electric truck power
An electric Isuzu D-Max ute is a step closer to reality after its truck division unveiled a battery-powered option for the company's iconic 3.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine.
At the Brisbane Truck Show last week, Isuzu Trucks Australia – a separate entity to Isuzu Ute Australia, which sells the D-Max ute and MU-X SUV – revealed its first model to be powered by an electric motor, a new option for the N Series EV light-duty truck.
The electric motor – which Isuzu claims can has peak outputs of 110kW to 150kW and 370Nm – is mounted behind the truck’s cab and sends drive to the rear wheels through a traditional driveshaft and differential assembly.
While the Isuzu N Series light-duty truck and the Isuzu D-Max ute may appear to have nothing in common, they share a closely-related 3.0-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder engine.
Powering the Isuzu N Series is the ‘4JJ1’ four-cylinder turbo-diesel diesel engine, previously found in the D-Max from 2006 until 2020 (also found in certain variants of the Holden Rodeo and Colorado), and considered to be the predecessor to the ‘4JJ3’ engine in the current-generation Isuzu D-Max and MU-X.
Given the truck and ute share similar diesel engines, the electric technology previewed in the new Isuzu N Series could also be used in future versions of the Isuzu D-Max – should Isuzu choose to make its popular ute available with the option of battery power.
While executives from Isuzu’s truck and ute divisions told Drive an electric D-Max is not currently in the works, they acknowledged it could be technically possible to use the truck division's electric tech on future utes.
However, there are a number of hurdles to overcome before an electric Isuzu D-Max makes it to local showrooms.
The batteries which power the Isuzu N Series EV are packaged in 20kWh modules which resemble the shape and size of truck fuel tanks – rather than the slim and wide batteries found in most electric cars, which means the battery packs may need to be redesigned before being fitted to a ute.
While the top-of-the-range Isuzu D-Max develops 140kW and 450Nm from its 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, the peak outputs for the electric motor in the Isuzu N Series EV are 150kW and 370Nm – representing a modest power gain but a deficit in torque compared to the ute.
Price could be another hurdle to overcome. For example, the LDV eT60 – the only electric ute on sale in Australia – costs more than twice the price of the most expensive diesel-powered LDV T60, which starts from $92,990 plus on-road costs.
Much of the price difference between the two variants is attributed to the raw material costs of an electric-car battery, which could continue to rise as demand for lithium starts to overtake supply.
Hyundai Just Rebuilt Its Boxy Pony Coupe Concept From the 1970s, and It Looks Incredible
Hyundai is firmly focused on its exciting electric future, but it’s not above the occasional nostalgic glance backward.
The South Korean automaker unveiled a faithful recreation of the Pony Coupe Concept from 1974 last Friday at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy. The original two-door never went into production, and this version isn’t likely to either, but that doesn’t make the retro-futuristic sports car any less cool.
The Pony Coupe Concept may share a name with the Hyundai’s first car, but that’s about it. The prototype, which was designed by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro, made its debut at the Turin Motor Show in 1974. Like Giugiaro’s most famous creation, the DeLorean DMC-12, the two-door features a wedge shape and sharp lines. Unfortunately, when the Pony eventually did go into production it was a much more utilitarian vehicle that barely resembled the Italian’s vision. Despite this, the bold concept has long been an object of fascination for enthusiasts and was the primary visual influence for last year’s crowd-pleasing N Vision 74 concept.
To ensure that the reproduction was as accurate as possible, Hyundai brought in Giugiaro to oversee the project. Under the Italdesign cofounder’s watchful eye, the vehicle was completely rebuilt utilizing the original methods and materials used back in the ‘70s. Every aspect of the car, from its headlights to its instrument panel to its wheels, looks exactly as it would have brand new. Even the power train—a 1.3-liter inline-four that produces just 82 hp—is the same.
“The restoration of this unique vehicle is a milestone in Hyundai’s history,” Luc Donckerwolke, the automaker’s president and chief creative officer, said in a statement. “It represents our beginnings and our commitment to the future. It serves as a legacy for generations to come.”
As cool as the Pony Coupe Concept may look, you shouldn’t expect to see it on the road anytime soon. All signs point to the angular sports car being a one-off. The same goes for the N Vision 74 concept that it inspired, despite recent rumors saying otherwise. Still, there’s no denying that the Pony Coupe Concept will continue to hold a special spot in Hyundai’s heart for years to come.
Why Edmunds Claims ‘Volkswagen’s Taos SUV Is a Big Deal’
Volkswagen is one of the best-selling automakers in the world, and that’s because the German automaker makes a lot of great cars. One of the best cars in VW’s lineup is its smallest SUV option. Here’s a look at the 2023 Volkswagen Taos and why, despite its size, it’s a big deal.
How the 2023 Volkswagen Taos stacks up against its segment rivals
SUVs are exploding in popularity, and as a result, automakers are introducing many new SUV models. This has also made every SUV segment highly competitive, and one of the most competitive segments is the subcompact crossover segment. Edmunds refers to this category as the extra small SUV category, including great options like the Kia Soul and the Subaru Crosstrek. A handful of high-quality cars were recently introduced to the segment, such as the Toyota Corolla Cross and the Kia Seltos. That being said, as far as their overall scores go, the third-best extra small SUV right now is the Mazda CX-30, which had an overall score of 7.9 out of 10. The second best extra small SUV is the Chevy Trailblazer, introduced in the 2021 model year. The Chevy SUV received an overall score of 8.0 out of 10.
The Volkswagen Taos is the best extra small SUV of the year, and it’s also a reasonably new entry into the segment. The German automaker introduced the car in the 2022 model year. Despite that, it beat out its rivals with its overall score of 8.1 out of 10.
Why the 2023 Volkswagen Taos is such a big deal
Edmunds wrote that the small Volkswagen SUV is a big deal because it packs a lot of features and specs into a small and affordable package. It starts at a price tag of about $25,500, which is about average for the segment. VW has one engine option for the SUV, and it’s a 1.5-liter turbo four-cylinder that gets 158 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque.
That isn’t an exceptionally powerful engine, but it delivers enough power to make the Taos fun to drive. The best part about the SUV, however, is what’s inside. Despite being a smaller SUV, it has a good amount of cargo capacity. It has 27.9 cu-ft of cargo capacity without folding any seats down, which is the best in the class. With the seats folded down, its cargo capacity tops out at 65.9 cu-ft.
The German auto giant also gave the small SUV a lot of tech and safety features. It starts with a 6.5-inch touchscreen and has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility as standard. In terms of safety features, the Taos comes with forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot warning, and a rear-cross traffic alert system. These smart safety systems also work well, according to Edmunds.
The 2023 Volkswagen Taos has few flaws
Another great area about the Taos is its cabin comfort, and it’s also one of the best in the class in that regard. The seats are spacious for a small SUV, and the doors are large, allowing folks to enter and exit the Volkswagen easily. That said, it’s not a perfect vehicle, and the car critic wrote that the Taos has two flaws.
The first flaw has to do with its cabin noise levels. When the Taos is at highway speeds, drivers and passengers can notice some engine and road noise. Another minor issue is that its transmission can be frustrating to use.
Is the Hyundai Ioniq 5 the Most Reliable Small Electric SUV on the Market?
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the top dog in its segment. The 2022 Ioniq 5 won World Car of the Year. The 2023 model year has kept demand strong. Part of the Ioniq 5’s appeal is its practicality and affordability. What about reliability? How does the Ioniq 5’s reliability compare to other popular small electric SUVs in its segment?
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is reliable (so far)
Electric vehicles are very different than internal combustion vehicles. Since EVs are new territory for many automakers, it isn’t uncommon for these new vehicles to have serious problems that require recalls. Recalls are part of the game in the automotive industry, even for the most reliable nameplates. That being said, some recent EV recalls have been alarming.
The Chevy Bolt EV is one of the most controversial electric vehicles because of its battery fire issue. Bolt EVs were recalled because batteries could potentially catch fire and cause serious damage. This mass recall cost GM over a billion dollars, and the American automaker’s partnership with LG appears to be going up in smoke as well.
The Chevy Bolt EV is far from the only electric vehicle that has encountered serious reliability issues. The Tesla Model Y had climate system issues along with plenty of other small problems. Consumer Reports gives the small electric SUV a low reliability rating.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E is also experiencing reliability problems. The Blue Oval issued a stop-sale because overheating batteries had the potential to stop vehicles from moving, making them completely immobile. There are only 11 Ioniq 5 complaints registered on CarComplaints.com, and the small electric SUV nameplate has only been recalled once so far.
Is the Hyundai Ioniq 5 a reliable small SUV?
The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 | Hyundai
Reliability is incredibly important to consumers. Since many drivers get a new vehicle with the intention of owning it for years, a vehicle’s reliability and cost of ownership are extremely important. So, it isn’t responsible to say that the Ioniq 5 is reliable yet, but it has significantly fewer issues than many of its rivals thus far.
The Ioniq 5 is one of the most reliable electric vehicles on the market, but that doesn’t mean the EV can’t have a future battery issue that would bring its dependability into question. So, should you get an Ioniq 5 over less reliable small electric SUVs? Sure. Is it infallible? Of course not.
If you’re looking for a new small electric SUV, the Ioniq 5 is ranked as the best choice in its class by several reputable automotive publications, including Car and Driver. As far as EVs go, this thing is the bee’s knees or the creme de la creme. Upper trim levels make it even more appealing.
If you’re willing to adapt to EV ownership (getting a home charger, etc.), the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is worth the money. Hyundai’s small electric SUV is the one to beat, making its upcoming small electric car even more exciting.
Like every other automaker, Hyundai will give its cars a full redesign from time to time, and recently, it did just that with the Tucson. The 2022 model year marked the debut of the Tucson’s fourth generation, and Hyundai changed a lot about the popular compact crossover. Here’s a look at how Hyundai nailed its redesign of the 2022 Tucson.
This is what changed with the 2022 redesign of the Hyundai Tucson
According to Cars.com, the Tucson continues to offer a lot of value to car shoppers after its redesign. Since it’s a redesign, the Tucson’s exterior has changed.
Its front has a new futuristic look, which includes a new grille, and its rear has a new and aggressive design. Hyundai also gave the SUV an upgrade under the hood. Its new engine is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that gets 187 hp.
That’s a significant upgrade in power, as the prior model started with a 161-hp engine. This new engine is also efficient, as it allows the SUV to get 29 mpg combined.
Plus, Hyundai gave additional new powertrain options to the Tucson, and they include a traditional hybrid as well as a plug-in hybrid. Additionally, just like with the rest of the car, the Hyundai SUV’s interior also received major updates.
Just like with the exterior, the Tucson’s interior styling is new and improved. It’s spacious for passengers, and it has more cargo capacity than many of its rivals. Hyundai also upgraded the SUV’s tech features, as it now comes standard with an 8-inch touchscreen instead of a 7-inch one. Overall, Cars.com was impressed by the Tucson as it offered drivers a great value thanks to its $25,000 price tag.
Hyundai has sold a lot of Tucsons thanks to this redesign
GoodCarBadCar tells us the Tucson’s sales numbers show that car shoppers are also impressed by the redesign. Up until 2016, the South Korean auto giant only sold around 50,000 units of the SUV every year. The 2016 model year marked the first model year in the Tucson’s third generation, and that redesign was successful. Hyundai sold almost 90,000 units in 2016.
The next year, the company sold almost 115,000 units. Ever since then, Hyundai has sold over 100,000 Tucsons every year. Sales hit a high of about 154,000 units in 2018. Sales dropped in 2019 and 2020, but they were still well above 100,000 units a year.
In 2021, Hyundai sold almost 141,000 units. That said, the site is missing data for July 2021, but it’s unlikely to add too many units to that year’s total.
Just like how the 2016 redesign gave the Tucson a boost in sales, the 2022 redesign also gave the SUV a boost in sales. In 2022, the South Korean automaker sold over 175,000 units, which makes it the car’s best year in sales. This is a 24.5% increase in sales year-over-year. These strong sales show that drivers liked what Hyundai did to the Tucson.
It’s rare for cars to sell well during difficult economic situations
What’s even more impressive about this sharp rise in sales is the fact that the world was not doing too well during these last few years. Supply chain issues did a lot of damage to the auto industry, and for many automakers, that meant a drop in production as well as a drop in sales.
Furthermore, the economic issues meant that shoppers have had to be more cautious with how they spend their money. The fact that the Tucson’s sales rose so much despite these economic issues shows that it really does have a lot of value for its price.
How Hyundai Became One Of Our Favourite Automakers
Imagine if, 10 years ago, someone had said to you, in a decade’s time, the car manufacturer you’d most admire would be Hyundai. You’d giggle yourself clean out of your Recaro.
The only way your past self could see that fanciful statement being true – that the Korean maker of ordinary economy hatchbacks (with only a light dusting of rallying in its history) could go from Pony to thoroughbred in such a short time – is if the world received an almighty shake-up.
Thanks to a global pandemic, a complete eradication of dignity in our world leaders and some of our long-held human rights being at risk, it feels very much like a different planet now than 10 years ago.
But it’s not this cultural reset that has made us look at Hyundai differently. No, it’s Hyundai that’s changed dramatically, and the automaker was on this trajectory way before such major world events forced their way into our lives.
It was 2016, with the launch of Hyundai’s performance brand, N, that set the tone for the company’s reinvention. And we were not prepared. Not at all.
I covered the reveal of the first N, the i30 N. It shows how little faith we had in Hyundai that I, the most junior member of staff of the magazine I was working on at the time, was sent to see its unveiling. We thought we knew what was coming.
You see, we’d driven Hyundai’s sister brand’s performance model, the Kia Proceed GT. This warm hatch was well balanced and peppy. It was nice. But you didn’t want one.
There was the Kia Stinger, too. This car showed real promise. It had the basis of an incredible performer, but it was finished with a mass-market glaze – the sort that leaves a bitter aftertaste in the mouth of car lovers.
So we knew what to expect from this new Hyundai hot hatch. A sporty hatchback, but nothing that would worry a VW Golf GTI, and something that wouldn’t see where a Renaultsport product had gone.
But boy were we wrong. The i30 N was a hot hatch done right. Made just the way you’d want it. It was dripping with touches that could only have come from people who love performance cars. At tick-over it sounded just like a WRC car skulking around a service area. To me, the triangular brake light screamed Manta 400 bonnet vent.
And it was engineered properly. It had a limited-slip differential and a tough chassis. It gripped when you wanted it to; it slipped when you didn’t. The entire steering system was new because the regular i30’s wasn’t rigid enough and didn’t provide sufficient feel.
That latter point isn’t the sexiest fact, but that’s the sort of in-depth and expensive modification that rarely gets past a car company’s accountants. It shows how dedicated Hyundai was to making the i30 N a proper hot hatch contender. Maybe, even at the expense of any profit. I’ve always assumed that Hyundai loses money on the i30 N given it feels so exquisitely engineered.
It’s worth the lack of profit, though, because the i30 is the foundation of the N brand. If it wasn’t as strong, if it was, say, like the Kia Proceed GT, then we wouldn’t be applauding it now.
The i30 N was the spark that made us all turn our heads east and pay attention to Hyundai. The Kona, Veloster and i20 have all received the N treatment with much the same success as the original.
Then there are the non-performance Hyundai models that we just can’t take our eyes off. The Ioniq 5 might be an electric hatchback – a huge one at that – but it looks like it should be restricted to a slowly rotating turntable – it’s too futuristic to be a car you can just buy. Hyundai’s van, the Staria, is equally mystifying. Both are stop-you-in-the-street stunning… a hatchback and a van.
Then we get onto Hyundai’s actual concept cars and prototypes. These sorts of cars, fanciful never-going-to-make-it-to-production machines, are rarely exciting. Often wonderful looking, undoubtedly, but they’re usually designed to be exhibited at stale motor shows. Their sole purpose to boast about spurious new technology and get industry and design guys hot under their indoor scarves.
Hyundai didn’t get that memo. The Korean brand’s concepts want to show us – people who actually buy and love cars, not industry design types and futurologists – where the company is heading. Hyundai’s prototypes often have the whiff of burnt rubber about them, brilliantly so.
To showcase its future drivetrains, Hyundai has stuffed its electric motors into radically redeveloped Velosters to make not one, but two mid-engined, rear-wheel drive track cars in the form of the N ETCR and the RM20e. The latter has over 800hp.
One of the company’s most bizarre creations is the iMax N, a high-performance drifting eight-seater van. Someone at Hyundai is a Dajiban fan, clearly.
Then there’s the more sedate, but no less captivating, Grandeur restomod that Hyundai made in 2021. An original Grandeur saloon, but with the sheen, elegance and matrix lights from a 1980s vision of the future. It’s retro without seeming gaudy, celebratory without being attention seeking, and humorous without being a joke. It’s perfectly judged.
Despite these triumphs, Hyundai has managed to outdo itself recently. In early 2022, it launched two concepts that harness new-world tech and unleash it in a way that seems to have – if we didn’t know better – Speedhunters approval stamped all over it.
First is the RN22e, essentially an N version of Hyundai’s swooping Ioniq 6 saloon. In true loveable N-style, it’s in light blue, has plenty of power (569hp) from two electric motors, one for each axle, and torque vectoring at the rear. It’s the way it looks that’s most astounding, though. There’s never been a GT3 race car made from a saloon, because that would be absurd. But it would look incredible and we know that because that’s exactly what the RN22e looks like. Massive wing, huge diffuser, wide stance, blistered arches and everything.
The best of these two concepts, however, is the N Vision 74. It combines the retro styling, high performance and sheer joyous attitude of all the Hyundai concepts we’ve touched on and stuffs those attributes into a wild, wedge-shaped package.
The basis for the N Vision 74 is a Hyundai Pony Coupé concept designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for the Turin Motor Show of, yes you guessed it, 1974. An updated, modernised and electric version of this crisp coupé would have been lovely. It would have got us talking and sharing a few pics online, just as the Grandeur restomod did.
But Hyundai didn’t leave it there and boy are we grateful. It took the ’70s concept and did what, well, any of us would do to it. What we’d do to it if we had an unlimited budget and the right combination of reverence and disrespect for the company’s heritage.
The N Vision 74 has a 1970s Group 5 silhouette-style body kit. Big wide box arches that finish abruptly at the doors to leave gaping cooling holes fore and aft. Its wheels are like a cleaned-up version of the turbofans found on a Trans Am Audi 200 Quattro, big and smooth. And, so it doesn’t simply hark bark to race highlights from the past century, it has a massive modern aero package, including a wing, diffuser and splitter.
Why it needs quite so much downforce is perplexing, because the official pictures show it being backed into corners, sideways, well before any apex. I know the images are not real, just digital renders, but pics like this show Hyundai’s intent. This is how it wants you to see its cars, at full opposite lock. That’s another thing about Hyundai you have to admire.
Hyundai seems determined to prove that the future, V8 and petrol-less, will still be irresponsibly fun. The N Vision 74 has two electric motors, but unlike the RN22e, they’re both for the back axle to make pulverising rubber much easier. It’s hydrogen-powered too, our favourite ‘new’ form of propulsion. None of that lengthy charge time.
It seems as though there’s someone like us – someone with Eurobeat punctuated by 4A-GE induction noise constantly playing in our heads – that’s making decisions at Hyundai. Heck, more than one person. It seems like there’s a team of people who really love cars there.
That’s why I admire Hyundai right now. Each one of its concepts or performance cars feels as though one of your car mates is behind it. You half expect that each new car will be unveiled in the same way a friend would announce when they’ve bought, made or done something silly. Rather than a pompous PDF press release, you’d get a WhatsApp with a pic and a simple ‘check this out’.
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About Garage Centraal
The goal of Garage Centraal Aruba is simple: that everyone that needs a vehicle is able to have a vehicle that satisfies their needs and expectations, with expert service and parts support. We offer award winning quality vehicles from Hyundai, Isuzu and Volkswagen, along with an extensive catalog of pre-owned vehicles.
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