USAA: Genesis, Elantra Among Nation’s ‘Best Values’

[Hyundai NEWS]

Both the Hyundai Genesis sedan and Hyundai Elantra sedan have been named to the 2012 Best Value Vehicles list by the USAA, an organization committed to providing financial services to members of the U.S. military and their families. The honor is based on a wide range of criteria, including reliability, safety, fuel economy, costs, depreciation and more, and relies on advanced computer-modeling developed by the organization specifically for vehicle analysis.
According to the USAA, in the Small Sedan segment, “the Hyundai Elantra makes the USAA Best Value list for the first time namely due to its impressive fuel efficiency and low maintenance costs. The vehicle is also an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick.”
Regarding that “impressive fuel efficiency,” the Elantra can achieve EPA ratings of 29 mpg city/40 mpg highway/33 mpg combined, and that’s regardless of whether its driver chooses a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic. Hyundai’s award-winning compact also earned a spot on the USAA’s Top Ten for Teens List as a smart choice for teenage drivers.
Besting all rivals in the Large Luxury Sedan class was the Hyundai Genesis: “A repeat performer, the Hyundai Genesis has made the USAA Best Value list two years in a row—with good reason,” according to the USAA. “Not only is the Hyundai Genesis an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick, its engine performs slightly better than other vehicles in its category and has a slightly lower price.”
The Genesis sedan also enjoyed some serious upgrades for the new model year, garnering a refreshed exterior design, direct-injection engine technology, and eight-speed automatic transmission, and, in the hi-po Genesis 5.0 R-Spec, a 5.0-liter V8 engine that delivers 429 hp—making it the most powerful production V8 that Hyundai has ever unleashed.
Both the Genesis and the Elantra also are past winners of the North American Car of the Year award, with the former earning the title in 2009 and the latter doing so this year.
“The goal of the list is to help members identify vehicles that typically offer better safety ratings, lower insurance premium costs, higher fuel economy, better overall reliability and lower MSRP compared to other vehicles in the same category,” said Steve Thompson, assistant vice president, USAA. “The Elantra and Genesis both rose to the top as vehicles that offer these key elements, making them great buys for the value-minded consumer.