By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The quirky Hyundai Veloster entered the market as a 2012 model with a rather anemic 132-horsepower engine, but a very useable "hidden" third door on the passenger side to eliminate the pain of getting in and out of the back seat of a small two-door. The three-door configuration has become the car's signature styling element.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The subcompact crossover class is exploding. It seems like a new model appears on the market every few months to satisfy the driving public's large appetite for small cargo haulers. So it behooves manufacturers to build vehicles that stand out from the crowd, and Hyundai has done just that with its all-new Kona.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Not many years ago buying a sub-compact car meant sacrificing some of the things that make driving more enjoyable such as heated seats, automatic headlights, keyless start, an upgraded audio system and the newest safety features. If you wanted a small car with stellar mileage, you sacrificed.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

For years small-car hatchbacks were out of favor in the U.S., but things have changed in recent times due in part to the need for the extra cargo space inherent in the so-called five-door vehicles and perhaps even more, because of the modern, stylish designs that in many cases have made the hatchback more pleasing to gaze upon than its sedan counterpart.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

In 2011 Hyundai brought the Fluidic Sculpture design language to its mid-sized Sonata sedan deviating from the pedestrian styling of many of the other mainstream mid-sized offerings with flowing, coherent lines, a large expansive grille and swept-back headlights. Interior styling was also groundbreaking. And the sixth-generation Hyundai resonated with buyers.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

We were already convinced the all-new Hyundai Ioniq hybrid was a gas-sipping compact car we could live with, but it took a 600-mile round trip mostly on the rough and tumble world of interstate highways on the east and west coasts to really appreciate Hyundai's efforts in building a gas-electric vehicle that rivals anything in the segment — including the industry standard, Toyota Prius.