2014 Hyundai Elantra Limited on 2040-cars

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Hyundai, Porsche top J.D. Power APEAL study

Just as they did in the Initial Quality Study, Porsche and Hyundai have taken the premium and non-premium crown, respectively, for the 2014 J.D. Power APEAL study. This is the tenth consecutive year for that Porsche has been rated the best premium make in the APEAL study, which attempts to figure out how pleased owners are with their purchases. For 2014, it asked 86,000 owners of MY2014 cars to rate their vehicles in 77 different categories 90 days after their initial purchase. The resulting figures were plugged in deliver the APEAL score, which is rated on a 1,000-point scale.
The industry average sits at 794 points for 2014, although that's a one-percent decline over last year's rating. In this year's study, premium brands averaged 840 out of 1,000, while non-premium makes average 785. For their part, Porsche netted an impressive 882 points, while Hyundai earned an 804. Interestingly, only four non-premium brands (Hyundai, Ram, Volkswagen and Mini) finished above the industry average for 2014.
It's also interesting to see the clear delineation between premium and non-premium brands, with an eight-point gap between the non-premium champ, Hyundai, and the lowest-rated premium brand, Volvo.

2014 Hyundai Tucson gets DI engines, styling tweaks, priced from $21,450*

Despite being overhauled for the 2010 model year, not much attention has been paid to the Hyundai Tucson crossover in recent times. But when its overseas twin, the ix35, received modest updates at this year's Geneva Motor Show, we knew it'd only be a matter of time before the US-spec model was blessed with similar tweaks. So, without further ado, meet the ever-so-slightly enhanced 2014 Tucson.
The most significant mid-cycle change is found under the Tucson's hood, where two new direct-injected four-cylinder powerplants are found. On the base end, there's a brand new 2.0-liter "Nu" inline-four, good for 164 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. These numbers represent a loss of one measly horsepower, but five more foot-pounds of torque. Nothing significant here, and fuel economy is only slightly better - 23/29 miles per gallon city/highway versus the 22/29 rating of the 2013 model. Uplevel Tucson models use a revamped 2.4-liter engine, also featuring direct injection, which produces 182 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque - gains of six hp and nine lb-ft, respectively. That said, fuel economy for the front-wheel-drive, automatic transmission model has actually suffered some - 2013's rating of 21/30/25 mpg (city/highway/combined) has fallen slightly to 21/28/24. Both front- and all-wheel drive are available on all trim levels.
As far as visual enhancements go, the 2014 Tucson now uses projector-beam halogen headlamps up front and LED taillamps out back, and redesigned 17- and 18-inch alloy wheels are fitted, depending on trim level. Inside, two new cabin colors are available - beige and brown - the navigation system has been enhanced with a choice of two touchscreen interfaces, and there are now two-stage reclining rear seats.

2014 Hyundai Elantra revealed in Korean spec

As is usually the case with most Hyundai models, we're getting a sneak peek into the future by way of the company's Korean market lineup. Hyundai released images of the 2014 Avante on its home-market Facebook page, showing us what the updated 2014 Elantra will look like when it arrives this fall.
With the fifth-gen Elantra just three years old at this point, all of the changes will be relatively minor. Judging by the pictures of the Avante, updates to the exterior include new front and rear fascias, new headlights with LED running lights, LED taillights and new wheel options. The interior also gets some visual changes, mainly to the buttons and controls. Hyundai is also adding more comfort inside its compact sedan by adding a ventilated driver's seat, heated steering wheel and rear HVAC vents.