Hyundai Genesis and Sonata receive recognition on Edmund’s Top Ten Best Dark-Horse Car list

Given Hyundai’s status as the world’s fastest growing automaker and its $1.37 billion profit for the first quarter of this year, it’s a little surprising the 2011 Sonata and the 2010 Genesis are showing up on Edmund’s “Top Ten Best Dark-Horse Cars” list.  But perhaps this is because even though Hyundai overall is flourishing—winning awards, earning the #1 brand loyalty rating from Kelley Blue Book—sedans like the Sonata, in Edmund’s definition of their list, still “fly just below the radar when it comes to consumer awareness” despite their “quality and value.”  The Sonata consistently finishes behind the Camry, the Corolla, the Civic, and the Accord in sales figures for sedans, while the Genesis, that rare breed of exceptional and affordable, struggles to keep pace in the luxury sedan class as well.  The press, critics, and loyal Hyundai owners are aware of its “quality and value,” so when will the general car-buying public catch up? 

That is the question dealerships in Bloomington, IL, and around the country are eager to find the answer to.  Sales on new and used Hyundai Elantras, Bloomington dealers will tell you, are doing well enough, but with vehicles like the Sonata and Genesis under-performing by any reasonable measure given their critical performance and ratings, it would seem time for a new wave of interest to overtake the market, leaving the dark-horse category for what really should be the dark-horses.

Seriously, when you look at some of the other vehicles rounding out Edmund’s dark-horse list— 2010 Kia Sedona, 2010 Mazda Minivan 5, 2010 Suzuki Kizashi, 2010 Suzuki SX4—it begins to read almost like an SAT question: Pick the item(s) here that doesn’t belong.  The 2011 Sonata recently won AutoPacific’s President’s Award, the first ever given out, conceivably created specifically for the 2011 Sonata because of its performance in AutoPacific’s vehicle satisfaction research.  975 drivers took it out for a spin and rated it in 48 categories from comfort to convenience and the 2011 Sonata earned the all-time high score of 775 out of 1,000.

With these kinds of accolades piling up like the miles on a Route 66-traveling used Hyundai Elantra through Bloomington, don’t bet on seeing the Sonata or Genesis on any dark-horse lists come next year.  Those dealerships in Bloomington, IL, and elsewhere are expecting continued growth and excellence, and by any reasonable measure they should see that happen.