Hyundai has experienced a significant transformation over the past 50 years
The Hyundai Motor Company was established in 1967, with its first official offering in the United States being the simple and inexpensive 1986 Hyundai Excel. Despite entering our country in the late 1980s, Hyundai had been building cars in Korea for nearly two decades by then. The thing was that they were partnered with other automakers at the time, like Ford.
Over the years, Hyundai has moved on from reliance on others to a global juggernaut in the industry. With that in mind, I wanted to see where Hyundai currently stood in our reality compared to where they came from. The easiest way for me to do this was to test the least and most expensive vehicles available on these shores.
Thus, in one week, I drove the 2025 Genesis 3.5T E-Supercharger AWD G90, which has an MSRP of $102,000, and the Hyundai Venue with a starting MSRP of $20,100. Driving them back to back was a cathartic method of exploring an automaker's history.The Hyundai Venue is labeled as an SUV or a crossover, but it's actually a tall hatchback. Its buzzy 1.6-liter engine sends 121 horsepower to the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Despite weighing in at about 2,600 lbs, the combination of engine and transmission makes the Venue lumber when merging. It is one of the slowest cars I've tested in a long time.
The benefit of that powertrain is excellent mileage. The Hyundai venue gets an EPA-estimated 29 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 31 mpg combined. It's also surprisingly utilitarian for a little guy, with 18.7 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats and 31.9 feet with the rear seats folded. Four average-sized adults fit fairly comfortably, but larger folks might find it confining.
Finally, there's the big benefit of outstanding maneuverability, and this is one of the easiest cars to park. Hyundai gives the Venue a lot of bang for the buck with standard forward collision-avoidance assistance with pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, and an 8-inch touch screen. Apple Carplay and Android Auto come standard, too.In many ways, the Hyundai Venue reminds me of that original Hyundai Excel. It's slow and primitive, yet efficient and an outstanding value.
Much like Lexus is the luxury branch of Toyota, Genesis is the luxury branch of Hyundai. Genesis went from a name that no one took seriously to a contender among the very best that Japan and Europe have to offer. Take the 2025 Genesis G90 3.5T E-Supercharger AWD G90, for example.
Competing directly against vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Genesis G90 3.5T E-Supercharger is both turbocharged AND supercharged. Its engine makes 409 horsepower and is bolted to a smooth 8-speed automatic transmission. As powerful as it is, the ride is outstanding, and it can handle when called upon.While it isn't perfect, considering some technological issues like the lack of Apple CarPlay, it more than makes up for its shortcomings with an interior that wouldn't feel out of place in a Bentley. The attention to detail is excellent, and the overall driving dynamics are competitive in this class.
The G90 does all of this while undercutting vehicles like the S-Class by nearly $20,000, or by nearly one Hyundai Venue.
In less than 50 years, Hyundai went from making bargain-basement compact cars in the United States to world-class luxury vehicles. That's not too shabby. The Korean automaker also makes some of the most competitive gas and electric vehicles on the road, and there are no signs of slowing down.
We say bravo, Hyundai, and here's to even more decades spearheaded by your newest, unique design language.
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