An ideal is defined as an excellent or perfect example.

In the past couple of years, Hyundai have made the effort to become much more than just the car company that is known for their great warranty. The emphasis has been put on providing quality vehicles with excellent fuel efficiency and an even better price.

Those efforts have paid off in spades, with critics and customers alike espousing the virtues of the Korean automakers. Hyundai is setting sales records each and every month, and their trophy cabinet is full to the brim.

This week, that cabinet got a little fuller when AutoPacific, an automotive research and consulting firm, presented Hyundai with two Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVA) in the Compact car and Large Car segments. It was the Elantra 2012 which beat out rivals such as the Ford Focus, Mazda 3 and Volkswagon Jetta in the compact contest, and the Azera beat out Toyota Avalon, Dodge Charger and Ford Taurus in the large segment.

Hyundai also had three of their vehicles (Sonata, Genesis Coupe, Accent) perform well in their respective categories, and finished second overall in the Popular Brand rankings, coming in behind Chrysler. There was also good news in AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Awards with Hyundai with 3 winners (Genesis, Elantra, Sonata) in different categories, plus a win in the first ever President’s Award for All-Time Highest Satisfaction.

 AutoPacific go through a painstaking process of going through 72,000 surveys from owners of new cars and trucks purchased in the US in the first part of 2011. That is then measures against owner expectation and the reality that the car provides across 15 different categories.

“Having our Elantra 2012 and Azera sedan recognized for AutoPacific’s 2011 Ideal Vehicle Awards is a testament to the hard work and dedication that goes into all the vehicles in the Hyundai lineup. At Hyundai, we strive to exceed customer expectations in safety, quality, value and performance, and look forward to continuing to develop more award winning vehicles as we bring the 2012 Accent and Veloster to market this year,” told to the press Scott Margason, director of Product Planning at Hyundai Motor America.

Visit Gartner Hyundai, a Premier Chicago Area Hyundai Dealer, to test drive either the Elantra or Azera today. Gartner Hyundai is conveniently located in Aurora, IL on Ogden Ave, one block west of Route 59. 

Return to Gartner Cars Reviews blog.

Find a great deal on the Gartner Cars main Web site.