Faced with a choice of trying to become a Korean me-to Toyota-style manufacturer of mass market cars or doing something a little different, Hyundai took the decision to become a niche market player, manufacturers of quirky, individualistic cars. From the little Atoz city car through to Liberace-esque Centennial, Hyundai build cars that get noticed. Not always for the right reasons, but they certainly get noticed. When they play with a straight bat, as they have he Coupe and the Getz, they get surprisingly right, too; those and the older Accent are fine cars within their classes, and are on for a lot of return business from satisfied customers. The company's sport-leisure and multi-purpose vehicles like-wise get a lot of positive feedback from owners. Careful cost control at the factories in Korea help ensure that prices are kept down to keen levels, which helps Hyundai's development in export markets-these are vital for its continued well-being.



GETZ

Hyundai's contender in the small city hatch market is aimed very precisely at Europeans, which means it is taking on such competition as Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 206 and Renault Clio. And it acquits itself well against those cars. Available with a choice of engines from 1.1 petrol through to a torque-rich 1.5 diesel, there is also a peppy 1600cc unit with 104PS. This latter engine is at its best when teamed with the Sport suspension pack, which gives a sharp and tidy level of cornering power. The softer standard suspension is not exactly sloppy-the car is pleasing predictable-and only begins to show signs of strain when the car is fully ladev with four passengers and luggage.

ACCENT

Hyundai's bread-and-butter four door sedan is now in its third generation and it success continues unabated. Globally there are five engines offered-including two that run on leaded fuel in emerging markets all of which fall between 1.3 and 1.6 litres, and there are both annual and automatic transmissions. Nobody has ever bought Accent for sporting prowess, but instead expect and get predictable, competent compromise between comfort and predictability. Affordability and reliability are the key benefits of this car, and it delivers both with a bit to spare.

SONATA

A car designed for those who have outgrown the Accent and Elantra but have learned to appreciate the core value of Hyundai-reliable and affordable cars for the masses-the Sonata shows how little the Koreans understand the principles of sleek car design., mainly in the over-application of bright work and several body swage lines too many. Car designers refer to chrome work as jewelry, and in the case of Sonata the impression is very much of a market stall selling costume bright ware in down-town Seoul. Ignore that, and you realize that buyers get a lot of car for very little money, this is especially true of the 2.7 V6, which gives big car performance for the price of a mid-range Vectra.

TUCSON

A new entry-level model in Hyundai's sports utility vehicle (SUV) range is Tucson, a compact machine geared at drivers who might not have considered buying a 4x4. Car-like levels of comfort are promised including leather seats, power-operated everything, and a high grade audio system. The choice of engines has been chosen to delivery sporty performance ?this is especially true of the punchy 2.7 V6. Providing five doors in a market sector more used to three in cars of this size., Tucson delivers better-than-average handling despite the height of the car, and the newly developed four wheel drive system is intelligent; it runs as a four-drive car until a loss of traction is detected, at which point it shares power out to rear wheels as well.