The Hyundai SUV lineup continues to grow in appeal. Now its quality is recognized too with a top accolade from U.S. News & World Report for being the best SUV brand in the United States.
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Normally, accolades are a dime a dozen in the automotive world. Hyundai being named the top SUV brand by U.S. News & World Report is different because the honor represents the collective thinking of the automotive world: not just one outlet.
The Hyundai SUV award comes from the combined overall scores in the U.S. News best car rankings across all models in the affordable SUV lineup. The overall ranking scores are based on the U.S. News & World Report’s analysis of published, credible reviews from the automotive press, as well as safety and reliability data. Many of these reviews evaluated the interior, exterior, value, performance and tech features of each vehicle.
How do I know this is true? I’m a former researcher/writer for the U.S. News Best Cars website. There are some true car buffs on the staff but this is largely an objective review of hard data. The number crunchers matter as much as the tire squealers.
First Time Accolade
“With a fresh and new lineup of SUVs in all sizes, Hyundai wins the Best SUV Brand award for the first time,” said Jamie Page Deaton, executive editor, U.S. News & World Report’s Best Cars team (and not of all of U.S. News as Hyundai implies in a news release). “The Hyundai SUV lineup ranges from the large and luxurious Hyundai Palisade, to the midsize Santa Fe, compact Tucson and subcompact Venue. With so many updated models, Hyundai SUVs win points for offering buyers the latest in driver assistance and infotainment technology at an affordable price.”
Now is a good time for Hyundai’s SUVs to attract some extra attention. It plans to introduce 12 new and significantly enhanced SUVs through 2021, as well as greatly expanding its electric vehicle lineup for SUVs. Hyundai recently unveiled the 2022 Hyundai Tucson for the U.S. market.
You might be smart to hold off on purchasing a new Hyundai SUV for a few months. A leading financial rating agency says the Korean automaker has issues potentially concerning the pandemic. Hyundai dealers might be more willing to deal come January if the COVID-19 numbers continue to increase.
In spite of being in the top SUV brand lineup, there 2020 Hyundai Palisade isn’t without its issues. Seems it stinks. Not so much as an SUV overall. It has more to do with its smelly interior that’s reminiscent of old gym socks and garlic cloves.
Keith Griffin covers Hyundai and Kia at Torque News. He has been writing continuously about cars since 2002. Keith used to be a researcher/writer for US News & World Report, as well as numerous car sites, including Carfax and Car Gurus, and a contributor to The Boston Globe. Most recently, Keith was the managing editor for American Business Media. Follow Keith at @indepthauto on Twitter, on @LinkedIn and on his Indepth Auto Facebook page.
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