Top Safety Pick

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) named their Top Safety Picks for 2011.  And guess who made the list? 6 times!  The Hyundai Genesis, Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai Equus, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Tucson and Hyundai Santa Fe took home some good ratings.  

"The Institute rates vehicles good, acceptable, marginal, or poor based on performance in high-speed front and side crash tests, a rollover test, plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts. To earn Top Safety Pick for 2010 a vehicle must have good ratings in all four Institute tests. In addition, the winning vehicles must offer electronic stability control. This requirement is based on Institute research indicating that ESC significantly reduces crash risk, especially the risk of fatal single-vehicle crashes, by helping drivers maintain control of their vehicles during emergency maneuvers." --IIHS

Makes you think about safety and whether or not your car is on the list!

But these do! 

 

p.s.  It's not too late to sign up for the $100 Valentines Day Giveaway to Texas de Brazil

$100 Valentines Giveaway

Do you have plans for Valentine's Day Yet?  

We have plans for you.  Eckert Hyundai is offering a $100 Gift Card Giveaway to Texas de Brazil. 

This is big people.  This place is amazing.  Yes, they are commonly known for the meat that they put on giant swords and carry around to your table until you are stuffed, but they also have an incredible salad and side bar and some delicious cheesy rolls.  Please don't let this offer go by.  Win it for me.  

All you have to do is like it on Facebook and you can enter on the Facebook site.  Easy as pie, valentine's pie.

2011 Car of the Year

So exciting for Hyundai, the Elantra won the North American Car of the Year.  They beat out the Volkswagen Passat and the Ford Focus.   Since the Compact Car Market is so tooth and nail, it's nice to know you stand out! "John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai North America, said Hyundai has sold more than 200,000 Elantras since the new model was introduced. Krafcik said the award will help to cement Hyundai's reputation for quality and improvement the company has made since it entered North America 1986.  The Elantra, which was designed at Hyundai's California studio, is a compact car that gets 40 miles per gallon on the highway."  Read more on the USA Today Article here.

Are you driving an Elantra?

And Stylish too

Well, what a great way to start off the year.  Congratulations, super styling Hyundai fans.  Recently eCityofStyle.com "top resource for the country's 'cool hunters'" gave the 2012 Hyundai Veloster a 2012 Auto Style Award...and just so you know, this list includes vehicles like:

• BMW 6 Series
• Range Rover Evoque
• Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG
• Fiat 500

Not too shabby, if I may say so myself.  eCityofStyle.com wrote, "Gone are the days of Hyundai’s budget car status. Today, the Korean automaker is a legitimate threat to the establishment, designing cars that look considerably more expensive than they really are. The Veloster is perhaps Hyundai’s most successful execution of its new design language, called Fluidic Sculpture. From the tight front end to the sculpted side creases to the powerful wheel arches, the Veloster’s exterior is both aggressive and sleek."  And with it's high efficiency powertrain, 40 MPG gas mileage and its sleek exterior design you can be sure that your money will take you far. Read more about this article here.  And to check out this New Stylin' Cars on our website, click here.
Ahem, and for added reading, see this!

Awesome Residual Value

Recognizing that residual values are a widely used measure of brand health and vehicle quality, ALG honors those vehicles in each segment predicted to retain the highest percentage of their original price after a three year period. The annual awards are derived after careful study of segment competition, sales strategy, resale performance, and industry residual values. ALG also includes Industry Brand Residual Value Awards, bestowed on the brands with the highest predicted resale values among all mainstream and luxury vehicles. --Annual Lease Guide (ALG).

It is not surprising to find that the Hyundai Elantra was voted the Best Residual Value in the Compact Car segment.  By earning this award, the Elantra is predicted to retain the highest Residual Value, what it still worth after a few years of usage, of its original price after a conventional three year period.  So you buy that Elantra, and don't feel bad about it.  When you trade it in, that sweet car will be worth more than any old Corolla or Civic you could buy. 

Not to mention we have tons in stock, interested? Search them here! And give us a shout.  They have heated rear seats!

Charming Mutations.

Did you know that every 14 seconds someone in America drives off a dealership lot with a "small" car?

This article shows you that small doesn't have to mean predictable, lame or boxy.  In today's society everyone is downsizing.  Better gas mileage means less stops to the gas pump and more bang for your buck.  And we all know, small cars equal better gas mileage.  But who says that just because you drive something small it has to be a boring Corolla?  Not me.  

"...the Veloster is truly novel. The reverse-wedge roofline, the squat rear end, and the wide stance create an aggressiveness never before seen in Hyundai styling. That dynamic promise is carried through in details like the tall rear apron, the cantilevered roof, and the center-exit exhaust. The polarizing face -- quite possibly derived from an employee pumpkin-carving contest -- makes the profile and rear-quarter views the Veloster's most flattering. Those angles also reveal the Veloster's charming mutation: three doors. On the passenger's side, there are two conventional, front-hinged doors, while the driver's side has a single, longer door."  --Eric Tingwall, Automobile Magazine. 

Just thinking aloud here, but you really ought to come in and check out our stock of Velosters. 

You can even schedule an appointment.

Winterize Your Vehicle

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Check your Antifreeze.  

Antifreeze is coolant that doesn't freeze, antifreeze keeps your engine from turning into an ice block. If you try driving on a frozen engine you will have a broken car and will have to spend your Christmas money to buy a new engine or vehicle.  Since your vehicle contains a mixture of half antifreeze, half water, you want to make sure your car is full and the mixture is as close to 50/50 as possible.  Good news: most repair shops will check this for free.

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Tire Safety

Winter, of all times, is the worst to be cheap about your tires.  Who has used the penny test? That is what i have always heard was the tried and true way to check tire pressure.  Well, seems that the National Highway Transportation Safety Board (whew, long name!) says different.  If your penny test is just passing your tires are not winter ready.  Try a quarter test.  It's the right size for safety. Watch this video, it might help!

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Replace those Wipers

For some reason I, as a silly college Freshman, thought wipers lasted forever (or just the life of your car).  Ha.  There comes a time when wipers get so worn out the only thing they are good for are smearing much on your windshield...good luck seeing through that.  In the winter we drive on a lot of sand, salt and dirt to keep the roads safe.  This stuff WILL end up on your windshield.  Do you have the wipers you need to keep up visibility?

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Fill up on Windshield Fluid

other cars on the road kick up lots of extra junk leaving your windshield looking...grimy.  Make sure you have wiper fluid so that you can keep your windshield dazzling and this helps make the wiper jobs so much easier.