2023 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards For Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Santa Fe

ORLANDO, Florida, December 28, 2022 – Universal Hyundai is proud to spread the news to the Orlando community about two of Hyundai’s new models winning three of Kelley Blue Book’s Best Buy Awards this year. The new Hyundai Santa Fe was the Best Buy pick in the Two-Row Midsize SUV class and the revolutionary Hyundai IONIQ 5 took home awards for the Electric Vehicle Best Buy and the New Model Best Buy, this year’s highest honor! KBB’s Best Buy Award choices are the culmination of expert vehicle evaluation and testing of almost every new vehicle available on the industry. The process includes a comprehensive analysis of vehicle-related data, including transaction prices, 5-year cost-to-own data, consumer reviews, ratings, and retail sales information.

“The goal for the IONIQ 5 was to exceed our customers’ expectations when compared with a similar ICE powered SUV,” said Ricky Lao, director, product planning, Hyundai Motor North America. “We wanted to give them something special and IONIQ 5’s design, ultra-fast charging, spacious interior and driving range of more than 300 miles (with select RWD trims) does just that. And Santa Fe is an outstanding family SUV with great looks.”

For this year’s vehicle evaluations, Kelley Blue Book brought in NASCAR driver Toni Breidinger for a day of driving the Hyundai IONIQ 5 to share her thoughts and impressions from a racing perspective:

“As a lifelong automotive enthusiast, it was a thrill to join the experts from Kelley Blue Book for a day to put the 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 5 to the test,” said Toni Breidinger, NASCAR driver. “The spacious interior and extended dashboard really stood out to me. Most importantly, I appreciated the all-electric range. After a test day with the IONIQ 5, I can confirm this year’s Best New Model is racer-approved.”

The All-New Hyundai IONIQ 5

In addition to the KBB Best Buy honors, the IONIQ 5 was also chosen as Motortrend’s SUV of the Year and Car and Driver’s EV of the Year. With its impressive EPA-estimated driving range of 303 miles and accessible MSRP starting at $41,450, it’s no wonder the IONIQ 5 is sweeping automotive publication awards across the board. Delivering impressive 225 hp on RWD models and heart-racing 320 hp/239 kW power on AWD trims, the IONIQ 5 performs on Orlando highways when you need it to and can be recharged from 10 percent battery power to 80 percent in as little as 18 minutes in optimum charging conditions. Its unique angular exterior styling conveys a modern-retro vibe that carries through its spacious interior that is equipped with large digital displays and user-friendly tech that make driving fun again!

The New Hyundai Santa Fe

For the 4th year in a row, the Santa Fe has topped KBB’s 2-Row Midsize SUV category for Best Buy honors. The Santa Fe’s wide appeal across diverse demographics speak to its quality and value. At a starting MSRP of only $28,200, the new Santa Fe offers Orlando drivers an impressive array of features and technology normally found on premium sport utilities in a higher price bracket. Also touted as KBB’s 2022 Best Family Car and U.S. News & World Report’s Best 2-Row SUV, the Santa Fe boasts excellent fuel-economy, responsive driving dynamics, and an overall quality inside and out. It’s safety features include forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, Junction-Turning Detection that alerts the driver to oncoming traffic when making a left-hand turn, adaptive cruise control, high-beam assist and more, standard on every 2023 Santa Fe.

Kelley Blue Book

Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry for nearly a century. As the industry standard for generations, Kelley Blue Book provides transparent, objective information and data-driven, innovative tools for consumers, automotive dealers and manufacturers. The company publishes millions of market-reflective values weekly on its top-rated website KBB.com, from its famous Blue Book® Trade-In Values to the Kelley Blue Book® Price Advisor tool, which offers a range for what consumers reasonably can expect to pay for a vehicle in their area. KBB.com editors rate and review hundreds of new vehicles each year to help consumers understand the Best Cars and Best SUVs to meet their needs.

Orlando’s Source for Award-Winning Hyundai Models

When it comes to manufacturing award-winning automobiles, Hyundai leads the way among the competition. When it comes to delivering these exceptional vehicles into the hands of Orlando drivers, Universal Hyundai leads the way with outstanding customer service, a large selection, competitive pricing, easy financing for all customers, and a high level of satisfaction among our satisfied customers! Choose Universal Hyundai in Orlando to check out the award-winning lineup of Hyundai vehicles for your next automobile purchase and see why we are the preferred Orlando-area Hyundai dealership!