Overview & Reviews

A relative newcomer to the American marketplace, Hyundai is a Korean automaker with a product line that has improved greatly over the past decade. Hyundai cars and SUVs provide a high level of content for an affordable price, and are currently backed by one of the industry's longest warranties.

In 1947, Chung Ju Yung founded the Hyundai Civil Engineering Company. Mere months later, the outfit was bombed in the Korean War. However, the company regained its footing to distinguish itself as one of Korea's leading construction enterprises during the 1950s.

By the late 1960s, Chung had turned his attention to the automobile industry. The Korean government at that time believed that it made more sense to import vehicles than produce them domestically, and had made its opinion known. Still, Chung opted to follow his own convictions, and in 1967, he founded the Hyundai Motor Company.

The company quickly established an alliance with one of the industry's oldest automakers, signing a two-year contract with Ford in 1968 to share assembly technology. Hyundai's first car, the Cortina, was created from that partnership. The manufacturer's first car to be designed and built in Korea was the compact Pony (although the car was based on Japanese technology courtesy of Mitsubishi). The vehicle made its debut in 1974, and the following year Hyundai began exporting it to overseas markets.

Hyundai entered the U.S. market in 1986 with the introduction of its subcompact Excel. The car was an immediate hit, with its supreme affordability being a primary selling point. More than 100,000 Excels were sold stateside in the first seven months. By 1988, Hyundai had begun to produce cars using its own technology. The midsize Sonata was the first fruit borne of this endeavor.

Unfortunately, Hyundai's nascent image was soon tarnished by the poor durability and reliability of its vehicles. Sales tanked. However, rather than abandon the American market in the '90s, Hyundai chose to invest heavily in new product designs and improvements in overall quality and reliability. In 1998, Hyundai also purchased Kia, another Korean automaker, to expand its business and economies of scale.

It all started to pay off by the start of the new millennium, with the 2001 Elantra in particular showing massive improvements in overall quality, reliability and performance. Other models followed suit and the desirability of Hyundai cars increased sharply. Providing an extraordinarily long warranty period didn't hurt either.

Today's lineup is indicative of Hyundai's complete turnaround. Hyundai has a vehicle for nearly every segment, including the economical Accent subcompact, the popular Elantra compact, the midsize Sonata sedan (also available as a hybrid), sporty Genesis and Veloster coupes and a couple of stylish SUVs. Hyundai has also expanded into the entry-level and premium-level luxury sedan markets with its Genesis and Equus sedans. Having gone from being the butt of late-night TV jokes in the 1980s to a well-respected manufacturer of quality vehicles, Hyundai has created a very inspiring rags-to-riches story.

User Reviews:

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  Basic commute - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Kalyan C Jagarlamudi - October 25 - 2:00 am

  The car is a reliable, spacious and economical mode of transport. It is no looker and the interiors are dull and grey. Build quality is at par with industry average but surprisingly the car does not feel tinny. The 4 cylinder is very smooth but gets buzzy at high revs and power delivery is linear as expected from a compact sedan with economy in mind. The ride is neither too harsh nor too plush. It is somewhere in between. Handling is abysmal in tight turns though the steering is well weighted. Fuel economy is good. All electricals work seamlessly. It is very reliable and starts at the first crank every time. Cheap to own and run as well. Overall a perfect car on a shoe-string budget!

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  Elantra weaknesses - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By don dwyer - October 25 - 2:00 am

  The brakes are too abrupt at low speeds,a slight touch at 2 mph and it and jerks the passengers as they are to touchy.OK at driving speeds.Also, when I push the driver door open there is a tendency to inadvertently lock the door and is discovered only when I attempt to reenter the auto. Aside from the above the car is great.

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  Amazing car - 1997 Hyundai Accent
  By andrewts - October 24 - 2:00 am

  In the 70,000 miles since I got the car,(its at 156,000 at the moment) Ive had to fix nothing but an 02 sensor and the timing belt/water pump. Its completely gutless, and not much bigger than a Geo Metro, but Ive ranged from 35-42 MPG overall, the turn radius is crazy small, and it fits in any parking space. Plus, tires are dirt cheap. I got Bridgestone tires from Costco for $38 each.

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  Exactly As Advertised - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By ODU Dad - October 24 - 2:00 am

  My daughter has been looking for a car for a while and I decided to assist her. After looking at various options (mainly through other reviewers such as here), I started focusing on the Elantra. Because I am concerned for my daughters safety, I decided to focus on the SE model, which also has traction control and stability control. The next step was to find one that was economical but had relatively few miles on it. I found a used 2009 SE with about 9k miles on it and bought it for 13k. After using it for about a month, we are very pleased with the car. It is exactly as advertised: a well built car with many important safety features that doesnt cost an absurd amount of money.

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  Excellent Value! - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By KJM - October 23 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my tan 3.8 Genesis Sedan for 8 months now and over 9000 miles in every kind of road condition. I am extremely pleased I bought this car. The ride is extremely smooth, quiet and comfortable. The V6 is very responsive and has more than enough power for the majority of drivers. The interior layout accommodates the drivers needs well, and the sound system is terrific. Reliability so far has been outstanding with not a single problem. And even better - my wife loves the car! All together an excellent value and great choice for those entering the luxury car market.

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  Best Compact car for the Money - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Tommy G - October 23 - 2:00 am

  This car is perfect right off the lot purchased for $14.200.00 its a lot of car for the money Im 6,3" and have plenty of room in it at idle you dont even know its running shifting is very smooth power is no problem at all. Build quality, panel gaps how the doors close are all superb I just love driving it, and talk about safety its full of safety features .

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  Enjoying this car after 11 years - 1999 Hyundai Elantra
  By gloryglo - October 22 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car when Hyundai just started giving their 100,000 mile warranty after having some bad reviews previously. My choice was between a Honda Civic, which I had before and the Hyundai Elantra wagon which was 2000 less in price with only a 3 year warranty. I took a chance and bought the Hyundai. (both choices were manual shift which I always drive). I made the right choice and have been very happy with this car. I do all short trips, no highway driving. I just had to replace the clutch at 45,000. My first big expense. It now drives like a new car. very peppy! All other repairs have been normal wear and tear. Oil changes only $10 at dealership. Im happy!

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  Its a not so good used car - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By bm662 - October 22 - 2:00 am

  Bought used had tune up and timing belt replaced. Still not much better? Had suspension checked 4 times replaced struts for safety. Still has thumping sounds no one can find reason! But told car is safe? The amount of money I paid for plus repairs I could have bought a new one live and learn. Dealer was supposed to be reliable. Not so in this case this vehicle should be called the Hyundai clunker.

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  Great car - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Bertand Wilder - October 22 - 2:00 am

  I have owned the car eright at a year and I have enjoyed driving it. For the price this is a great car. The harshness in how it takes bumps is my only complaint. I had Nitrogen put in my tires and the ride improved a lot. I really enjoy driving it and for the money you cant buy this kind of luxury.

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  Another Cracked Dash - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Not happy! - October 21 - 2:00 am

  I was a big advocate of my Hyundai azera. I didnt complain about having to wait 6 months to correct the recall on the front seat belt. I didnt complain when the dealers were telling every owner they needed to change the interior air filter? I didnt even complain about the dash cracking. But when I found out that it is a design flaw with the passenger air bag and that hundred of 06 and07 cars have the same problem. That Hyundai changed the style because of the design problem in 08. And, that I cant even get it repaired because of the liability. I complained to Hyundai consumer affairs---they blew me off and wont even return a call!