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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  Good compromise but not quite perfect - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Larry - October 12 - 2:00 am

  In a depressed economy, Genesis 4.6 is good compromise to upscale German/ Japanese sedan. It has Lexus leather,a quality sounding stereo,decent acceleration,a good warranty. However, it suffers most with aggressive handling. It severely understeers when aggressively cornering and fights the driver to straighten out rather than staying in the curve ala BMW. Automatic transmission is smooth but sport mode (pseudo manual) shifting is lethargic.There is glare over the seven inch display and no touch mode operation. Better bluetooth than my BMW M5.Cooled seat setting (driver only) defaults off each time car is turned off. Stereo spontaneously switches to IPOD mode (same song) when car starts up cold.

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  Its not as good as everyone says - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Passing - October 12 - 2:00 am

  They have made improvements in last few years but as far the over all quality goes it is still not at par with Toyotas and Hondas. I bought it after reading good reviews and due to standard safety features, but after driving 35k my car started to give vibration issues. Dealership put it on 4-cylinder engine, but it was same before 35K, so not sure how come all of sudden engine started to give less power, that too after all regular services being performed on time. They(dealer) are least bothered to look into it and tried to put it as if it is normal, but I have driven enough cars to know it is not normal. They even got me to do services which are not required till 70-80K.

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  We love this car. - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Matt - October 11 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I couldnt be happier with our car. You really cant find a better car without spending a lot more money. We get excellent fuel economy (mid 30s everyday, 40+ on back-road road trips), without a bulky hybrid battery and without compromising safety, comfort or performance. The FWD provides great traction we had a brutal winter last year and only got stuck once, when we got high-centered in several feet of snow. The interior is well thought-out, with plenty of cubbyholes and cup/bottle holders - great for road trips. MP3 CD and aux input are nice features. We havent babied this car, but with regular maintenance it still runs and drives like new. Havent had a single problem yet.

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  Great Econ Car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By aznrule191 - October 9 - 2:00 am

  This car has been a great economy car since the day I bought it. I got 26 MPG around town and then 30+ on long highway trips. I put a K and N filter in and now it runs even better with even more efficient gas mileage. This car comfortably sits 4 people and can have a fifth if necessary.

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  Best car i ever drove - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By chrismartin1701 - October 9 - 2:00 am

  What can i say? this car is awesome! normally i go crazy for the classic American muscle cars, but im happy with this one. use it as a daily driver to and from college and i also use it as my general aid and rescue vehicle for the Ballston Spa Volunteer Fire station. in all, its fun to drive, powerful V6, responsive, comfortable, stylish, and just plain awesome.

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  Interesting take s on this car. - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Chris - October 8 - 2:00 am

  This car was a gift to my wife at 173K miles. It stood in the African sun for a year before the radiator was done and the head skimmed. After 200 miles on the very first trip, it overheated. Towed it to a work-from-home mechanic. Problem was a T-insert pipe in the cooling system repaired with silicon! This was re-engineered and all else done properly. After running it in for 2000 miles to settle the head, the power at 7K rpm pops your eyes. This engine is amazing you can do anything at any rpm. Never saw such before. In Johannesburg above 5800 ft ASL I get 42 mpg. Semi-city and synchronized lights. The soft body is an all-round crumple zone. Saved me a bomb! 2nd choice after the Mazda3.

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  2005 Sonata GLS - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Brian - October 7 - 2:00 am

  This is the best car I have ever owned. I have 125,000 miles on it and have not had ONE problem - nothing at all.

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  Wise choice fo - Money, Quality & Comfort - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By BayAreaMom - October 7 - 2:00 am

  Had test drive with recent 2010 models of toyota prius, honda fit, honda insight and elantra. I liked the elantra ride the best. (No brake jerk like in prius, and no flimsy like honda fit.) Especially for the price you get all basic feature anybody with family looking for small/medium size car. Bluetooth, Keyless entry, ipod cable, Black and roomy interior is fun and comortable. Also air bags all around, quality wheels and break system, powerful engine, CC all features are perfect what a family guys is looking for. Thanks to Hyundai for making decent car available for the price!

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  The ultimate work car! - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Crash - October 3 - 2:00 am

  Bought new in Oct 2007, with 6 miles on it! Now have 43,000 trouble free miles, never any warranty issues! Have just had to keep up routine maintenance (oil & filters, spark plugs) This is one of the most dependable cars i have ever owned, and i have owned a lot of them! Its not a Cadillac, or a Corvette by any means, but for basic transport, you cant beat these little cars! I never cease to be amazed at the amount of stuff that fits in the hatch. These cars are very simple design, probably why so reliable. You can actually do your own maintenance! (save receipts for warranty) Would definitely buy another, bought Kia Rio for my daughter, same car underneath. Hyundai/Kia have a customer for life!

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  Airbag - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Diana - October 2 - 2:00 am

  On September 16 a drunk driver pulled out in front of me. My 2010 Elantra was totaled. Thank God the seat belt worked because not one airbag deployed. The car was totaled. Im still feeling the effects but at least Im alive.