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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  Value? - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By lucyd - August 11 - 7:55 pm

  Bought this car new last year. Performance and ride so poor we wanted to trade it off after one long miserable year. Car rides rough and loud, poor mileage and issues with the locks and electrical problems. Value is less than 1/2 what we paid after one year. We have taken excellent care and maintenance. I would NOT recommend this product to anyone. I have made contact with the dealership but little response to issues. "if the car engine light is not on its ok". I dont think so. Value, there is NOT any in this car.

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  Enjoying it with reservations - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Rod - August 9 - 2:19 am

  Read all the reviews before buying it. could not get more than 14MPG, under any circumstances, hated that the key fob kept hitting the plastic dash and absolutely hated the ride. I was told to wait till I drove it a while before I can expect better gas mileage. At my first oil change, a young mechanic reinstalled the software that runs the engine and I immediately obtained 17.8 MPG around town and 27 MPG on the highway. I installed a plastic change purse over the key fob to silence the key chain. It worked. I stopped by another dealer to complain about the ride. He installed new shocks on the front and it now rides almost acceptably. I only have 8000 miles on it.

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  Engine Noise - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By genesis - August 8 - 2:08 pm

  On normal acceleration at about 1800 rpm there is an engine noise. The dealer service mgr and factory rep have heard this noise and say it is a piston slap due to phenolic piston skirts. I wrote the company and they agree but say it does not effect the engine. Maybe not but it effects my hearing as I have to turn up radio not to hear it. I am sorry I traded in my M35 for this car.

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  Is This a Hyundai? - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Dallas Gen - August 8 - 10:12 am

  What a beautifully finished car. 4.6 L with tech. Ive owned many new cars and this one is perfect - I have been over it with a fine-tooth comb and I cannot find any flaw. The paint is absolutely perfect. It is really fun to drive and hugs the road. Its tight, however, the ride is harsh, especially on rolling bumps for those in the back seat.

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  Poor resale value/ costly servicing - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By unhappy - August 7 - 4:51 pm

  The is car is fun to drive and comfortable for long distance driving. It has plenty of pep. Unfortunately, I have learned too late (as in before I bought it), that its at least $500 to service every 30K (almost 70K at 60K servicing since you have to shell out extra money for platinum spark plugs). I put on >25K per year so I am hitting these milestones quickly. I had it appraised and after 2 years and 60K miles, it is work only 1/3 of what I paid for it and it will only go down from there. Even more expensive cars cost less to service. I nthe long run, not worth the investment.

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  I love my car! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By KA Seattle - August 6 - 10:38 pm

  I was so hesitant to purchase a Hyundai after owning a 1998 Honda Civic for 11 years. I absolutely love Hondas, period. However, I read all the reviews and did my homework and felt prepared to buy this little gem. I now find it now laughable that Honda and Toyota insist on charging a horrendous amount extra for AC, a sunroof, automatic trans., power steering, cruise control, IPOD compatibility, etc. A $12,000 2008 Civic gets you "maybe" 2 of the above items (read the fine print people!)I only paid about $12,100, 10Kmi, and got all of the above features and this car gets about 32 MPG with a warranty that knocks Honda out of the park. I may just be a Hyundai fan now for life. Well see!

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  Weekend Rental - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By Gravedigger83 - August 6 - 3:48 pm

  Although I didnt buy the Accent like everyone else here, I did get the chance to drive it long distance for a summer weekend. At first glance, I really enjoyed the dark blue color which made the Accent a handsome car. My renter didnt have many options, just a CD player, AC and automatic transmission. But the CD player was impressive. For something thats sticker price tops out in the 13k range, I was quite surprised with a few things like quietness, bump absorption, pickup and handling that rivaled cars outside of its price class. My only real gripe was its lack of ABS. I had to do a panic stop in the rain and I wasnt sure if I was going to stop in time.

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  Excellent automobile - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By rjj - August 5 - 8:29 pm

  Nothing is perfect but in my opinion there is not a better automobile for the money nor one worth the cost of the difference up the price scale. Mine cost $32,600 and its flawlessly built and has been completely problem free for the last two years. Everyone notices it and comments glowingly about its interior and exterior look. The more I drive it the more I like it.

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  Good, but with Issues - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By Dave - August 5 - 8:01 pm

  I bought my Accent a few months ago and I really like driving it more and more each day I get in it. The car is loaded with features. The issues I have are: 1) the cruise control hesitates when first set, 2) the tranny downshifts at the slightest incline (at some interstate overpasses at 78 mph and at some bridges at 35 MPG, I never know when it may downshift), 3) it spits out gas at the end of every fill-up no matter how slow I fill it, and 4) I am a very slow driver (everyone passes me off the start), but I only get 25 MPG in town and 30 MPG at 75 mph on the freeway. Since I bought this car used, Im concerned it may have been damaged. Although, it did have a clear carfax.

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  Blue 2010 Accent Blue - 2010 Hyundai Accent
  By Dave H - August 5 - 8:42 am

  I bought this car new in July 2010. Great gas mileage, especially since I use the manual transmission for fuel economy vs speed. Averaged 40 MPG for the first tank 50/50 city/highway and am presently at 45 MPG on this second tank. I use a ScangaugeII to monitor MPG as well as other information about the car as I drive.