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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  World class entry for the mid luxury market. - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By Billy Samuels - August 22 - 10:21 pm

  It only requires a positioning mission statement from sales and then ...the Test Drive. If the driver has done his research..the Test Drive Closes the Deal....Period. If the prospect will just get over the BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Lexus ego trip over brand badging, and just test drive the car.....it is ALL OVER. The car is virtually flawless, and the Sales/Service committment is world class. Never been happier with a car till now. Hyundai is totally committed on this Genesis and am proud to be in on the new model 3.8 Genesis. No better value even close to this car!

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  garbage on wheels - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By sean - August 21 - 11:52 pm

  Everything is cheap and falls apart. A pain in the neck to even put gas in.

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  Too many repairs! - 1997 Hyundai Sonata
  By Lindsay - August 21 - 9:36 pm

  I bought my car used five years ago. It had 59,000 miles on it, two owners before me, and looked to be in great shape. I LOVED it. It served me very well driving long-distance back and forth from college. The V6 engine gives it great acceleration (though at the expensive of very low gas mileage) and everything about it started out smooth. It was affordable and a very attractive car. Well, after about a year the paint started coming off. My roof is now completely bald five years later and the lovely red paint is not perfect anywhere except maybe the doors. (Of course Ive never parked it in a garage and we have harsh winters.) Then about two years in my entire transmission gave out and had to be replaced - VERY expensive. Almost cost as much as the car itself. Then it was the door handle, then the electric window buttons, then the alternator, then all four brakes at the same time. This is spread out over five years, but Ive spent well over $4,000 (what I paid for it) in repairs. And it only has 75,000 miles! Today I found out the spark plugs are in wrong so I have to replace them and some other parts. The engine is really loud and clicks when I drive. The transmission can still be a little rough, and when I have the air conditioning on, my car rocks quite a lot. The passenger window is slow to go up. It seems like from the reviews Ive been reading, most people have gotten more miles out of their Sonata, but maybe mine was driven hard before me or just wasnt a good one. Im very attached to it, and its served me well, but be wary of all the problems that may come along the road!

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  Very dependable car even at 198k miles - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Tyler - August 21 - 12:40 pm

  I personally own a 2007 Elantra that is approaching 90k miles and I have never had any issues with it. My cousin owns one that is the same year and he has 198k miles on his. He beats the crap out of his cars and does absolutely no preventative maintenance, and he does not consistently change his oil. The only things he has ever replaced is the emergency breaks and the breaks and rotors. Overall a great car for the price.

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  Three years later and no complaints - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By Mr Ed - August 19 - 2:57 am

  I bought my 2012 Genesis 5.0 new and as my 2nd Hyundai. My first Hyundai was a 1987 Sonata. So, I had a brief 25 year interlude between Hyundais, but man on man what a difference a generation makes. I immediately changed the wheel, trunk, and steering wheel emblems to the Korean wings (removing or covering the flying H) and no one knows what Im driving. Ive had people in parking lots as me how I like my Bentley -) And I tell them just fine. The 5.0 V8 gets V8 gas mileage in the city. On the interstate for traveling I average 30+ miles to the gallon thanks to Hyundais economy mode. What, exactly, does ECO mode do? I dunno - I dun-care, but it works! Driving comfort is second to none. Get up and go is gone up and went. Living in the metro DC area and driving the beltway frequently Ive found myself having to yell, "whooo nelly" when I accelerate to get onto I-495 as she will ever so smoothly go to speeds in excess of the speed limit in zero-2-nothing flat. My only issue - on a very few occasions Ive turn on the car and the auto steering wheel positioner wont engage leaving the steering wheel in up, or parked mode. I turn her off - restart - and every time Ive completed this drill all worked fine. Truck space - two sets of golf clubs and extra room to spare. Back seat - lots of compliments from passengers in the room they have. Front seats - why oh why didnt they add the passenger vent (cooling) system? Newer models are so equipped, but, thats not enough to warrant a new version of the same car. Ride: I am so happy I have the V8 and not the R-Spec version. The ride is so smooth on both city and highway roads. Tire tread wear is holding up nicely - no issues. All other wearable items and not to much for wear. All in all I couldnt be happier and Im looking forward to getting all of my warranty (ten years) out of this car.

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  Better Car Than Any BMW I have owned. - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By Tom Buxton - August 15 - 3:55 pm

  It is hard to believe how quiet, comfortable and fun this car is. I have never owned a Hyundai, but have been considering the Genesis since the total redesign occurred. I have not driven it in the snow yet, but I expect that it will do well there too. Also, the heads up display is the first I have ever owned and it is spectacular. It shows much more than just the speed and improves safety immensely.

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  Excellent Vehicle for the Price - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Rudy - August 13 - 7:19 pm

  The 6 cylinder 07 Sonata has plenty of pep and the transmission is rather smooth. I have done all the regular maintenance and have gone to the dealer only once to service a recall on the passenger seat air bag. Which, by the way, was not serviced because the sensor chose to operate that day when I took it in, but has been malfunctioning on and off as long as Ive had this car since new. The other recall was for the brake light switch that I chose to replace myself. I have a trust problem with all mechanics. The interior materials used are rather cheap. However, some tender loving care will do a lot to preserve it. The car has about 70K miles on it and still runs very smoothly. The paint job is of poor quality and seems to chip fairly easily. I clean it often and polish it regularly. I search often on the Internet for potential problems that others may have endured to maintain this vehicle.

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  Over the Top! - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By David Paul - August 13 - 7:01 pm

  The new genesis is a pleasure to Drive, the lexicion surround sound is over the Top. Best car for the quality and Money Period! The technology in this Car is Amazing.

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  Genesis - a new beginning? - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By Glen Gardiner - August 13 - 4:10 pm

  I am quite pleased with my new Hyundai Genesis sedan. It looks good, drives well, has all the bells and whistles you could ask for. The car is great! What was very disappointing - and will likely continue to be so - is the dealer experience. While the car may be world class, the dealers that i visited do not seem to understand that customers purchasing $45K plus car rent going to be satisfied by a a less than robust level of dealer support and experience. If Hyundai wants to compete with MB and MBW and the like, they need to step up there game in a big way. Great car - just hope I never have to go back to the dealer again.

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  My little Korean - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By Anders Bang - August 10 - 10:55 am

  I have my Elantra since 2013. So far I only got 16500 miles on it, and it has been running fine. MPGs on the highway is great, I see upper 30s and a few times over 40. It is not a race car, the 1.8 does not have a lot of torque. I never use the ECO mode since it makes the car feel slower, and forces up shifts. I am sure some people will like it, but it makes the car even more dull to me. Half a year ago a lady nicely decided to crash test it by hitting me with her Isuzu Trooper. The poor Elantra crumpled as intended and i got out without a scratch, though in need of a new front end. The stock tires are terrible, I cant wait to wear them down a little more and buy some proper ones. The car is roomy, easily sits four people. I am 6 foot 4 and have no issues being comfortable in the front. Very good trunk space too. Buy a spare tire if you want the safety, it is not included.