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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  its a good car - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By elisha - April 11 - 1:15 am

  The accent is a good car. I got it at 102,000. Now I have 108,000ms on it. So far its ok. Not the best car. Hondas are much better. Ive only had it a short time and I think the trans is going the people that had it before me really did a number on it. Drive it right its fine and the gas mileage is great it takes like $13 to put a half a tank in that bad boy.

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  So far so good ! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By SM - April 8 - 12:53 am

  Researched for several weeks including viewing Edmunds ratings and reviews. I ended up purchasing a program 07 with 14000 miles. It rides and handles like our 01 Honda Accord SE, the 3.3 V6 is virtually silent and smooth with an average 24 combined MPG. Fit and finish are very good with one minor dash rattle which we will have looked at during the first service. Agree the front seats need a little work comfort wise. The stereo sounds good.

• 

  BangForBuck - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Solid - April 7 - 11:40 am

  I got limited and I enjoy this little car. I got heated black leather seats and fog lights. Live in NYC so I get about 23 mpgs but thats 95% city driving. The interior attracted me to this car very underrated.

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  Just another review... - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tom - April 6 - 4:06 pm

  I am happy with my purchase decision. It has been a good car for the money paid. It has provided a good value.

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  I liked it - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Brenda - April 6 - 12:54 pm

  I had this car for about a year. I bought it with electrical problems and had it fixed at a repair shop instead of the dealer. That saved me about $400. I had to do regular maintenance after that and averaged about 34 mpg. The reason I do not have it now is because I was involved in an accident. The car rolled 3 times and my son and I were virtually unharmed. This car gets my vote!

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  2nd Hyundai in 1 year - 1st XG350 - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By captingary - April 6 - 9:40 am

  Have an 04 Sonata and like it so much that with end of year pricing, rebates and owner loyalty bonus it was a steal at under $17,000 for a sharp 05 XG350. Interior is super, features are as good as the warrenty. Everyone who rides in it loves it. Even though it drinks gas the price makes up for this discontinued car. That seems to be the only drawback. But gas will come down in price?

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  Took a chance on a Tuscon - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Rooster - April 4 - 9:20 am

  I bought the Tuscon over a Honda CRV because it was almost $3000 less and it provided a smoother ride and was conquerly equipped. The seats collapse all the way down whereas in the Honda they remained bend up slightly when folded down. My only disappointment is the fuel consumption, rounding out at 24mpg and the low HP at 173. These are two big sacrifices to make in buying the six cylinder. Otherwise the vehicle is quite nice.

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  Engine Lights, all over the place! - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By frustrated - April 3 - 4:03 pm

  I bought this car used 2 years ago, was told the title was clean, and right at 60K miles. Drove very well for about a year, and then the engine light came on. Powertrain, I thought! That covers engines. Wrong! Car had been salvaged, seller lied, and Hyundai wont honor the warranty. We learned a lesson. Spark plugs, wiring all needed to be replaced ($600- $650). Now, 3 months after we got that fixed, the engine light is on AGAIN. Im sure it did this crap to the previous owner as well, which is probably why they totaled it in the first place.

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  Grand austerity - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By bbwalk - April 2 - 7:04 pm

  Purchased it in Jan. 08, very pleased with the build quality, performance and gas mileage. I am tall, over 6 ft and have adequate leg, hip, head and shoulder room. However: the drivers seat is very uncomfortable. The side cushion on the left side of the seat pokes me in the ribs, making driving even a short distances uncomfortable. I have been told there is nothing wrong with the seat. The dealership is refusing to replace the seat. My wife finds the seat comfortable even on long rides. If you are tall check out the comfort level before purchasing this vehicle.

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  Love the styling, but shocked at the MPG lie!! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By dmortaz - April 2 - 4:56 am

  Last week we purchased the 2013 Elantra GT with the Touch-and-Go package for our every day commute car! But I am sorely disappointed at the Noise in the cabin specially on the freeway rides. I am also shocked that despite the rebates on the inaccurate Gas Millage claims, our sticker on the car was still showing a 30 MPG average!! This cars dash only shows 24-25 MPG which is far shy of the stickers claim! I wish I had known about the exaggerated millage. I am NOT sure if it would have caused us to change our decision, but now I wonder what other facts the Hyundai folks have been exaggerating about.