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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  Rusted Frame - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bucknaked - April 1 - 9:55 pm

  The car seemed well designed and reliable so I gave it to my daughter. She had a fender bender due to black ice and the repair shop found the engine cradle frame on the right side was almost rusted into. Im sure it will cost more to fix then the car is worth. Im sending this as a warning for owners to check out their frames as soon as possible.

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  Very fun car, questionable quality - 2012 Hyundai Veloster
  By rex81 - April 1 - 4:07 pm

  First off, I really like this car. I bought it because I wanted something fun but practical. This is a perfect mix. The car handles great, the engine/transmission feels good, it has a TON of standard features, the full third door and roomy backseat are great for carrying kids, and the trunk is huge. I am constantly sitting at work itching to start my commute. Something I dreaded in my last car, a Toyota Yaris. So spending $18,000 out the door to get a car that does that is a really great value in my opinion. However, after driving it for 1,000 miles Im questioning its build quality. Its a brand new car so its bound to have quirks, but it just doesnt feel as solid as my Toyota.

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  3.8 Liter Track Sweet Ride - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By kikkenit2 - March 31 - 7:06 am

  Fantastic low end power. Competitive gas mileage. Decent somewhat original body style. Solid chassis, almost too stiff. Almost no body roll. Nowhere to be found. Very limited availability, especially on west coast. Will never be common like mustang. A little slower than g37, 370z, camaro v8, and mustang gt but has a strong package all around.

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  Not Bad - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Bank - March 29 - 10:00 am

  It has pretty good power for what it is. It is just as quick as my wifes ION2 5-speed.In fact it felt quicker than most of the cars I drove in the same class. I drove the Mazda Protega-5 (DOG), Nissan Sentra 1.8, Vibe, Corolla, and Matrix. It felt as fast, if not faster, than all of those cars. I hope the car holds up. That is the risk with Hundai, but I have heard they are getting better and better. Had a little problem with the dealer but they ended up doing the right thing.

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  Very reliable - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sandy1123 - March 27 - 9:56 am

  Ive been driving the Sonata for a couple of years now and I cant stop harping on its astounding ride quality and handling. The plush interiors and space are also great. My only quarrel with the car is the rather low mileage.

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  Azera Vibrations - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By MXV4hater - March 25 - 10:50 pm

  The Azera has a vibration issue related to the 17" Michelin MXV4 tires. Michelin dealers wont replace the tires even after 2 dealers found problems with them, because they didnt sell them. Hyundai wont replace them (300 miles on the second set. Two sets vibrate!)and customer support wont discuss it beyond saying its Michelins problem. 17" low profile tires require nylon that remembers the flat after parking especially in cold temps. Shipping from Korea really puts a flat spot in them that wont come out with driving. Tech bulletins reveal the problem, but Hyundai will not resolve it. Very poor customer relations from Michelin and Hyundai. Demand non-factory tires before buying.

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  Good purchase - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dan - March 25 - 1:08 pm

  Our Elantra is perfect for shuttling our four kids around to school and sports functions. We are getting about 28-29 miles per gallon in mixed driving. As many reviewers point out, this car does not give you a nice smooth ride, and is easily blown all over the road by high winds, but I think that is to be expected by cars this size. It does however handle well. I experience some annoyingly long gear shifts in the automatic transmission but it is still rather responsive little engine. After 1 year of ownership with heavy use I recommend this car. Only problem experienced so far was with a light in the driver side sun visor.

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  Quite Happy - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By jrenk - March 25 - 9:43 am

  A whole lotta car for not a lot of money. Went with the LX to get the 17 inch performance rated tires and the auto climate control. Generally a comfortable, well handling car however I find the gas mileage to be abysmal in that its not even close to the EPA estimate. More like 15 mpg in the city (sometimes less!) and a fair 28 mpg on the highway. Acceleration lags a bit however at highway speeds passing speed is achieved quickly and powerfully. Carpeting in my car was not installed properly; molding on spare tire cover has come off. Paint easily chipped to base coat. Overall, Im quite happy with this purchase.

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  Fun car - 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By mrh4 - March 24 - 12:33 pm

  Hyundais best kept secret, strong engine, roomy interior, loads of features, averaging 26 mpg- havent taken any long trips yet, had car about a month now, rides and handles like a sports car. Electric steering handles great. Ive driven Toyotas for over 20 years and glad I made the switch.

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  good fun will travel - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By sebaka - March 23 - 2:00 am

  38 mpg with stick. Peppy and I feel good that I can afford a more expensive car but drive this. Know what I mean?