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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  Great Value - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By dmason - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Great car for the money. Safe, easy to insure, peppy and comfortable for medium driving needs.

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  An intelligent buy - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dave Martin - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Civic and Corolla better? Maybe a little, but this car is a gem for its price. The base features are amazing. Design is a little conservative, but not lame. Build quality seems excellent. 13,000 miles and no problems at all. If you are looking for a really good car at the best value out there, buy this.

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  Has not delivered on mileage - 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By chauffeurboy - March 15 - 2:50 pm

  I purchased this vehicle as a replacement for a 2011 regular Sonata that was written off in an accident. I thought this would be a good opportunity to take advantage of the potential fuel savings given that I commute 110 kms daily. I cannot understate my disappointment. My 2011 Sonata averaged 31mpg and my hybrid averaged 35 mpg. I did a comparison of my fuel expenses and mileage. Over a 26000km period I saved approximately 198 litres. Based on todays gas prices of 1.14.9 this translates to an annualized savings of $227.00. Over a 5 year period the savings is nowhere close to the $5,000 dollar premium I paid to purchase a hybrid.

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  08 accent gs 5speed 2door El-Stripo - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By mark - March 15 - 9:34 am

  I bought this car because of the need for better mileage,I also wanted to be able to haul two hockey bags and my two boys. I bought the base model two door gs 5speed. This car works great for me. 37mpg hwy, 30city.I paid 8,950 not including t&l.

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  Great first car!! - 1999 Hyundai Accent
  By Anuj - March 14 - 2:55 pm

  I bought a 2nd owner Accent with 54K on it. I needed to for college and moving around the city. I used to drive it for more than 20 miles a day for 7 months and never and I repeat never did it malfunction. About an year now and I did not have to visit the mechanic once, sparing the routing emission test. To my surprise, the engine cranked to a start after more than 45 days in the cold. The pickup is not great, nor does it have a power steering, but it is simply awesome for the price. Go get one in a decent condition, you will not regret it..

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  Great Car - Not so great mileage - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By Lori - March 13 - 2:20 pm

  I love this car but expected better mileage. I get 260 miles per tank which is 21 mpg. Thats local/highway driving. This particular car is NOT good in the snow. It fishtails like crazy even if theres just a dusting of snow. I would highly recommend a different car if you drive in the snow. Ill be selling this car for that very reason. Almost slid off the mountain after less than 1 inch of snow.

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  Smile - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Niall - March 13 - 5:16 am

  I have had absolutely no problems with my Santa Fe during the first year of ownership. It has a well thought out interior for space and is a comfortable long road trip experience.

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  Service concern - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By CandieUPS - March 11 - 10:00 am

  I have had to sevice the check engine light 8 times in less than a year..Since there is an excellent warranty for Hyundais, I have no expense but my time and effort without my vehicle during these service times is almost not worth having the Santa Fe. I bought my Santa Ff for $22,000 at 459 $ payments

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  I like/dont like - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By JOESMOM - March 7 - 3:30 am

  I like this little car because it it a big change from my 77 Chevy Blazer gas mileage wise. I like it because its reliable, small, cute, quiet. I dont like finding out I paid too much, $18,000.00 plus tax after the 2000.00 rebate. When I see the same car for 14,000.00 I dont care for the durability of the seat material, stains easily. The highest gas mileage ive gotten is 27.1 mpg on the freeway at 60 mph. Mine is the Gray colored one, the paint scratches easily, my thumb nail has worn a scrape in the hollow spot of the outer door handle. I will probably trade this in for a Toyota within the next year.

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  Amazed! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By tammielb - March 7 - 1:54 am

  I recently purchased the Hyundai Elantra GT...and I love it. I was driving a Lexus RX 350 which had been a wonderful car. But it was 8 years old and time for a replacement. Im a single mom and a teacher so another Lexus was not in my price range. I researched tons of vehicles trying to find the most for my money and hoping I wouldnt be missing the Lexus. The Elantra was it! The ride, the comfort, the bells and whistles...all of it. I dont miss my Lexus at all. I got it fully loaded and it was totally in my price range. In fact, dare I say its more fun to drive. A little smaller and zippier around the neighborhood. My 10 and 13 year old boys even like my new car better. :)