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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  Nice. Better than I expected - 2010 Hyundai Accent
  By micmel2 - April 27 - 7:26 pm

  Fun car to drive. I previously drove a Dodge Caravan, so driving this is like night and day. I like to drive small cars because it is easier for me to maneuver. Nice response. I havent filled my tank yet, but Im down to 1/4 tank left after driving 280 miles. Fairly inexpensive to insure because of the front and rear crumple safety zones. Very comfortable seats.

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  Little car with a HUGE bang! - 2010 Hyundai Accent
  By Geminijcm - April 26 - 12:47 pm

  Before buying a new car I test drove a Civic, Mazda 3, Corolla, and the Accent. This has been the best car I have owned for the price. It was 9,970 and I drove it off the lot for about 10,500. I have owned it for about 6 months now and it amazes more each day what this car offers. It has space in front seats and back, and even the trunk is just... huge! I average about 36 mpg on both Highway and City, but if I drive mostly on highway I get around 40 mpg. The 5 speed makes you forget this car is only 110hp. Since it is a Accent Blue the only option it had was a A/C.I just bought the basic (manual windows, locks, etc) and if it doesnt bother you,this is a car you would want to check out.

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  Car is more than the sum of its parts - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By Ben - April 26 - 12:46 am

  Purchased under the C4C program. After $1500 rebate and $4500 C4C, we paid $7200 out the door, taxes and fees all included!!! Less than half the price of the base model Honda Fit and Ford Focus we test drove. The Honda felt cheap and sluggish and the Ford felt completely disconnected and even cheaper. With the manual its quite peppy. We C4Ced a BMW for this car and we couldnt be happier. The handling is excellent. Driver feedback is just right. Driving position is perfect. Layout is nice. Interior fit and finish is fine. Paint is thin. After 10,000 miles we both still enjoy driving it and agree its one of the best cars weve owned. Time will tell in wear and tear.

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  Waste of time and money - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Prakash H - April 25 - 1:34 pm

  Just bought this car few weeks ago and already facing problems with the engine. Engine is extremely weak, weaker than I had anticipated. Some times I have trouble to accelerate into merging traffic, and since I live in hilly area. It revs very loudly and power is very insufficient. Consider buying a used Japanese or European car which is 8 years or so old. With more power and features. And gas mileage is not as great as people think it is...

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  Best Car Ive ever owned - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By EGKG - April 25 - 11:29 am

  Previously owned a Pontiac Bonneville, didnt ever think I would find a car as comfy as my Bonneville, but this car has surpassed it in the Comfort Zone! I test drove 7 different cars before I drove this car, and it was by far the best!! The steering is so precise you feel like its doing all the work for you! The power side view mirrors the heated seats with lumbar support for the driver and passenger, the adjustable pedals, the auto settings for the mechanical steering wheel for 2 different drivers,the back seat has great leg room, I just cant say enough about how much we are enjoying this car!! This is definitely a Luxury Car!!

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  Walking Hyundai Commercial - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By angelgirl - April 23 - 1:46 pm

  I love this car! I bought it new and have 190000 miles on it. I have had water pump and timing at 100000 miles and those are standard items to go at that mileage. I would recommend this car to anyone and hope to have another brand new Sonata soon!

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  A finer car than I imagined - 2009 Hyundai Azera
  By David Dahl - April 21 - 5:56 pm

  I was looking for a comfortable, quiet good handling car, and the Azera exceeds my expectations. On two recent longer trips the mileage was between 27 & 29 mpg, which for a 3.8 liter engine running on regular fuel is very respectable. Wish the "around town" mileage were a bit better (at around 22+). The quality and features are outstanding and are the equal or better than cars costing several thousands more. Great power, great sound system, comfortable seats, and good visibility. Hope Hyundai retains the Azera along with the new Genesis. I can certainly heartily recommend this automobile.

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  Perfect no, but better than expected - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Advancing - April 21 - 2:18 am

  I like this car. It has been very dependable (65K no problems at all) and does everything I want it to do. V6 is better than expected, smooth, quiet and peppy. Not a screamer but I didnt pay for a race car. One minor complaint is the tranny hesitates when it shifts from 1st to 2nd gear just slightly. I was told this is normal, I dont buy it but it hasnt proved to be a problem. Interior is functional and initial critiques questioned the durability of the cloth seats, well they were wrong, good stuff. I bought this car to be functional and dependable, and it has been rock solid. Yea the front end can float a little but it was not a BMW. Bought with 14K for $13.5K. Best car for $.

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  Worst Gear Shifting Ive Seen - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Tom - April 16 - 7:53 pm

  The car is OK except for the transmission. This car has a six speed transmission and it searches and searches ans still finds the wring gear. When going up a hill and you need to accelerate a little it will jump two gears instead of one. The transmission will also not release when you slow to stop. I cant coast in it. It is really an aggravating car to drive. Other than that it is a nice car or in other words, other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play? This inability to find the correct gear also has an affect on gas mileage.

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  This car cant be under $28000.00 - 2010 Hyundai Azera
  By Chip - April 16 - 6:53 pm

  Had this car for past 4 month. and the car drives like it my wifes LS430. I love the handling and ride quality. But best thing about this car is it only cost me 1/2 of my wifes car. PRICE! Its like Korean, it takes over every thing. TV,DVD,washer, almost every thing at our house is Korean company (Samsung or LG). Bottom line is Hyundai finally got it right and I"m sold.