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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  Best car I have ever had! - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By Messy - March 4 - 10:13 am

  Ive never had a new car before, granted, but I think I am a Hyundai owner for life! This car, though the basic model, is so great--gas mileage is very good. I just got 521.5 miles on a tank and when I filled it up I put in less than 14 gallons! Im eager to see if I can repeat that. I have put 15,500 miles on it in the 9 months Ive owned it, and so far its running like a dream!

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  suspension problems - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By mike - March 4 - 8:36 am

  Into the dealership 3 times with under 1000 miles for suspension noise in front left. Adjusted twice and replaced strut and mount on third visit. Better but still makes popping and cracking noise on bumps more noticeable when turning. Dealer has been great even provided a free loaner but now claims the problem is fixed. I guess I will just turn up the radio - kind of sad for a new car. Also, living in the Buffalo area a temp gauge would be Nice. Over all a good car for the money and warranty but you really are just getting that, nothing extra.

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  Happy owner of used 08 GLS - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By happy owner - March 4 - 1:36 am

  Bought my wife this car used a year ago for an amazing price ($13K w/ 13K miles and sunroof). Both of us love it and always choose it over my Frontier unless we need to haul something. Weve gotten 29.9 mpg overall (my wife was getting 32 mpg overall for a while when commuting to work) and dont find the power lacking at all. It is a little asthmatic when loaded up with four pax and going up mountains but works fine for everyday commuting. Trunk is spacious and easily holds both our golf push carts and both sets of clubs. Fit and finish is great and havent had a single maintenance issue yet (though we drive conservatively to maximize mpg). Gotten up to 33-35 mpg on long trips.

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  Worst Car Ever - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By knaimoli - March 3 - 5:43 pm

  I am the current owner of the 2002 Hyundai Elantra that my mother purchased brand new in 2002. From the time it was purchased there have been numerous recalls and so many problems with this car. We have had both axles replaced recently, the car is constantly at the shop and it is terrible. Terrible to drive no pick up what so ever. There is nothing good about this car.

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  Do yourself a favour... - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By CWR - March 3 - 10:38 am

  Do yourself a favor and upgrade to the ABS on the GLS model, especially if you drive in snow or a lot of wet conditions. Considering the price point of these vehicles, it is well worth the investment for the safety of ABS brakes. I was used to the system in a 04 Civic (much better braking system to be sure), and almost paid the ultimate price when I spun out a few times this winter in the Accent GLS w/out ABS. Hyundai should really make ABS standard on all models. Apart from this legitimate beef, its a great little car for the money, far more room inside than Civic. Nice fittings inside, lots of leg room up front, highly capable engine for size of car. Excellent gas mileage all around.

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  Surprising build quality - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Phil - March 2 - 6:00 pm

  This car is a winner. I loved my Acura RL - unfortunately totalled in an accident. Drove Merc E, BMW 5, Lexus GS, etc. If all the same price I would buy this car. More leg room than a BMW 750i, quieter cabin than a Merc S class, same HP, acceleration and MPG as a Lexus LS460. Linear torque curve & loads of power. 10 yr warranty & under $40k w/ V8 & tech pkg. Wow. What an incredible value. The topper is the xclt build quality & refinement, worthy of a Lexus. Minor complaints - should have more wood trim inside (theyre probably holding back to not outshine the upcoming Equus). The suspension is well tuned but transmits a little too much input to the passengers when on imperfect roads.

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  Love it - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Kristen - February 28 - 4:36 pm

  There are so many things about my Elantra that I love. Even after a year of owning it every time I get in it to drive Im so excited about owning it. Ive never been so happy with a car, but like some others have mentioned it handles very poorly in snowy conditions which is not good living in Wisconsin. I did a lot of research before I bought this car and never came across anything about that problem. Also as some have mentioned the trunk does tend to pop open without me realizing it. Other than that I do love it and would recommend it to anyone.

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  What I expected and needed - 2010 Hyundai Accent
  By JeffC - February 28 - 1:31 pm

  I needed a second car to teach my daughter to drive in, as well as a daily commuter.I also have a 2008 Tiburon GT that I drive on nice days. I picked this up after trying to find a decent used car, however, I guess I got tired of trying to find a decent used car with low miles, so spent maybe $4,000 extra to get a brand new one, with the great warranty. Initial thoughts,it was what I expected. Engine seems to have decent pep for what it is, but I needed something that gets 30 plus mpg as I have a 60 mile commute. Sticker was $13,895, paid $11,399 plus TTL. Black with gray interior. Will need to add a radio, but that shouldnt run more than $250. So far, car seems very solid, drives nice.

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  My New Elantras Name is Bumpy - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By TV - February 28 - 9:10 am

  Like so many other reviews that I just read, I have my own suspension nightmare. How can a brand new car have such a rough ride. My old 1994 Chevy Cavailer is a much smoother drive. Why would they build a car that is so unpleasant to drive. When I tested the car, I convinced myself that the bumpy ride was all in my head. On my way home from purchasing my Elantra, I wanted to make a U-turn back to the dealership. Please do not make the same mistake I did. Test the car with close attention. If you feel too many bumps...run away fast...or youll regret it big time...I truly wish there would be a recall on 2010 Elantras due to a poor suspension performance...

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  Great little car - 1995 Hyundai Accent
  By wahadooo - February 27 - 3:48 pm

  I bought my car used as a emergency had to have a car as my old one died. I have been very happy since. It is great on mileage(38mpg). The timing belt broke while I was driving so since then Ive had a new engine. I has 169,000 miles on it and it still hauls wood for my wood stove like a little pick up truck. The front has a few dents so when I nailed a deer with it I didnt really mind. I will definitely get another Hyundai when this one dies. But, I do need a truck too. either way, we will always have a Hyundai in our dooryard.