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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  Cheap for a reason - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Jeffrey - June 16 - 9:16 am

  Basics: No standard features. Cheaply built. Poor visual sight when driving. No back seat room. No front seat room. Low head clearence. No power in the engine. Rattle noises when I accelerate. Cheap feel. No pride in owning one. I can only hope when people see the "H" they think it is a Honda. Cheap price for a Cheap car. Not recomended unless you cannot afford anything else. If you want a Hatchback get a VW Golf, like I will be in 2 months.

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  beware - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By tom - June 14 - 1:13 am

  have to replace bulbs all the time @ 20,067 miles NEW TRANSMISSION 4 days in the shop wipers replaced numerous times im 61 yrs old owned alot of new cars in my time this is by far the worst read all reviews and research all said best car in class even still they use these terms we all had to laugh at these comments by so called professional as we waited @ customer sevice wondering what would be next hey got me out of yard work and to you pros have some integrality then ill get the grass cut !!!!!

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  Worst car I ever purchased!!!! - 2000 Hyundai Accent
  By pamr - June 4 - 8:12 pm

  I bought it new, and always had problems, it burns oil (not a leak) i have to check it every week. The hood hinge broke, it doesnt shift right, even the clock and radio are broken. I wouldnt recommend this car to anyone. And the 10 year/100,000 mile warranty is crap! Anything that goes wrong, they say "thats not covered". The parts are expensive and for most of them you have to purchase from the dealer.

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  Incredibly Expensive to Maintain - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By tmp0529 - June 1 - 12:03 pm

  This is a car that you should avoid. Every 30,000 miles you are required to get the scheduled maintenance to keep your 100K warranty. That maintenance takes two days and $1500. Top that off with problems with the radio, compass and electric windows and a transmission that wants to surge from a stop and you have a car that is a waste of money. I almost forgot the horrible gas mileage. My 97 GMC Yukon with a V8 got better gas mileage than this lighter SUV with a V6.

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  Hyundai Accident, it runs... - 1999 Hyundai Accent
  By Senaelen - May 14 - 9:58 pm

  I purchased this car for my brother, all it had wrong with it when we bought it was an exhaust leak. He didnt fix it because hes a butthead. but, this would appear to be a hyundai thing - if youre buying this car, check to make sure youre exhaust manifold and pipe were replaced, they rot out from the front onward! also check to make sure your alternator was replaced, and for the love of god, change the transmission fluid. This car has run into a lot of manufacturer problems starting with the schematics from hyundai listing the wrong wire colors. The overdrive switch on the shifter console has wires inside of it that break over time with the shifter moving. Be careful if you buy this car!

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  Do NOT BUY a Hyundai Entourage EVER - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By skipper83 - May 13 - 11:13 am

  We got our Entourage when it first came out cause we love hyundai cars, and needed a bigger family vehicle. We loved this vehicle until we started having major issues with it. We have already had to have the entire electrical system of the van replaced after only having it 11/2 yrs and it needs to be replaced again. Our power doors are a nightmare. They close then open right back up. When they actually do close the track keeps going even after the door is closed. When we pull on the door handles to open the doors they dont open. With in the last 9 months our van has been in the shop over 8 times, for the same things over and over again.Now i understand why you need the warranty they offer.

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  Worst car ever! - 2000 Hyundai Accent
  By KMdriver - April 29 - 10:32 pm

  This car has been nothing but trouble since day one. My mother bought me the car when i was in highschool and the oil was burning, so the valve cover gasket was replaced. oil continued to burn so we replaced all gaskets... oil then magically disappeared. no spots on the ground and no residue on the engine, and is still doing this 3 years later. at about 100000 both CV axles busted, gas mileage went downhill, the AC fan in the cab broke, the engine now makes an odd whining noise and i cant seem to figure out why. car smells like mildew every time it rains, but i cant find any wetspots. breaks squeak nonstop even if new. I will never ever buy a Hyundai again this car is a living nightmare.

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  Wish I didnt buy it! - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By vmats - April 27 - 9:19 pm

  We paid for the extended warranty and glad that we did! Brakes started squealing within the first six months, tires did not last as long as they should have, battery died after about 50000 miles. They have had to change the air compressor, the fuel sensor, and a few other parts. We have had to get it towed twice.

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  Not all its cracked up to be. - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By kherbert - April 27 - 12:33 pm

  I bought the Hyundai Elantra after what i thought was sufficient research. The dealer and Hyundai billed it as comparable in quality to Toyota & Honda. That is a joke. I had rust on the rear vent windows and other places pretty quick. I take pretty good care of my cars too. I dont spoil them but I dont neglect routine maintenance and cleaning. Ive had no end of issues with the headlights burning out. Ive had to replace them both 4 times now (8 new headlights) and you cant do it yourself unless youve already got the tools. Its a pain.

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  Poor gas mileage - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Sherri - April 11 - 12:43 pm

  We bought our Hyundai Tucson to get better gas mileage. The sticker said "20-26 mpg" I drive 12 miles to work on the highway, not stop and go. I get 19 mpg. I talked with the salesman and the service department, at first the salesman said they would check it and tune it up. When I called to set up an appointment I was told they could not help my car,and I couldnt count on those numbers. I talked with the salesman again and this time he said the estimated gas mileage is 20-23, not 23-26". Why are the numbers different???? Why are these numbers put on cars if they are not true??? Thats false advertising!!!. I had a Lincoln Town Car that got 20mpg driving 70 mph, I drive 60-65 and get 19.