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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  Feeling luck I guess.. - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Mr K - February 14 - 12:00 am

  I read some of the reviews and wonder if we are all talking about the same van. After 3 years of driving we had very few problems, just some minor things fixed under warranty...pulley bearings, A/C compressor clutch. Original tires lasted 50K miles, battery 3 yrs. Power doors and gate work perfectly, everything is perfect except the fuel consumption could be better. Mixed city/hwy driving: Wife 18 mpg, me 20.5, long trip mpg about 23.

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  nice and quit ride !! - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By peter - February 12 - 5:23 pm

  This is my 3rd elantra and the reason why I bought it is because I never had a problem with none of them in the past I drive long distance and it gives me around 32 mpg I love it love the blue lights in the center console...

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  Almost my last - 1997 Hyundai Elantra
  By CloseCall - February 12 - 4:42 pm

  This car pretty much drove me from high school through the Navy and nearly 6 years of DC area drivers. Its made long trips from Virginia to Texas and back. It spent good stretches just sitting parked for months at a time and nearly daily trips verging on 70 miles both ways. At 130,000 miles I had to finally get the transmission replaced after having let it sit nearly a year without getting the oil changed. I would still be driving it today if that where possible, but alas snow/ice/and a plow truck combined to take it away from me in rough wreck. It was good. not always comfortable or good looking but it served well.

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  great car for the price - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By John Shaffer - February 12 - 1:04 pm

  i have had my elantra gls for 3 months. getting 31mph around town...seat not very comfortable for a tall man but over all the care is great regarding performance. better than my toyotas or renault, or vw..looks good too.

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  FINALLY A HYUNDAI I LIKE - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By RAMON718 - February 12 - 12:37 pm

  After trading in my 2006 sonota for a 2006 azera and having the azera for 3 a half years of misery , i finally got hyundai i LOVE. The car is the best bang for your buck when you dont want to over spend for a luxury car .

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  A Pleasant Surprise - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Tom - February 11 - 8:00 pm

  Great ride - with a luxurious interior and classy simple exterior look. Got a call from a friend who drove by asking if I bought a Bentley...the Genesis emblems will do that. Everyone loves this car...Have had 3 new Infinitis since 1998 starting with the Q45 and this car does not disappoint. After test driving Lincoln MKS, the CC, and Lexus, the decision was easier than I expected. For the value, luxury and drive, and watching the road test comparisons on youtube against the BMW 5 series, I was sold. Oh and the warranty and safety features didnt hurt.

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  awesome driving experience! - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Louisianaman - February 10 - 9:54 pm

  Get behind the wheel of this car, set creature comforts to your preferences. Then, push the start button and experience a vehicle that is comfortable, spirited to drive, quiet (with the desirable growl of the engine when pushed) and eye catching. Drive the E-Class Mercedes, GS class Lexus and the 5 series BMW, then drive the Genesis..youll be surprised and impressed, and have THOUSANDS of dollars left in your pocket!

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  Suspension Problems - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Seanbird - February 10 - 7:58 pm

  The car looks good, drives nice, great on gas and is pretty comfortable. Basically its a good car for the price. The problem i have is the loud knocking noise every time i turn the wheel or go over a bump and the dealership cant figure it out even after taken the car to them three times. I guess thats what they mean by you get what u pay for.

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  Over rated-low trade-in/resale value - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By wxyz - February 10 - 2:50 pm

  Soft Suspension. Check all 4 corners manually for bounce and excessive rebound. Michelin tires wore out at 28K miles. Excessive suspension noise on bumps or holes. Excessive lean on cornering or curves and excessive front end dip on stopping. Very low trade-in allowance. Dealer says warranty does not cover tires, struts or shocks.

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  Brake Pedal Bracket Problem - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By Peg - February 10 - 10:10 am

  Bought my new Elantra on Sept. 1, 2009. The biggest selling factor was 100,000 mile warranty and safety features. Until yesterday, no complaints except that gas mileage has proved to be only about 25 mpg not near the 33 mpg estimate. Then on Feb. 8, 2010, experienced problem accelerating. It suddenly acted as if it were stuck in 3rd gear. Brake made odd sounds and began to emit powerful burning smell. We thought we might have a transmission problem. When they called to tell us they had checked it out and it was ready for pick up, they said that a brake pedal bracket had come loose. They made it sound, however, as if I had done something wrong. That upset me.