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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  Never AGAIN!!!! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By atoria - July 13 - 12:40 pm

  I bought my car in 2005 (brand new) only had about 19 miles on it, and i must say that i regret not listening to my grandmother when she said "go to the honda dealership" shortly after 3 years of purchasing this car it has been giving me issues. check engine has been repeatedly coming on for the same issue which pertains to a sensor(s)!!! and currently its the check engine is still coming on for the SaME ISSUE!!!!!! apparently my car is too rich in fuel!!!! I wanted to pass this car on to my sister, but will not due to the fact that it will take money with the amount of repairs that will have to be done by the car.. This was my first car and I havent been happy at all!!!!!!! and any friends who ask about hyundais I immediately tell them no!!! do not waste your money!!!!! because you wont have none after the amount of repairs you have put into constantly fixing the car! Elantras are for elderly folks who only travel around town. Hyundai has my complaint on file and I will continue to call with any additions to that complaint!

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  Three Genesis in Four Years - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By chuck carter - July 10 - 1:57 pm

  Take a drive after reading the literature. Study the safety features. Be ready with questions. You may well leave with a Genesis.

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  For the value its the best midsize luxury car! - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By operationdoom - July 7 - 1:38 pm

  I bought my Genesis a few months ago and its a 2012 with 30,000 miles. Its very comfortable and seats 5 easily with lots of room. It is very quick for its size and definitely turns heads. The only downside is the gas mileage is 22 mixed and city 18. Its a great car for the value!

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  Nothing But Tears - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By loveeanne - July 5 - 10:32 am

  Ive had this car for 5 years. Two of those years I spent at college without it. Ive put about 60,000 miles on it. I LOVED this car. The first time the engine misfired, I thought "no big deal, this car has been amazing to me". It was all down hill from there. The engine has misfired twice and needed to be fixed. The breaks have been replaced four times. A valve broke off near the transmission and oil leaked down into the clutch. I needed a full clutch kit replacement and parts of the transmission replaced. That was less than four months ago. Last week, my timing belt broke without any warning and bent my entire motor. With that, I will have put over $4,000 into this car for repairs.

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  Great car, when its not having issues! - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By adamstemper - July 4 - 9:11 pm

  I purchased this car at 20,000 miles. It now has 35,000 miles. Within 1 month of purchase, I noticed the breaks got squishy. They issued a recall for having used bad break fluid which ruined the breaks. Within 6 months, my alignment started pulling to the right. The Hyundai mechanic drove it and agreed that he noticed the pull. Was called next day and told "nothing was wrong, we dont notice any pulling". Its still pulling to the right... The rear tail lights got moisture inside, had to have Hyundai dealership replace lights. The engine light came on, made appointment. Within a week the car wouldnt even start up. "Bad fuel line". Great car, when not being serviced!!

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  Great Car, Great Value - 2014 Hyundai Elantra
  By eflatblues - June 29 - 12:25 pm

  I wanted to wait till my first year of ownership was completed before offering my opinion. As of July 3rd I will have owned my 2014 Elantra SE Manual for a year and have put a little over 16,000 miles on it. My thoughts after a year is that this is a very good, solid, economical and reliable automobile and has been completely trouble free. I really like the styling and find the car very comfortable to drive. The fuel economy is fantastic. Mixed city/highway cycle returns 36.4 mpg and if I am keeping a steady 70 – 72 on the highway I consistently get 40.2. The Elantra is an exceptional value and is worthy of consideration in a new car purchase.

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  Very comfortable to ride, but not to drive - 2013 Hyundai Azera
  By abjee - June 23 - 7:57 pm

  We have owned this car for 2 months, and mostly drive it in the foothills of Smoky Mts. The car drives firm. At low speeds it instills a sense of confidence. The ride quality is one of the best – quiet and very comfortable, suited best as a family sedan. But some glaring shortcomings in driving experience show up in hilly roads. The car drives and steers sluggish in the “ECO/Automatic ” modes. In the “Sports/ Manual ” mode, the car is somewhat more fun to drive. Yet, Azera is best suited as chauffer-driven limo, where one can enjoy astounding rear-seat comfort, fantastic leather, and the panorama of the sunroof, and forget the shortcomings in the driving experience.

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  Big bargain! - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By jolly1999 - June 22 - 4:42 pm

  Review I purchased 3.8 RWD Genesis with all 3 packages on 3/22/15. I saved ~$15-20K from buying a brand name with identical options. Im happy it came with Michelin instead of Hankok tires. I love the whisper quiet inside the cabin that almost isolated from any engine and road noise. Its so roomy for 5 adults together with a huge trunk. The 311 HP engine is not that sporty with "Eco" mode but adequate to drive this heavy big sedan agilely. However, once youre engaged in "Sport" mode, its another different story. For 0-62 MPH, the time should be 1 second or more less in "Sport" mode. Pretty well balance during acute cornering, I feel secure with the safety packages. Favorite Features I love the safety technology like the blind spot detection/rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, haptic steering wheel, electronic parking brake with automatic hold, automatic emergency braking, especially the smart cruise control with stop/start. Therere many features I appreciate most like head-up display, power trunk lid, slide panoramic sunroof, Lexicon 17-speaker with surround sound, Power rear sunshade, 9.2 inch HD display as well as the ultra premium leather seats and genuine matte finish wood trim. Suggested Improvements The windshield wipers cannot be raised for cleaning. No power tilts up function after closing panoramic sunroof sliding cover. No remote control for windows open. Brighter head-up display. More power for 3.8 liter V6 engine. Higher mileage for gas. No Frog light. No folding rear seats.

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  So far so great - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By ddr615 - June 21 - 3:22 pm

  Favorite car so far. For the price, I dont think you get the same value anywhere else. I have had several random conversations with people since I bought the car (you should get used to that) who either wish to ask what kind of car it is - or tell me how someone else they knew traded in a BMW or Mercedes to get one. I have the Ibiza Blue only available in the 3.8 AWD Ultimate Package. I personally knew someone who had the older body style that had 80K miles on it. He loved it, and said he would not hesitate recommending the brand, model and dealer that I wound up with. When I asked what others experiences were with their Hyundais (non - Genesis) they were resoundingly positive.

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  Awesome experience - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By larryntx - June 21 - 11:51 am

  Ive owned my 2015 Genesis for 3 months and have enjoyed everyday of ownership. I compared this model to the Infinit Q70 (previous car was a 2007 Infiniti M35). Every aspect of this car is great. I went on a 2k trip and never was tired. Handling is great and virtually no road noise (not even from the tires). Great value for the money and a great deal. Great features for a great price. Has more technology than the German options and a better value than Lexus or Infiniti.