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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  GREAT CAR OVERALL - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By happy1989 - January 22 - 2:03 pm

  I elantra back in 2008 it now has 136000 on it iv only put one set of tires and breaks and one senser in it other then that just oil changes the car dose have a little bit of road noise but is solid i have to say i trade my chevy in for this car and im happy i did i will be keeping this car till it hits 300000 miles witch will be at my rate in 2 more years

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  Still going strong - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By dragunz - January 11 - 11:16 am

  Well, here it is 2013 and my 2006 Hyundai Elantra GLS is still going strong. 128k miles on it, its paid off, and it has only had a few issues over the past six years other than standard maintenance. The one thing that still irks the hell out of me though is the staring wheel material. It has degraded and is basically crumbling away. I took it to the dealership when i was still within the 60k bumper to bumper warranty. They had the nerve to tell me it was not covered and i was causing the damage with my finger nails??? Oh well, thats what black electrical tape and steering wheel covers are for. All in all i am hoping to keep this car another two years for my daughter.

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  So far sooo good. - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By geekfreak32 - January 4 - 2:32 pm

  Running on 76k miles now. All I did was oil change, battery change, tire change, filter change and belt change. Six years of owning this car ever since it was bought new, maintenance was minimal. I had a Mitsubishi 3000gt before, gave me all sorts of engine and transmission problems. Im sticking with Hyundai. Call it luck or whatever it is, my car runs like a champ. Forgot to mention, when I was on the L.I.E(495) coming from Long Island to Queens, a Stony Brook student hit the rear of my car with his Saab. My bumper only had a minor paint chip while his entire front bumper and hood was crushed in. The impact was enough to tilt my head. Unfazed.

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  Mpg rating, lie..... - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By north8 - January 2 - 2:26 am

  I bought this car last week as a college student thinking I was going to get great gas mileage. Every review i read was great, but of course I never ran across anything about the bad MPG ratings. Well it has about 600 miles on it and it is getting about 25 average mpg and this is with about half my driving on the freeway. That is 8 under the average mpg it should be getting. Its sad, and Hyundai doesnt care, nor does the dealership at hilltop hyundai in richmond, california. All in all its a great car other than the fact it does not do what it is advertised as.

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  This car just keeps going - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By chehalispete - January 1 - 1:19 pm

  I bought this car out of desperation when my old car died. I was looking for anything when I went to a dealer who pushed it on me more or less. I felt I paid a little too much but whatever. I bought it 6 1/2 years ago with 13,000 miles on it. Today Im at 200,000 and the only problem I have had is the timing chain went out (my fault since I should have changed it). It is hands down THE MOST reliable car I have ever owned. Im always looking at other cars, but I know I will keep driving this thing just to see how long it will last. It reinforces my theory that cars you love will screw you over, but cars you dont car about will serve you well for years.

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  terrible gas mileage - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By apoe5467 - December 28 - 2:58 pm

  I drive a combination of city and highway and I never get above upper 20 MPH. I got over 30 once on a trip.

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  Overall great car! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By braindeadunit - December 28 - 9:27 am

  Performance -- Feels a bit sluggish at low RPMs, but that gets you the high mpg, but pushing it up into the higher RPMs gives you plenty of performance, and the sports mode helps me keep in the RPM range I want without having to get a fully manual car. Comfort -- I feel as comfortable in this as I do in a Buick, but I dont feel like Im driving a boat! Value -- For a "more full" sedan with packed features, its great value! But if I were buying for myself, I find it hard justifying spending more on the Elantra vs. the Accent. Fun: Its not really fun, but it gets you point A to point B wonderfully. Design: A bit funky, but looks modern and advanced. Interior is more subtle. Quality: A+

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  Solid, Reliable, Excellent Drive - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By canada_bc - December 24 - 4:45 pm

  I bought my Accent after 11mo./23000km of use as a rental, during which time it had no accidents or service issues. After my 6mo./12000km it continues to perform without issue. Excellent fuel economy - I achieve or beat the ORIGINAL consumption rating regularly on the highway, though the city rating is a bit optimistic. Smooth ride, perfectly comfortable for long highway trips (I have many). The air conditioning/heating system takes a bit too long to warm up, but thats minor also my windshield fogs up a bit too easily, but easily managed. Not top-end materials inside, but no problems with them. but Overall I am very happy with almost all aspects of the car and would fully recommend it.

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  Bought a Second 12 Genesis - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By fernwood - December 21 - 10:23 pm

  We ought our first Genesis in 11/11. We love the car and have had such good luck with it that we purchased another Genesis last spring, trading in my wifes Audi A6. Build quality is great with no squeaks or rattles and so is the reliability thus far. We are getting about 21 mpg around town in mixed driving and over 28 mpg on the road.

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  Engine Fire...2007 Azera - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By gsuroviec - December 9 - 7:12 pm

  I owned this car for 3 years. I am 2nd owner. The 2nd owner only gets 5 year, 60K mile warranty. I was about 3 weeks past the 5 years when the engine caught on fire while sitting in a parking lot, turned off. It was a total loss... and also for others parked near by...as they too lit up. The fire started in the very front of the engine compartment. Hyundai denied any assistance or responsibility for the engine fire. They were not interested to investigate. I am just so thankful it happened out in the open, rather than back in my attached garage. I will never own another Hyundai or Kia again. I value my safety and that of my family first.