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:

• 

  Owned one for 5 years-Good car - 2000 Hyundai Accent
  By Stormy21856 - December 30 - 11:19 am

  I bought this car used with 18,000 miles in Jan 2002. Car now has 67,325 mi. Very reliable after the first couple times in the shop the first year I owned it. Needed Mass air flow sensor to stop pinging & some automatic transmision shifter sensor found in TSB to smooth out shifting. Great city car, great gas milage. Car has functioned extremly well no problems. Brakes and tires around 42,000 mi. Very basic low cost transportation. I have been very pleased.

• 

  First Car - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By alishamoody815@aol.com - December 29 - 7:31 am

  I got my Tiburon when I was 16 and still have it at 22. Im just now thinking of getting a new car after putting this little thing through hell. It drives well, parks well, can take snow, rain, and just about anything. Mine has had issues with the fuel pump most recently, radiator, thermostat, and a few other things. But this has been a course of 6 years. Its still running and currently my daily driver and has been for several of my family members lots of times. Its a little car, but its tough. Ive had several incidents in it, but it keeps going. If you need something small and reliable, this is definitely it. I have over 200,000 on mine and if it wasnt giving issues that cost more than it was worth and had four doors, Id never want to get rid of it.

• 

  Smooth, quiet, powerful - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By kww - December 27 - 5:06 am

  This car is very smooth and quiet. While no sports car, it is more powerful than my previous two cars, a Taurus SHO, and a Maxima SE. The interior is very well done, the seats are extremely comfortable, and the stereo is excellent. Should be an outstanding interstate cruiser. Am averaging 25mpg in a mix of driving. The nav unit works quite well(after the original faulty unit was cheerfully replaced by the dealer). Very affordable with the rebate($3000). Outstanding value.

• 

  First SUV - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Jersey Shore - December 26 - 7:50 am

  This is my first SUV after owning strictly sports cars. I love the ability to shop and fit many items, including large inside without too much effort. Nice design. I looked at several SUVs prior to this purchase, my decision was based on the design, bank for the buck and the warranty. The mileage is not that great, it has improved. Only getting about 21-22 MPG. Having owned it for just one year, barring any future problems, I would buy another Hyundai.

• 

  3 month impression - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Bluechrome - December 25 - 1:50 pm

  Handles very nice. Light steering, good road control and power in the mountains. Handled very well in snow and sand. Gas mileage no better than my 95 chevy blazer (17 -21 mpg). Dealership has poor sales service, dont go to Bob Lewis! Paint easily damaged by bird droppings. Good stereo system. Relatively quite ride. Good cargo space for a small suv. Driver and passenger seats very comfortable. Not too many blind spots. Can get 4 full grown men in the care with golf clubs! Recommendation: fix gas mileage and dealership.

• 

  Good Commuter Car - 1996 Hyundai Elantra
  By Broadway - December 19 - 9:34 pm

  Have put on 100-140 miles daily for for almost 8 years of use. Now have 279K on vehical. Major service include refurbished AT tranny at 147k ($1300) and recent water pump ($450) plus timing belt service, used power steering pump,gas filter,2 radiator fan motors,3rd set of tires (90K ea) Have not replaced alternator,muffler,or injector servicing. Check engine light has been on for 100k now. Have crack low on exhaust manifold but still get 35 to 38 mpg freeway,combo 30-33. Still no oil,tranny leaks...amazing! All my previous American cars have messed up my garage!

• 

  Very disappointed in MPG - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By ecormack - December 19 - 1:54 pm

  I compared a few different vehicles reported to get decent gas milage. I went with this because i really like the styling and i figured id get at least 28-30mpg. Im getting 25. My previous vehicle was a 1998 subaru legacy wagon. With that I got 23MPG doing the same driving, and i had a much heavier foot then. Im using eco boost, Driving more conservatively than I used to and still getting, what I consider, poor gas milage for what this vehicle is. Other than that I love it. although, because you cant see the hood when you are seated in the car, I have a hard time judging how close i pull to something. Ive only had it a month though.

• 

  Poor gas mileage - 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By geobcon - December 18 - 1:52 am

  The MPG, when having first purchased the Hyundai Santa Fe, was upwards of 25.5 on trips and around 22 to 23 in the city driving. This was the prime reason I got rid of my Dodge Dakota which was giving me 16MPG/18MPG city/highway respectively. My total driven miles since the lease of my Santa Fe are 3800 +/- as of 12/12/11. About a week ago, 12/05/11, the MPG had decreased to 19.0 MPG on trips and very little change in city driving. I filled the tank and noted that the MPG reading went back up to 24.0 MPG for a few miles then dropped back to 19.0 MPG whether I was on the road at a constant 60 MPH or driving in the city at 30 MPH . Checking the actual miles driven since the last fill-up (on 12/12/11) with the gallons of gas consumed, i.e. Miles/Gallons used, the MPG calculated to 18.0 MPG. Why?? The odometer resets the MPG after fill up. IÂ’m up to 19.8MPG having driven 3 miles from the gas station and will continue to monitor the MPG to see if it reaches the expected MPG (the reason I purchased a Hyundai) I brought the car to the dealership (where leased on 09/12/11) to have the problem checked and they werenÂ’t able to find any problem other than the tire pressure was down by 3 psi. Our temp had fallen to below freezing that day but even so, when the problem first occurred, the temp was in the 60Â’s. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem and if so, is there a solution?

• 

  Azera- Things to be aware of...... - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Hyundai Azera - December 17 - 6:30 pm

  The headlights have a very dark line and I think very limited range on the headlights. I noticed this when I test drove the vehicle. The dealership raised the headlights to what they said was the proper level. After purchasing the car I noticed that the lights were set too high and people were flashing the high beams at me. I had an independen garage check the the lights and they had been set too high. In other words, I was mislead. In addition, the car doors do not lock automatically. This was something I didnt notice in the test drives. Even the cheapest cars have this feature for security. I also find it annoying that you cannot charge a cell phone without the engine running

• 

  excellent performance in accident - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By PA driver - December 16 - 2:05 am

  It was a cute, fun to drive little car. Gas mileage was decent. It did act up on a cold start for a while, had it to the dealer 5 times, they kept giving it back with same problem, so thats a service dept problem, not the car itself. I recently was in a head on collision on the highway. The car was totaled, but the passenger compartment stayed intact. The front end absorbed most of the force before it got to me. My most serious injury was a broken heel, so compared to what could have happened, that car did an amazing job of keeping me alive. My head/face was untouched except for a bloody nose from the airbag. Im definitely considering another Hyundai for my next car.