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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  Somewhat Disappointed... - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kori - October 20 - 9:36 pm

  My biggest issue is that gas mileage is much lower than the 20/30 estimate. I dont drive aggressively, and in the past have always gotten higher than the posted estimate. This car gets about 18/24. I wouldnt have bought the car if I had known the reality. Radio sounds terrible--very tinny. Tires are low quality. Interior is average. It does run well, has nice pickup and is certainly is great to look at.

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  Love my Sonata - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Lisa - October 20 - 7:16 pm

  I bought my 03 Sonata brand new in 2003. I have loved the look and performance ever since. It now has over 100K miles on it and its still going strong. We drive from OK to Galveston, TX yearly without any issues. I would definitely buy another one, when this one gives out, that is.

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  2010 Hyundai Elantra - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Joey B. - October 20 - 3:38 pm

  Just got this car, so far so good, solid, smooth, cant go wrong for the price, this car is used for my commute to and from work

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  Great car - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By rto2 - October 20 - 12:51 pm

  smooth, economical, and a great ride. Would buy again. Highly recommend. Bought from a dealer that was the easiest to deal with in 30 years of car buying. [non-permissible content removed]

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  2003 elentra - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By chebba - October 20 - 12:24 am

  Car was purchased new. It can handle quite a lot: I had several huge people in my elentra when I struck the mother of all potholes traveling at a high rate of speed on the God forsaken streets of Brooklyn NY, I really thought at the very least there should have been casualties but to my amazement the car was not affected in any way. Another time my father had a huge accident drunk driving accident, it cost so many thousands to piece the car together everyone suggested the car should be scrapped yet the insurance carrier insisted it be repaired. To my amazement the car still rides well after massive cross- your finger type of repairs.

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  should have painted it yellow - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By lemon sucker - October 19 - 3:09 pm

  The van looks good and drives nice but dont let that fool you! The fuel economy is no were near what we were told. The brakes are a disaster and needed replacing after only 35000 km rotors and all. The idler failed after 50000 km. Had to be towed for a computer failure. the latches on the side doors fail. if you open the drivers door in the rain, you will not be able to close the gas cap door. There are problems with the wiring in the back door. there are always light on the dash that shouldnt be on , last being a problem with the air bags!! If you dont live next to the dealer ship or want to keep the van past its warranty, dont buy it!

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  Best Value out there! - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By Christopher - October 18 - 8:18 am

  I must admit i was a little skeptical about Hyundai at first. However, my dads 2004 elantra has 270,000 miles on it before the oil pump went and blew the engine. That said i decided for my job to get a el cheapo accent base, no ac, no radio (i installed one myself), and a 5 sp manual tranny. I only paid after tax title license $11,325 with a 20 yr powertrain warranty, yes a 20 yr, from Rick Case. I average 33-41 MPG per tank. Clutch is smooth, drivability is fun, and the best part of it is the price. I have 12000 miles on this car with no issues. I cant say enough about this little fun car, except I highly recommend this vehicle!

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  Dianes Delite - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By Diane birkhead - October 18 - 4:21 am

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  189K and counting. - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Mike - October 18 - 12:48 am

  I have a great history with Hyundia. I bought a new 2002 elantra and drove it for a year. Gave it back due to a bk, to have cheaper pymts. Then bought a 2002 Sonata, returned it two days later, due to hating the big floaty ride. Got another 2002 Elantra, formal rental, with 22k. 6 yrs later 189k and counting. My friends cannot believe that I still use this car for my daily 100+ miles commute. Service history: The first year, it had service to fix a throttle sensor, no cost. Next year the battery, no cost both under warranty. At 96k changed timing belt. The only bad thing is that you have to replace the headlights every 6 months. Oil changes every 10k, tires, one set of brakes. @30mpg. Sweet.

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  ITs nice but - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By George - October 17 - 7:57 pm

  I have owned a Lexus LS 430 for six years. When I test drove and purchased the Genesis 4.6, it was compared to Lexus and BMW. My Genesis has several little problems that my dealer claims is on all the Genesis cars and they cant fix them. Plus the programming of many of the cars functions leaves alot to be desired. I agree the the car has excellent performance but a car that frustrates you every time you drive it is not a pleasure. Perhaps I expect too much by thinking that a $40,000 auto should have all the bugs worked out before it is put on the market but I dont think so. Perhaps I am spoiled by Lexus but relatively speaking, this car does not meet my expectations of $40,000 car