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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  Worst warranty in the industry - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By Stanford Aryan - September 2 - 9:33 pm

  Hyundai emphasizes its warranty at every opportunity to get you to buy their car. I was one of these victims. I recommend that before you buy any car from Hyundai, you spend about an hour at the Service department of the dealership. Just sit down and listen. You will come to find what I found out the hard way. Hyundai had absolutely no intention of ever honoring its warranty. What ever the problem is with the car, it was your fault and therefore it is not covered. If they cannot prove it was your fault, then they will make you spend thousands of dollars one tests to prove that the problem is not the part. The company has perfected the "it is not our part/product/workmanship/fault" philosophy.

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  garbage on wheels - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By sean - August 21 - 11:52 pm

  Everything is cheap and falls apart. A pain in the neck to even put gas in.

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  No Spare Tire - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By cj - July 30 - 7:45 am

  Why not a spare? And hate the low bumper - scrapes off the undercarriage in front. Expensive repair.

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  2013 Hyundai Elantra - Do Not Buy - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By sweenangel - April 27 - 2:06 pm

  This is by far the worst purchase I have ever made. The paint began to chip almost immediately followed by the steering wheel and gear shift. Then I got a flat tire and found that the car did not come with a spare tire. When I complained to Hyundai corporate I was told I should have reviewed the window sticker. Forgive me for assuming that the hole where the spare tire should be would contain a spare tire. The dealer did not point this out and they did not offer to sell me one. I hit a small pothole recently and the entire wheel cracked like it was made out of paper. The window sticker they chastised me for not reviewing carefully had incorrect gas mileage. Avoid at all costs.

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  My 1996 Escort is Better - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By mrebate - April 20 - 9:56 pm

  This 2006 Shoddyota, aka Sonata, was acquired in 2007 with 14,000 miles. PROBLEMS before 30,000 miles: $1,200 engine repair to replace shoddy timing chain tensioners. Poor quality engine component should have been recall but Hyundai shafted owners by cutting compensation to dealers for doing the repair under warranty, which was essentially negating their much touted warranty. Defective sun visors. More orange peel than my Escort. Escort also has spring loaded side view mirrors unlike Shoddyota. Cruise control stopped working. Glove box door had to be shimmed to prevent rattle. Wiper blades had to be downsized to prevent hopping. Poor city mileage. Hyundai cant even design a cup holder !!

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  Worst Car EVER! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By amanda877 - April 9 - 11:53 am

  I hate this car....nothing but problems. Ive had the short block in the engine replaced, battery multiple times, starter replaced...the list keeps on going. Unreliable. Wish I wouldve known about the issues before...I wouldve gone with something more reliable.

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  Average Car - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By beardude92 - January 24 - 10:09 pm

  I purchased my Elantra early November and was genuinely excited as it was my first vehicle bought from a dealership. However, that excitement quickly dissipated the more I drove the car. While the acceleration is adequate, it does leave much to be desired, especially when the vehicle returns a mild 26 MPG on average with a 5-speed. The 5-speed on my Hyundai is also in need of repair with only 100k miles on the vehicle. The handling responds, but without a sense of urgency, leaving a very dull engagement, even on curvy roads. When thrown into a turn, the car listens, but in such a way that it seems lethargic. All-in-all, not a bad car. Just an incredibly lackluster experience.

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  junk - 2011 Hyundai Accent
  By done9 - January 12 - 2:12 pm

  I bought this car new in 2011 so I wouldnt have to worry if it would work. Should of bought a used car. New starter motor aasy in 2012 just over 10,000 miles, new sensor-fuel tank pressure 2013 just over 26,000 miles, another starter motor assy 2014 just over 30,000 miles, and just had replaced a cowl cover 2015 today 38,000 miles. This car is a piece of junk would not buy or recommended to anyone a hyundai.

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  Nothing but problems - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By pinache2 - January 8 - 11:15 pm

  On one hand, I have made this little car work hard. This car has driven from Florida to California and halfway back pulling full 5x8 Uhaul trailers. It has driven from Northern to Southern California and back. On the other hand, I have had this car since 35k. In that time I have replaced the power steering pump 6 times. I have replaced everything else power steering-related at least twice. I have replaced many aspects of the exhaust system, the wheel bearings, anything and everything brakes including the brake lines, most fuses, the controls for the locks and windows, and more. I continue to average a few thousand every year in repairs since I bought this car.

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  I will never buy Hyundai again!!! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By katm05 - September 25 - 1:24 pm

  Im so disappointed in my purchase of my 2013 Elantra. I had Volkswagans before and I loved them but was tired of dropping money after they hit about 100k and thought let me buy a "reliable" and "responsible" car. The only 2 pros I have are the outside appearance I still like and the gas mileage. The cons. I have 22k miles on this car and it hasnt been running too good. I get my oil changes and dont drive a long commute at all. It been running bad lately so thinking its such a new car and their "amazing" warranty everything should be covered. They are telling me I need to replace the PCV valve already and that is why my car got stuck at 40 mph on the freeway. and its not covered.