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 - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By eanjel - December 20 - 6:19 pm

  I have 2,780 miles on the car I boght in Oct./12. My mpg was between 24 and 32 since I bought the car until today when I got 38.1 mpg. Im noticing that as the car breaks in, the mpg is getting higher and the performance is getting better. Its a little bumpy on uneven streets or highway, but I can overlook that aspect of the car because of the great price and features this car has. I took 3 weeks researching and nothing came close to the Elantra GLS in price and features. Great car! Ill keep updating my reviews as time goes on.

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  LOVE THIS CAR - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By frankb_2012 - December 17 - 11:56 am

  I have had 14 cars ranging from Mercedes E320, Lexus LX 470, Audi S4, Lexus RX 330, Acura TL and the list goes on. I purchased my Genesis and Ive had it a few months, so far the car is great. I love the ride quality and the Lexicon sound system is amazing. I must say Hyundai has give the high end car market a run for its money. I almost puchased another E320 but saved some money and got what I feel is a nicer car.

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  THIS CAR IS SUCH A FUN DRIVE! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By zealart - December 3 - 9:15 pm

  I love driving this car. Ive been using it for my commute to work, and I average a combined 34-39 mph, well above the 33 theyve rated. In Los Angeles no less! For all the people complaining about low mileage, if you drive in stop-and-go in the city a lot, your mileage will suffer. You have to actually reset your MPG on the highway to get the magic 40. As long as you dont have a lead foot, youll easily hit the 30s and higher. I get 43 mpg exclusively on the highway, doing about 80-85% hwy driving. If you can drive 40-55, youll probably get even better. I actually ENJOY driving to work because I love driving this car!

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  love this car! - 2013 Hyundai Azera
  By dlflyboi - December 1 - 12:27 pm

  I was looking tired get a new car and get out of my 09 Accord EXL V6. I test drove the new accord touring model and then the Azera. I had already fell in love with the looks of the Azera. But after driving it I was sold! While the new accord was much improved over the previous model the azera had all the creature features I wanted. Im 61 and this car is very roomy.

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  Great little car - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By magpie318 - November 20 - 2:23 pm

  I bought my car about a year ago with 114,000 miles on it. It drove like new. I never had a problem with it. While driving on the highway a deer jumped right out in front of me. I ended up hitting it. At 55 mph the car took the brunt of the impact. It felt as though I had hit a speed bump instead of a 6 point deer. When I got out of the car, and was able to see the damage done to it, I was amazed that no one was hurt. My beautiful car was totaled, but my family and I walked away without a scratch. I am now loyal Hyundai consumer.

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  Just bought a 2013 Azera - 2013 Hyundai Azera
  By omay - October 29 - 11:10 am

  Unbelievable value for the money. Love driving it, great bluetooth for phone and easy to use navigation. Comfortable leather seats, seats 5 confortably including tall adults in the back. Wish the steering wheel could come out a little but more (an extra inch would have been nice) Overal, great buy, great MPG with potent V6.

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  Glad I ditched the Fiesta! - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By mechanic80 - October 29 - 10:02 am

  A basic hatchback that has an interior color other than black! Mine is a 6 speed, a real advantage with the relatively small 1.6 engine, but still quite gutsy! I drive almost exclusively highway miles between Albuquerque proper and the east mountains. 23 miles each way, and 43 MPG is my average with a high of 46.5 when I drive like a little old lady (NOT typically!) Convenient controls and placement thereof. A little buzzy but quite tolerable. Good road feel and great brakes. I enjoy throwing it around road curves. decent standard equipment and greatly improved safety over previous model.

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  Excellent Car - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By dragonsol - October 16 - 6:17 pm

  A few month ago I have bought a used 2008 Hyundai Azera Limited (Canadian Edition) with 68,000km. Since then, I have driven about 10,000km and managed to get a consistent/avarage 28MPG (25MPG city and 30MPG highway). The car looks good, fun to drive, comfortable and no reliability problems whatsoever. I have purchased an aftermarket DVD/GPS unit with rear view camera to replace the factory radio, so now the vehicle is complete.

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  Great Vehicle with 1 real issue - 2013 Hyundai Accent
  By artco - October 10 - 1:21 pm

  I love my new 2013 Accent, it drives very nicely, though I prefer not to use the ECO button as suggested by the dealer, it losses too much power and reaction. MPG I am avereging 28-30 overall. It appears that the MPH indicator is way off since I have kept track of every mile and fuel fillup, When I show 30 miles to empty I can only add just over 9 gallons? the vehicle has 11 gallon tank? so really instead of reading 30 miles till empty it should show 80-90? After going below 30 the reading blanks out. Another major gripe is the lack of a spare tire and would you believe it no dealer or third party currently carries one? So get a real flat and your going to regret it. I added autostart

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  Just Great - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By newhyundailuvr - October 4 - 11:38 am

  I do not understand any of these complaints. The engine might not be out of a Viper, but it has no issue getting up to speed or passing a slower car. I have a heavy foot and I still stay around 35mpg. I do notice a bit more road noise then I expected but I think that may be the tires. $20,000 buck and I get and auto, bluetooth, heated seats, sat radio good ride, peppy engine, and it is a good looking car. It is family time here and we bought a Tuscon. We like the car and the dealership so much (which i have never said before) we went back and purchased the Elantra. Just a great car and a great value. And did I mention at the touch of a button music streams from my phone?