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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  2010 Elantra GLS PZEV - 11,000 Miles - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By njscorpio - December 28 - 12:38 pm

  First I would like to address two issues mentioned in other reviews. Those with "bouncy" suspension seem to have the SE models. I havent had those problems with the GLS. Also it was said that there is a delay in acceleration. That is true, but that is due to the ECO mode. There is a slight delay when accelerating from below (aprox) 3,000rpm to above 3,000. It has something to do with keeping your driving at low, gas conserving RPMs. Disable ECO mode (by hitting TRIP till you see ECO ON, then holding TRIP until off) and you will have much smoother acceleration.

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  A lot of car for the $$$ but... - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By rosstelson - December 25 - 7:51 pm

  Overall, this is an impressive automobile and a good value. It clearly seeks to emulate much more expensive sedans from Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes. It comes closer in some areas than others. Some aspects of the car are exceptional - perhaps superior to its more costly competitors but in other areas, not so much. Its a lot of car for the money, superior in many ways to equal-cost competitors ... but dont expect it to equal cars costing $10, 20, or 30k more... not yet.

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  A lot of car for the money - 2011 Hyundai Equus
  By gwpetersburg - December 24 - 2:17 am

  We were looking for a little higher level of luxury and comfort than our 2006 Infiniti M35. We werent personally drawn to Mercedes, BMW, Audi, or Jaguar. As Infiniti and Lexus owners we test-drove the M37, the LS460. But after driving the Equus, it was our favorite.

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  Still In Love After One Year. - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By socal_car_nut - December 17 - 12:29 pm

  Bought Genesis in Dec. 10 after seeing it at L.A. Auto Show - couldnt believe price for features and design. Just reached 10K. Trips from L.A. to the Bay Area are effortless - "right now" power to pass while riding in total lap of luxury - awesome! Hold speeds to 75 and I get 29 mpg vs. EPA est of 26. Was hesitant about buying a Hyundai - now have no regrets though dealerships arent at level of Lexus or Benz. Only minor complaints are somewhat jittery ride around town (even small bumps are felt) and rather short front seat cushions. Features list on V-8 is extensive - I find something new every time I read the manual. Passengers cant believe its a Hyundai and neither can I!

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  Pros and cons - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By hkharlee - December 17 - 6:26 am

  I purchased the 2012 Elantra about a month ago. I had a 2005 Sante Fe that got approx. 15 mph, no matter where I drove, town or highway. I am averaging 32-35 with the elantra, big plus! Love the interior and controls. The exterior: sporty. The cons: I find being able to see clearly while backing up, leaves a lot to be desired. I can understand why some models are equipped with cameras. The shape of the rear windows makes a blind spot, the height of the rear end is too high to easily see while backing. The headlights: even on high beam, there is not much distance or light. High beam looks like dim compared to my previous vehicle. I am more uncomfortable driving at night now.

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  Great little car - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By sunnysammy74 - December 15 - 9:51 pm

  I love this little car I just bought it a few months ago as my first car for $3,700 Its been great to me so far, although it feels like Im not getting the best gas miles I could be getting. My car has around 99,000 miles on it and its still drives like a dream, it may not be a Lexus but its still an awesome car, it would be great as someones first car.

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  Functional Car. Great for teens - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By clcs5860 - December 11 - 9:06 pm

  Bought the vehicle in late 2005 with only 19K miles on it. Was a good purchase. Drove it for a year and the sold it to my teenage son for $2000. Great inexpensive transportation. Unfortunately car was totaled in a hail storm.

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  Forget the EPA Rating - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By jjwjr - December 9 - 11:45 am

  Among the items that entered into my purchase decision were, design, feature content, price and the MPG rating. This vehicle shines in just about every category except what most of us have at the top of our list for a compact, mileage. As a mature driver I fully expected to get at or near the 40 MPG that Hyundai touts. Sadly Ive never seen anything close to 40, 34 has been tops. Where on earth did that rating come from? This car has truly been a disappointment in that area.

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  Low-end luxury - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By tclune - December 8 - 3:01 pm

  The car looks very nice inside and out, has excellent head and leg room, and excellent driver visibility on all sides. The rear view mirror has a bit of a letterbox view, which feels a bit constricted but offers all the visibility you need. Ive been getting fuel efficiency in the high 30s on my commute. The 6-speed manual transmission has adequate pick-up when you need it and the road noise is minimal. The clutch is a bit soft. The dashboard instruments and controls are clean and clear. The trunk is quite spacious, and the back seat can fold down to provide additional room if needed. All in all, the car seems much roomier and better appointed than I would expect in a subcompact.

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  NO SPARE TIRE!!! SURPRISE!!!ASK DEALER to PROVIDE!!! - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By rajthaker - December 6 - 1:05 pm

  I was absolutely surprised 3 days after purchasing that the ACCENT does not come with spare tire!!! I was not told by salesman!!! Before purchasing, I looked at the truck which was covered with the rubber tray inside. Never thought of any car without spare tire??? How did this car passed JD power associates, Consumer affairs, National Highway Safety and other Federal regulations without SPARE tire??? There should be a NATIONAL recall and every owner should be provided now with 1) Spare tire, 2) Jack and 3) wrench for spare tire replacement and space in the trunk organized. Seriously recall must be there!!!