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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  Best car under 20k - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By ascullin - September 30 - 7:20 pm

  Just purchased a 2013 Elantra Automatic, with the Preferred Package and Auto Dimming Mirror. I highly recommend both options. I do mostly mixed driving and my mpg is averaging in the low 30s with the eco button on.

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  Love my Elantra!! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By johnb62 - September 30 - 7:15 am

  Have owned my 2013 Elantra GLS for three months (6000 miles) and it has performed beyond my expectations. I commute 65 mile roundtrip daily to work 70/30 highway to city driving and am avering approx. 36-37 mpg. A recent trip I exceeded 40 MPG.

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  Great car - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By catbarone - September 29 - 6:18 pm

  We have had our 2011 Elantra for about 1.5 years. We have about 28K on the car and have had no problems whatsoever. I regularly get 35 mpg in mixed driving and get 40 mpg in highway only driving. We got the navigation and it works very well. Its a fun little car that is great for commuting!

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  Car is a great friend! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By hayleypow - September 27 - 4:51 pm

  Ok, so I got this car when I was 17 and never had a problem with it! Ive driven from California to Washington and back several times and seriously it drives great and is very reliable. I know have 136K miles on it and did replace my clutch about 6 months ago. It will probably need a few normal upkeep type repairs soon. But I hope to keep driving it. It still looks like a new car to me and I am so glad I got this car way back when!

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  Very pleased - 2013 Hyundai Accent
  By twiley - September 23 - 11:18 pm

  Several years ago I swore that I would never own a Hyundai. We are very pleased with our decision to purchase the accent. At 10,000 miles so far, weve seen a low of 34mpg and a high of 43mpg, with 38-40mpg for our typically city driving. Its not fast, but its nearly hybrid like economy for tens of thousands less and much more fun to drive. Id have given perfect marks if it came with better tires and cruise control.

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  Mileage and Feature as Advertized - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By reedy06 - September 17 - 3:33 pm

  My wife and I were looking for a commuter car that had navigation, leather and a sunroof. We considered and test drove the Mazda 3, Escort, Civic, Cruze, and the Elantra Limited. We evaluated features, price, comfort, power, styling, warranty, gas mileage and build quality. When using our criteria, the Elantra was the clear winner. We have 1,500 miles on the car and are averaging 33 mpg in mixed driving. You will get 40+ on the highway. As previous reviews said, the road noise can be loud at times however, on a smooth road, it is of normal volume. All in all, you will not be disappointed with this purchase. Hyundai has come a long way in a short period of time.

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  What the Elantra is really Like (very good overall) - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By basst95 - September 8 - 9:11 am

  Overall, this is a very good car. Your view of this car will vary depending on what type of vehicle you are coming out of. You need to take a good test drive of the Elantra before making a final decision. The materials in the car are on level with an economy car but the styling overshadows some of the hard plastics. The fit and finish are on par with cars at least a class up. There is no other car that packs the value of the Elantra. As a package daily driver, you cannot go wrong with the Elantra GLS w/preferred pkg.

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  Great small car - 2013 Hyundai Accent
  By davidd10 - August 23 - 11:20 am

  This is a great small car that looks good and gets good gas mileage. Would highly recommends this for someone thats looking for nice power and mileage.

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  Best car Ive ever had - 2010 Hyundai Accent
  By rose313 - August 22 - 2:07 pm

  I bought my 2010 Accent GLS with 25k miles on it and I now have 40k after 9 months. This has been the best 9 months of driving Ive ever had. I wanted a cheap car that was okay on gas and wouldnt fall apart. I got so much more than I expected. I have not had any serious problems. I got the headlights replaced under warranty because one was clouded and had water in it, and I got the starter replaced also under warranty. There is plenty of space for myself, my tall boyfriend, and a ton of bags and suitcases for when we go on trips. I get exactly what Edmunds suggests for gas mileage. I love the steering wheel audio controls, the XM radio, and the comfy seats. So much value in one little car!

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  Excellent car... hands down. - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By privatebanker - August 20 - 1:25 am

  As an owner of a BMW 7-Series, I was incredulous when 5 separate friends recommended the Hyundai Genesis to me when I was in the market for a new car. After test driving the vehicle at my local Hyundai dealer, I was sold. Ive owned the car for several months now and aside from a few dealer issues, the car runs great!