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 - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By pscarguy57 - November 23 - 10:43 pm

  I have really enjoyed owning my Sonata GLS. The few problems with the car Hyundai covered the costs of repair under their 5 yrs/60,000 mile warranty. And they extended that warranty by 2 yrs/24000 miles because of the horse power class action. The car is quiet, rides smoothly and is a good size, not to big, but carries four adults in comfort. I added after market leather interior, and wood trim for the dash, door/arm rest. And Chrome TSW 16 inch wheels, looks great with the bright silver paint. I have 76000 miles on my car. I am the second owner of this vehicle, I bought the car with 9,000 miles on the odo. Still after nine years of ownership I still really love driving my Sonata.

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  Definitely Worth the money for an outstanding car! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By birdiexris - November 21 - 3:20 pm

  I love this car. I got rid of my poorly designed BMW 1 series to UPGRADE to this car - there i said it. Limited - fully loaded to carbon copy of my BMW and i love it. There are no design flaws in this car. None. Everything is accessible to the driver and passengers. Even for a "light sedan" the car hugs the road well. No sports car, but its definitely fun to drive. Has the necessary power to be my commuter car and have it not feel like a commute. The technology works flawlessly and i havent yet found a problem working all the buttons on the touch screen -- which is not a junky screen and is EXTREMELY RESPONSIVE.

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  About as good as it gets - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By wiccanferret - November 7 - 5:20 pm

  Weve had this car since it was new and it now has 52k miles on it. Despite what other reviewers have said, you wont find a car that has lower maintenance costs. So far, the only things Ive had to worry about, as per the owners manual, were oil changes and an air filter. Thats it. Oh, and the battery went out after 4 years, which is better than your average stock battery, especially considering the Texas heat this year. This car couldnt be cheaper to run, period. The gas mileage is decent (35 mpg) and the power and handling are phenomenal for this class of car.

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  Good looking and decent car - not so good EPA gas mileage - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By lucd - November 2 - 7:27 pm

  I traded my Mazda 3 Sport 2.5 liter because it did not give me good gas mileage. After buying this 2011 Elantra for its advertised 40 mpg, Im feeling pretty foolish. The car is a good looking car, but very disappointed in gas mileage. I average 34 mpg in the summer with 70% highway and 30% city. I baby the gas pedal. Now I put on snow tires and Im getting 31 mpg. 40 mpg not so much. If Id of known how deceptive the MPG was going to be, Id of kept my Mazda. Hyndai Sonata is a good car with very average MPG.

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  My first Hyundai - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By jduffy09 - November 1 - 3:55 pm

  20 years ago Hyundai was a joke. How times have changed. They are now building some of the best, most reliable vehicles in the industry. I took the plunge and bought a 2012 Elantra Limited. The styling is beautiful and Im convinced there is no better value on the market. Mine was nicely equipped with leather and sunroof for $21,400.

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  Not flashy, but real value - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By gmsparzo - October 28 - 2:15 pm

  I had an 09 Sonata that was totally with no injuries. So impressed with safety after the crash as well as quality and MPG, I bought another Hyundai. Originally I thought it was too small, but it has grown on me. Fun to drive. AMAZING gas mileage. The 6 speed is fun.

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  Texas Guy in Maryland - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By vykerdse - October 26 - 9:03 am

  Due to economy had to sell my new 2011 Honda Accord EX-L V-6 coupe. Got $21,500 (best value from Orisman Hyundai). I needed cash for family, and a car, so I checked price on Elantra and Accent. After price of new 2012 Hyundai Accent with all features, taxes, fees, etc... I made a few thousand. Bought my car Monday October 17th 2011 and so far it does not seem to be like the old Hyundais from the 1980s early 90s. Good safety features, excellent warranty, decent styling, and strong engine made me giving up my Honda a little less painful. I checked the Honda Civics/Fits, but the dealer would not give me as much for my Honda...and would not budge on his 2012 car price. Oh well...

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  Still Smooth and Quiet at 37000 - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By hyundaidan - October 25 - 7:33 pm

  Bought the 2010 Elantra GLS with 1500 mi as a dealer demo...now have 37000 mi over a year later. No repairs yet just oil changes (Mobil 1) and had the transmission fluid and coolant changed at 30,000 miles. Still have original tires, down to 5/32 of an inch of tread...I recently drove a 2011 Elantra (new body style) and was surprised how much harsher and noisier the ride was than my 2010...must have something to do with the 2011s not having an independent rear suspension.

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  So Noisy. OMG! - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By rumbling - October 23 - 8:14 am

  What is all this raving reviews about the car being so quiet! Both the regular v-8 and the R-Spec have unacceptable road/tire/wind noise, especially on the driver side. Changing tires from Michellin to Continental did not help. It is a constant hum/rumbling which should not be there, if Hyundai wants to compete in the "luxury" car market.

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  Overall Very Pleased... There Are A Few Items, Ill Explain... - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By wmjlambert - October 22 - 3:58 pm

  To start the previous automobile was a 1997 Buick Park Avenue Ultra, 190k trouble free miles, tranny went. Too pricey to replace with Lucerne. Nearly entire family drives Hyundais now. Bought Sonata. Transmission: Wish it had a "winter" mode, button to start in 2nd gear... Feel fifth could be leaner. Excellent acceleration, smooth and quiet, nicely laid out with high enough quality feel and look. Have near 60k, had one mechanical issue and dealership has been great. Niggling, but access to high mount stop lamp bulb is crazy, tires have worn out very quickly(not the cars fault)... Have not had an alignment and I live in Buffalo, which amazes me.