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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  Nice Looking Car But Poor Gas Mileage! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By vsher - October 22 - 1:58 am

  I purchased this car only because of all the reviews about the great gas mileage it was supposed to receive. I previously owned a Toyota Corolla and was able to get 32 mpg on average on the same route I am driving now with my new 2012 Hyundai. However, under the same driving conditions, I am only averaging 24 mpg with the Hyundai. I really wish I had just paid the extra money and purchased another Toyota. What Im currently spending in additional gas monies probably will be more than the extra cost I would have paid for another Toyota. I will not purchase from Hyundai again.

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  will not by another Hyundai - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By danmyerow - October 21 - 3:27 pm

  I used to own a 2001 Hyundai Elantra GLS. The car only had about 95,000 mile on it.I really liked this car. The car ran great. I got about 21 miles per gallon on it. I only had it for about 5 months untill I got in a car accident. I hit the front tire of a scooter doing about 30mph. I am ok and so was the guy on the scooter. There was damage to my front bumper, fender and my hood. My claims adjustor called me and said the car was a total loss. If you do buy this type of car do not get in accident with it because it was built on the cheap side.

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  Solid car for this college kid - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By ben_u - October 13 - 12:03 am

  Very nice little car. I was looking for something with great gas mileage to replace my Jeep, and I found it. Performance is great for a V4. Doesnt feel like a toy. Plenty of power for accelerating/passing when you need it. Looks nice on the inside and out. Quiet ride on the highway. The stereo isnt great to my ears, but itll do for most people. Feels solidly built. Plastics dont feel cheap. I gave reliability a neutral rating because Ive only had the car for a week and a half, but Ive yet to experience any problems.

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  An outstanding car at an ordinary price - 2011 Hyundai Equus
  By fastmarty - October 12 - 7:20 pm

  We have had our Hyundai Equus Signature Sedan now for several weeks. It is an outstanding large luxury car at the price of an intermediate size premium car. The car is silky smooth and quiet in all driving modes and is a joy to drive. The interior is exceedingly comfortable, and the fit and finish is superb. Our only complaint is the rather pedestrian looking exterior styling.

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  Love it . . . but - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By wubaja - October 11 - 7:49 pm

  I have driven my 2012 Accent for more than 4,000 miles and it is still fun to drive. There is one feature, however, that is problematic an annoying: The LCD display has virtually no contrast, i.e. it is medium blue on light blue. I find it difficult to read under any lighting conditions and brightness cannot be controlled. At night, it glows like a spot-light. During the day, its just fuzzy. And no, I do NOT have any vision issues. I hope that Hyundai fixes this because the Accent is otherwise a good value (so far).

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  Fantastic reliable car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By grande45 - October 9 - 10:47 pm

  I purchase a 2007 hyundai sonata 4 cycl brand new and I have had it for 4 years and during that time this car has not giving me one single problem, even during the winter months this car kept going and going, it also did very well on gas I get up to 22 city and 35 high way. Before I traded the car in for a brand new kia sportage I had over 163000 miles on it.

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  Great value, but you get what you pay for... - 2011 Hyundai Equus
  By kpsocal - October 8 - 8:02 pm

  I have been driving my Ultimate Edition for 6 months now. It drives very nice, has lots of power and is very smooth. This car is an excellent value for the money. However, lets not get carried away. There is a clear difference between the quality of this vehicle and the German luxury sedans. I am starting to experience some shakes and rattles after only 6 months. Also, the iPod interface and Navigation system have some issues. Also, dont expect a world class service experience at the dealership. When I complained about my problems, they returned the car without saying anything and writing on the service ticket "functioning as intended". I wish I had more room to tell you the whole story.

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  A Good Car Overall - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By justme86 - October 8 - 10:24 am

  Ive had the car since new. Quiet, good performance and decent mpg. A comfortable ride thats been on quite a few long trips. The only problems Ive had are an undercar protective panel falling off on the highway (covered under warranty), the Michelin tires lasted only 30k miles and, now, the dash has cracked (I assume the dealer will also cover under warranty). I only have one little occassional rattle but dont they all have at least one? Ive enjoyed this car and intend to keep it until at least the end of the warranty period. I would recommend Hyundai to all buyers.

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  solid at 325,000 km - 1993 Hyundai Elantra
  By johnny_bravo - September 24 - 10:33 pm

  I got one of these in 2004 with 275k km on it, automatic transmission. It had one owner prior to me, treated with care. I took this car and drove it from Toronto Ontario to Kelowna British Columbia and back (9000km round trip) - I drove at 120 km p/h the whole way, in the mountains, if there was space before an uphill section I would floor the pedal and put it into 2nd on the uphill passing lanes just to keep it at 80km p/h. I could smell the oil burning, but the car never, ever overheated or broke down. Also drove Toronto to New York 10 times in a year and did not go easy on the car, but it was fine. Other than that it was used for commuting. throttle went and I let it die. GREAT CAR

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  2012 Hyundai Accent: Small Price Big Value - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By talipa2012 - September 21 - 1:47 pm

  I recently was able to purchase a 2012 Hyundai Accent GLS Sedan with the premium package. I have almost put the first 1000 miles on it and overall I am extremely impressed. The Accent is a great combination of fuel economy, driver enjoyment, and build quality that is made even sweeter by falling thousands of dollars below the $20,000 mark. Driving the Accent is a great experience as a daily driver, offering excellent comfort and with 138 horsepower a great amount of confidence in all situations. Compared to the competition the Hyundai Accent has a price that many consumers can live with while getting the magic 40 mpg mark. Id make this choice again given the option.