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 New Car - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By kwheels - August 9 - 10:57 am

  I bought this car for my wife and weve been very pleased. Weve driven over 23,000 miles on our 2012 Elantra Limited are averaging a consistent 37mpg during routine weekly driving in Eco mode. When it was new and with Eco mode turned off the worst tank average was 29mpg. Since the 10,000 mile mark the worst weve seen is 31-34mpg while driving around Atlanta traffic. When driving on the highway the first tank full averages 39mpg, and every tank afterwards averages 45-47mpg. We travel with 2-3 passengers and about 100lbs of luggage.

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  i love my elantra! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By kstu_mn - August 8 - 2:21 pm

  First time new car buyer and dont regret buying new at all. So far have put 2000 miles on it and averaging upper 30s for mpg. Fun to drive and I am a huge fan of both the interior and exterior design. Inver Grove Hyundai was very helpful in explaining all the features. The car doesnt have great acceleration but I am very pleased with everything else. Love this car.

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  No spare tire - get used to it - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By fl_lead_foot - August 7 - 8:16 pm

  No spare tire in new cars is the current trend. In 2012 about 25% of all new cars sold did NOT have spare tires. It is a way for manufacturers to save mo0ney AND weight, to increase MPG and improve CAFE.

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  The undisputed champion in the compact car segment - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By ca_lawyer1 - July 22 - 1:08 am

  After test driving every other 2012/2013 compact car and doing months of researching (lawyers love researching) I ended up purchasing a 2013 Elantra GLS with the preferred package and 8 miles on the odometer for $20,600.00 (out the door). My miles per gallon with the econ button off and the a/c on are always in the high 30s. The cabin is quieter and the base sound system is better than the Civic, Corolla, Cruze, Focus and Mazda 3. The truck is huge (for lack of a better word). The truck is bigger than my wives 2008 Acura TL 4 door. The steering is so light one turn turn the steering wheel using one finger. Engine power is on par with every other compact car in this class.

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  I love this car!! - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By maxipkat - July 15 - 2:43 am

  I bought this car as a service loaner back in 2008, and it has given me no mechanical issues whatsoever. I now have 91K miles and it still runs great. I gave the build quality a little lower because the paint does chip pretty easy and the sun visors have broken, however I really love this car!

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  Awesome car - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By - July 2 - 10:58 pm

  I so love this car, it has been very reliable and a great MPG, I love my experience with the Happy Car store

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  Did I really just buy an Azera? Its the 8th wonder of the world! - 2012 Hyundai Azera
  By zoomzoomguy - July 1 - 7:54 pm

  First off we have found ourselves only buying German cars as far back as I can remember. I bought 3 new Mercedes and 2 new BMWs and really was a bit of a snob when it came to the Hyundai brand. I told my friends my criteria for the new car that I wanted to buy and they told me I HAD to at least test drive the Azera. It came down to another 3 series, the new Lexus ES350, the Maxima, a Ford Taurus and a comparably equipped Buick. Hyundai was my last test drive and I knew it was the car for me and bought it on the spot. The tech in this car is nothing short of amazing and I felt so responsible for the first time after buying a car.

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  utilitarian with character - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By ben223 - June 29 - 2:56 pm

  This is the second car Ive owned and the first Ive come to love. Bought it with 135,000 miles and still starts and runs great at 147,000 miles. Have only had to replace manual window regulator, and do routine maintenance. I love to drive this car! It gets great gas mileage, is very reliable, and with rear seats folded is capable of holding LOTS of stuff. I frequently go on camping and road trips and im easily able to fit all my gear in the back hatch (and often times a canoe on top too). I am 66" tall and 275lbs and I easily fit in the interior, and am also able to climb in and out of the rear seat when front is folded, a difficult task in my other friends coupes.

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  First impressions--Accent SE Hatchback - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By uptowndoug - June 26 - 4:02 pm

  I considered a number of sub-compacts, including the Honda Fit, Kia Soul, Toyota Yaris and Ford Fiesta before deciding on the Accent hatchback SE. Main considerations were price, fuel economy and warranty length. Its only real competitor for me was the Kia Soul, but at only 34 mpg and about a grand more, I chose the Accent. I paid $16,900 in Sacramento CA for a brand new one with nearly all the options available. So far, after two weeks, here are some first impressions. Two fill ups and about 800 miles: only getting 30mpg so far combined city and freeway. Smooth riding, plenty of pep. Comfy, plenty of leg and head room. Stereo could be more powerful. Ipod lacks volume.

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  Great Car! - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By bacon777 - June 22 - 9:42 am

  A few years ago, I never would have given a Hyundai a second glance but I love my 2011 Elantra. I typically average 40 (sometimes higher) on my long commutes during the day and still get about 30 in the city. This has cut my gas bill quite a bit. The entire looks amazing though the black can make it pretty warm during the summer. Has many great safety features and the warranties beat pretty much any other car I researched before purchasing. Only downside Ive come across so far is Hyundais replacement of a spare for the pump and seal device in order to maintain good fuel economy. Once my roadside assistance is up, Ill probably invest in a spare.