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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  Good, inexpensive basic transportation - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Kathy - December 27 - 1:19 pm

  I purchased my 2002 Accent used in 2002 when it had just 5K miles on it. I use this car for getting around town -- typically short distances of 15 miles one way. I have driven it long distances but it is not a fun ride due to road noise, handling, and lack of cruise control. The car had a couple of mechanical problems around 30K miles (transmission and power windows on the driver and passenger sides) but the warranty covered all repair costs, and there have been no problems since. Id buy this car again if I needed a very expensive, basic vehicle.

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  Hyundai NO way! - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Hyundia NO way!! - December 8 - 9:25 pm

  Such poor quality, It rides like a buck board and so much road noise its deafening. The radio has a hissing that is growing with age. The cheap battery didnt even last two years. Cheap tires only lasted 26,000 mi. It has never seen 37 mpg not even on a flat road at 60 mph with no A/C. The 85 dollar drivers door gasket has disintegrated twice. I dont even drive it on a daily basis and the sea tbelt does not readily retract all the way. The seat springs are already starting to go. In the smallest amount of snow and Ice it gets stuck. The body is of such cheap metal It collapsed when I accidentally closed the hatch on the XM antenna. In dry so cal climate the steel wheels are already rusting

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  Problems from Day ONE!! - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By JHoffman3746 - December 4 - 4:48 pm

  I bought this car for the gas mileage. About a week after I bought it, I noticed the Tach doesnt work when its cold. The dealership cannot find anything wrong with the tach. About a year after I had it the AIR BAG light came on, and I had the module replaced, now I have around 23000 miles on it, and the battery is shot. Gas mileage right now is around 23MPGs. When the brake fluid is cold, dont touch the brakes. They get really touchy, and can cause whiplash!! It is sluggish going up hills of any size or when more than one person is in the car. I would recommend to everyone not to buy this vehicle!! As soon as I can get rid of it, I am!

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  Rattle and Roll - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Shoddy Sonata - November 29 - 4:56 pm

  Car has been driven 3200 miles and developed many creaks and groans in the front windshield area when driving across bumps and road imperfections. Ignition key design is such that key ring slaps constantly against dash board when driving, very annoying!

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  Bad Tires - 2013 Hyundai TUCSON
  By jrb14 - November 25 - 7:14 pm

  I have 15k miles on my car and the tires are bald (3/32 on both front tires). The car is supposed to have a bumper to bumper warranty, but it doesnt cover tires. I went to the tire company (Kumho) they informed me these tires were not meant to last but they will allow me to buy much better tires and they will pay 50%. Hyundai says they are sorry Im unhappy buy not their problem. I was given lemon tires and now I need to spend more money to replace them.

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  So-so Car - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By Mef - November 19 - 2:44 am

  For a small economy car it is reasonably fun to drive. It also comes with some unexpected features such as power heated mirrors, and lumbar support. On the downside there is lots though. Lacks acceleration, too much engine noise, idles high and burns more gas than it should (a tradeoff for power). Has had two axle boots, and the rear struts replaced under warranty due to leaks/tears. AC quit, stereo quit. Both also fixed in warranty. Stereo still randomly cuts out and the AC sometimes makes a grinding noise when turned on.

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  Not what I bargained for - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By RBarbier - November 8 - 11:22 am

  This car is fabulous in theory as a family vehicle. Unfortunately I am taking it in constantly because of random noises such as creaks and grinds. The fuel economy is ridiculous. COMPLETELY different than the sticker showed. My battery died after 15,0000 miles and less than 2 years old and it was impossible to find a service dept available to help me. I was sold by the price when comparing to competitors but I should have gone with something with better history for a little more money.

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  liquid force - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By tloftus - November 3 - 10:00 am

  i fell in love with my car! But it has turned into the biggest lemon EVER everything goes wrong with it, and i havent even had it a year it is fun to drive and attracts a lot of attention but i havent had it a week without it breaking down! i was promised a loaner car for covered repairs and never get one! the dealership treats me as if i am doing something wrong! i wouldnt recommend this car, unless its just to look at!

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  Never buy someone elses problems - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By gshokesr - November 2 - 2:22 pm

  Bought this car used when it had 66,532 miles on it. It now has 69,880 miles on it I cannot drive it due to a cracked high pressure power steering hose that can only be purchashed as a dealer part. Cost of hose is excessive (I priced them so far at 189.00 to 205.00 dollars) while at the mechanics that the car dealership I purchased the car at told me to take it they found 5 other things wrong with the evap system when they did a computer diagnostic (the check engine light came on just before the power steering hose blew) just 3 weeks before these problems occured I had to replace both headlamp bulbs just 3 days apart at a cost of $36.89. Overall I am very unhappy with this car so far.

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  Very Reliable Car at 60,000 miles - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Marcia - October 23 - 1:47 pm

  I bought my Elantra new and have had no major mechanical issues. Ive had to replace brake pads once and front headlights twice (which the dealer replaced at no expense to me). My only complaint is that it is very noisy inside (road noise), but overall, am very satisfied with its performance.