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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  2012 Sonata 6-speed Manual - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By cjithaca25 - June 22 - 8:42 pm

  I looked at a number of competitors to the Sonata, including the Accord, Mazda 6, Mazda 3, Chevy Cruze, and even the Elantra. I kept coming back to the Sonata for its value for the money - so many standard features, roomy cabin and great gas mileage. The Bluetooth audio works great. The gas mileage has been outstanding. I got the 6-speed since I love driving stick-shift. I have been underwhelmed with its performance. Unfortunately, the stick is just not smooth, especially going from 2nd to 3rd gear. Ive been driving it for several months and it just doesnt feel well-tuned. Having said that, the acceleration is great and the ride is quiet and comfortable.

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  Great all around little SUV - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By thaihorse1 - June 22 - 12:16 am

  I only have 500 miles on the car but I did have a scary steering problem with an easy fix. Driving on the freeway I was also experiencing wandering and went to the dealership to return the car. While at the dealership I by chance checked the tire pressure, all tires were at 45psi, we let the air out of each tire to 35psi and shes been driving like a dream. I filled up yesterday and parked at home with a 22.3 mpg computer reading. I went skiing this morning 1st going for coffee and then up a Canyon to a ski resort. After a most excellent day of skiing returned home with a computer reading of 23.9mpg!

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  MY NEW TOY - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Elliott - June 21 - 12:03 pm

  I just bought this car a few months ago. I had traded in a 98 hyundai elentra. This car fits my lifestyle perfectly cause of its comfort, reliability and sense of style. The leather seats are very comfortable and handling this vechicle is even easier than I thought it was going to be. The only downside to this is that this car gets very poor gas mileage. This vechicle is perfect for the person who wants more car for the money and you cant beat americas best warranty. All in all, this is one truly awesome vehicle and I would only purchase vehicles from Hyundai because nobody else even comes close to making better vehicles.

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  Nice Car, but Should Get Better Mileage - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Tim - June 19 - 8:16 pm

  Just bought this car in Nov. 2009, and we have put a little over 500 miles on it. Spent 2 months car-shopping at the worst possible time: right after Cash-For-Clunkers, when the dealership lots are empty! We were attracted to the wagon-style, which is a style that is NOT popular in America. The other 2 cars we were considering was the VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI and the Honda Fit. Still in its break-in period, so dont really know about its mileage yet, but its EPA is 23 city, 30 highway (which should be better). Handling is great - we dont mind that it has a somewhat stiff ride. The SE has a lot of features that others in its class leave out: XM radio, heated seats & outside mirrors, etc.

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  2 Time Accent Owner - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By kjp022503 - June 19 - 2:00 am

  I owned a 2001 Accent 2dr prior to this purchase. The 2dr ran well for the 2 yrs, never a problem other than a fuse and a minor recall. I needed a 4dr so I researched all the 4 door sedans under 15K and the Accent was once again the way to go. GREAT WITH GAS, the pickup is average(if I wanted a powerful engine I would have gone with another car), you are not going to corner well with the 13 inch tires. If possible I may move up to 14 inch tires for better handling. So far so good on the 2003, Excellent Value if you are looking for a car to get you from Point A to Point B

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  TO MUCH ROAD NOISE - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By SCOTT JARVI - June 17 - 10:00 am

  actually find this car to be decent,hard to get into reverse at times, at 11000 miles seems to be a well built car..with the exception of the road noise.. would perfer a standard rear wiper for safety issues. for the price with the warranty a pretty good deal

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  First Time Hyundai Owner - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ralph Yelland - June 17 - 10:00 am

  Only one problem, the silver trim fell off during a long trip.

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  love this car - 1998 Hyundai Sonata
  By pepperdevil - June 17 - 2:00 am

  This car feels big and expensive. I bought it used and spent about 1/2 of what I would have for a new version of a competing car (Accord, Altima, etc.). I have spent the past few years driving from Phoenix to LA and back and this car has taken it like a champ - very comfortable and safe-feeling car. The only problems I have had are the motors on the power windows going bad, the power door locks lock themselves when the weather gets warm (???) and for the life of us, we cant get the brakes to stop sqealing. All bearable to have a car I can rely on and that fits me like a glove.

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  Good Deal - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Ritesh - June 17 - 2:00 am

  Its like this - if you can afford a new Camry or an Altima, go buy it. But if you are a poor graduate student like me, and are thinking about getting a used sedan or a cheap new one like Accent, Id put my money on the Accent any day of the year. Admittedley, it doesnt have the greatest pick up in the world, and the engines a little nosy too, but a new 4-door sedan for about $11,000 is worth all these deficiencies. This car is making me so much happier compared to the used Toyota I had earlier. That one was making me take a trip to Midas every other month. This one hasnt given me any problem so far, and comes with a great warranty plan.

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  My thoughts - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By MrSilver - June 16 - 10:12 pm

  Ive owned the car for over 2 years now. I bought it used with ~52k miles on it back in the fall of 13. It is the SE with all the options and a MT. I just turned over 80k miles this month. What I like: For a hatchback, it looks kinda neat. I like the tail lights and the stubby spoiler. The cloth interior is nice, its the charcoal with rough texture and thats right up my alley. For a 110 HP engine, it sure feels like more, so Ive been alright with the power, even though Im accustomed to more powerful vehicles (200 HP Taurus, 220 HP Eclipse GSX). I like the amount of space in the engine bay for repairs and maintenance. The engine has the capability of going into high RPMs. I like the hatchback and the cargo area, especially with the rubber floor mat. Liked the Sirius XM radio. Ive never had the car break down on me or leave me stranded or fail to start. Things that I like less: 5th gear really really needed to be longer. I run on the freeway to commute, and at 70 MPH, the engine is at ~3,500 RPM. How great the MPG could have been if the final gear left me at 2,000-2,200 RPM! I had the same complaint with my Eclipse GSX. These engineers really need to lengthen the final gear, its not for acceleration, its for cruising! Unfortunately, the MPG is not what I expected out of a car this size. I expected 34-35 MPG but average somewhere just under 30 MPG. The tires. Oh my the tires. Firstly, why a tiny hatchback comes with 16" rims is beyond me. You feel every bump with these low profile tires, and let me tell you, they are easy to pop! Lost one along with a dented rim in a pothole. Lost a second on a gravel country road. These are simply not made to be durable or comfortable. To add the cherry on the top, tire shops do not stock this size! Blow a tire? Guess youre waiting a day or two for your size to come in! Do yourself a favor and "upgrade" to the stock 14" rims off a GS and put normal tires on it with a higher sidewall. Squeaky clutch pedal. Dont know how to fix it, its always squeaked. Asked the dealership to lube it or something, they couldnt fix it. Cheap dashboard thats guaranteed to scratch. Seems to be the industry standard these days. Sirius XM will mail you to get you to sign up. Seems like the little birdies told them I bought a car equipped with XM radio. Did not appreciate that. Car feels like a kite in the wind. You will fight the gusts and be tossed about on the highway. I honestly contemplate how I can add extra aerodynamic enhancements to keep this thing grounded in the wind. Its so low to the ground already, how is it this bad? Its low to the ground. As in, you cant use normal ramps to change your oil. I mean, you can, but you will certainly scuff up your front bumper cover. And after numerous times of doing that, it will eventually crack. The suspension. Dear me, even worse than the rim/tire fiasco. These cars are notorious for having suspension components that wear out far too rapidly. Be prepared to listen to the lovely sound of popcorn being made for the life of this car. Sway bar end links. Tie rod ends. Ball joints. Shocks/struts. Its all garbage, and it all needs to be replaced at least once (or more) under 80k miles. Some say Moog aftermarket will help. Metal shift knob is heavy and looks good, but it gets HOT in the summer and COLD in the winter. Watch out for both. Sun visors - utter garbage. Work well until they simply break. Want to get a replacement? OK, $80. Great... The sound system is very meh. Almost no bass. Back seat latch rattles anyone? Yeah, you know what Im talking about... Depreciation. WOW that is a killer. This car lost $6-7K value in the 2 years Ive owned it. Ouch. I thought with the gas prices being high that the need for small, economical hatchbacks would be worth something to somebody. Nah, gas came down. Looks like dealer trade in is only around $3,500 now. Almost pays to just keep it and drive it into the ground. With all the nit-picky things, I still think its a decent car. If I bought a Hyundai again, I would opt for a slightly higher make.