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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  I LOVE IT even 200,000 miles later - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By shelly09 - March 6 - 10:58 am

  I love this car. I bought it 2 years ago as my first car. It is getting me through college. It is the most reliable car ever. I am 2nd owner and 200,000 miles as of yesterday. the only problem I have had was a small leak in the power steering line. I get good miles and it is quite. I call it my dolphine because of the long nose and short tail. :). I do not regret getting this car.

• 

  Such a good car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By missij12 - March 4 - 6:25 pm

  I bought this car new back in college. 8 years and 100k miles later Im finally about to give it up for something larger. The biggest repair Ive ever had to do on this car is replace the battery. Other than that, every day this car has started right up and performed great. Its been all over the country and even got me through the mountains without a problem. I couldnt ask for better gas mileage out of a car with such good acceleration. I did install an aftermarket stereo a few years ago to support my Ipod but the factory stereo was fine besides that. Its going to be hard to say goodbye!

• 

  UpDate on the MPGs - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By gofor40mpg - February 28 - 11:32 pm

  I have hit the 31.4 MPGs again. I have gone 323.9 miles, using 10.3 Gallons. I have also done more city driving in the last half tank. I have now 1274 miles on the Elantra. Now on this tank I will not use the ECO. I will see what difference it will make on the MPGs. So at this point, have not improved on the MPGs, But I am very pleased that i am getting better than 30 MPGs. You should know, that I live in Albuquerque New Mexico. If anybody Knows the terrain, Abq is not flat by any means, and is 5000 Feet above see level at the lowest point. So driving around, its up and down constantly. Traffic can be bad, but not as bad as most larger cities, Next will be a road trip. Will update.

• 

  Great Value - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By jesse_tn - February 26 - 8:21 pm

  This car is a great value just loaded with features and feels like a class above what it is. Ive had only for a week but I have found it to be smooth, responsive, quiet and really great gas mileage. It has very good transmission. I love the way the car looks inside and out especially the instrumentation at night. I looked at many different cars and I simply could not come close to what this car offered at such a great price. Outward rear visibility could be a bit better but seems fine overall.

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  12000 miles fo far and very happy with my Elantra - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By grandsportc3 - February 24 - 9:59 am

  Bought my 2012 Elantra last November and already put 12000 miles on it (trips from Florida to New York and from Florida to Mexico) and the car has been very fuel efficient and reliable. I had ZERO problems with the car and Im getting an average of 39 mpg (mostly highway). The only time that I got worse gas mileage was when driving with 3 persons, a dog and lugguage to New York and to Mexico.. The extra weight dropped the gas mileage by about 3 - 4 mpg.. I really love the looks of the car, inside and out.. I dont know what other reviewers are talking about when they mention that the engine is noisy.. At 70mph cruising, I cant even hear the engine...

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  Its a great car for the money - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By gofor40mpg - February 23 - 10:41 pm

  I just baught the Elantra, January 24th. Reading the reviews about the MPGs, I have to say that even when I drove this car for the first week, I was getting about <25> MPG. the car had 35 miles on it.. The MPGs have been getting better since the first tank of gas. first tank fill, I got 30 MPGs.MY second fill, I got 31.4 Mpgs. this is driving HWY and City.. The first tank i have gone 274 miles, on 9.9 Gallons. 2nd tank Ive gone 308.5 mile on 10.3 gallons, 3rd tank Ive gone 336.2 miles on 10.7 gallons.The computer Avg showed 33.1. Actual calculated, is 31.4. by dividing the miles to the gallons filled.. The computer is about 2 MPGs high. I will continue with up dates on the MPGs

• 

  Very Happy Accent Owner. - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By justdude - February 23 - 6:18 pm

  I recently purchased a used 2012 Accent SE with 8122 miles on it. Traded my 2008 loaded Cobalt in for it when I read and heard gas was going to hit 4.50 a gal this summer. My Cobalt was a nice car but at 32mpg it just wouldnt do. The Accents mileage is Great!! Just filled it up after driving back and forth to work and errands for a week. 4.5 gal!!! So happy with that. Avg 34.4mpg. The cobalt was a pitiful 24mpg at best. The only thing I would have liked is a lumbar support and outside temp. Gauges and radio are easy to see and use as is the bluetooth. This car is just so easy to drive I kind wished I lived further from work......

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  GO BUY THIS CAR!!!! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By mynewcar7 - February 21 - 9:36 am

  Let me talk about fuel economy. Ive read other reviews that bash this cars actual MPGs. Well, no car is a miracle car (not yet). When they rate this at 29 city / 40 highway, those are peak averages in very selective circumstances. This is nothing new, every single car on the market does this. What is amazing is that I DO average (combined city/highway) around 30-32 mpg per tank. And yes, this car will do 40 mpg on the highway, Ive even gotten it up to 45 mpg on flat surfaces, @60mph with cruise & no AC on. This car is nothing short of amazing. Test drove them all, this one is in a class by itself. Definitely worth a look. Ive owned it for about 7 months now with 12,000 miles.

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  You MUST own this car! - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By holywow - February 20 - 12:59 pm

  Do two things: 1) Take an Avatar DVD, throw it in the player, tune to chapter 6 and crank the surround sound 2) Settle into the leather seats, drive the car on the freeway, and wait five minutes until Mr. Highway Patrolman apprehends you for slightly aggressive driving. If these two experience dont convince you that this car is AWESOME, then you have no pulse. I own the 4.6...because the R-Spec doesnt come in red.

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  Most Enjoyable Car I Ever Owned!! - 2012 Hyundai Equus
  By markie7 - February 3 - 8:54 pm

  Very luxurious vehicle. Solid smooth ride. Floats on the highway like being in a cloud. I fell safe, encapsulated from the noisy world, and most of all, feel extremely pampered from the moment I step inside. Very quick for a big sedan. Great displayes, comfy seats, and intuitive navi systems. All luxury features in competing car manufacturers are here, but for less money. But, let us be real: $60K is still alot of money. But, nice things cost money. However, the value for dollar is stronger in this product than the others. Also, there is some exclusivity. Most people are still eyeing the equus. Everyone (and their mother) have BMWs and the like. Be different! Stand out! Enjoy the ride.