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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  tucson review - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Luis Lugue - January 11 - 9:10 pm

  This car seems quiet while driving. It is sometimes fun to drive. legroom in the back is spacious also in the front. The interior design is quite nice but it looks like any ordinary interior. Exterior design is unique but the front looks kind of ugly. You can not judge a veicle by its design you must judge it by its engine performance and veicle comfort enguine is quite economical and clean and riding comfort is quite good.

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  First time Hyundai owner - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kevin - January 11 - 3:00 pm

  Awesome car for the money. Toyota and Honda quality. Super ride.

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  The last hyundai - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By shanky - January 11 - 8:46 am

  Purchased the car new and after 6 years have 28,000 miles. During this time the moon roof broke, driver window was inoperative, both plastic door handles broke, paint in a number of areas has faded, inside and out. Now you cannot put gas into the tank without 17-22 tries due to the charcoal canister, close valve and filter canister needing replacement at a cost of $600.00 plus. They were not sure of the price at the dealership. Contacting the home office was to no avail. This will be the last Hyundai I will ever purchase. They are cheaply built.

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  Pleasantly Satisfying Period of Ownership - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By FB - January 10 - 6:19 pm

  I bought this car in April 2008, as my everyday car for school and life. I compared it to the 2008 Honda Civic LX that my cousin had as well as a 2008 Toyota Corolla S that another friend had and for the value and amenities offered on this car, it was excellent. I remember Hyundai changing their whole line of cars in 2007 to rebuild their brand and reputation, so I knew I was diving into uncharted territory going with the Hyundai over the Honda and Toyota, but for 15K out the door (for the automatic) compared to around 18K for the Civic and around 17K for the Corolla during that time and what they had to offer, I could not resist the deal. Another friend of mine went all in with the Elantra in 2007 as well, and he had done a lot of research and ended up purchasing a manual one before me, so after seeing him with his car for a year, that also lead to my reasoning that the car would be a good buy. I finally ended up selling the car to another cousin a few weeks ago and upgraded to something else, but I still miss it, although it may just be fresh in my mind given that Im still getting used to my new car. The little things mattered to me with this car, such as having 4 wheel ABS compared to the 2 rear drum sets offered in the Honda and Toyota. Fog lights were nice to have since I had always wanted a car with fog lights. Having the overhead glasses compartment, top middle compartment, under radio compartment, 2 tier center compartment, and also the two storage spaces behind the front seats was also very nice. The only thing about the car that I didnt like was that it looked a little boring, or "rental" car-ish, but I was able to fix that after I finally upgraded to the 2011-2012 Elantra 16" alloy rims, giving it the look that the SE had. The interior is very roomy, with good visibility, and Im a big 61 guy. The front seats were very comfortable, compared to when I sat in the Civic and Corolla which were tight for me. Headroom is very good, although I do wish the drivers side had the handle to hold onto which is nice when you want to switch it up driving long distances. My passengers never complained, since the shortest person usually sat behind my seat which I had to push all the way back, but it seemed like everyone was fine most of the time. Another great feature that a lot of base model or step up from base model Japanese cars dont have is heated mirrors, which are very useful in the winter (even here in So Cal), and I took them for granted when I was looking for my new car, which I had to get a higher up model to get. Whenever I drove a lot of freeway, I would end up getting around 31-34 MPG depending on how fast I would accelerate, how much force I applied when braking, and how fast I would be going on the freeway. Combined, especially in the later years, the worse I ever got was 27 MPG, but when I drove gently I would get around 28-29 MPG. In the early years I was running on the stock 15" steel wheels and afterwards I was running on the 16" alloys, so those might have affected the fuel economy a little bit. I broke in the car very well when it was new, not pushing it during the recommended period, and had always changed oil myself with full synthetic 5W-20, usually Mobil 1, and in the end, I left the car off at 111K miles, with no issues whatsoever. I just performed the recommended maintenance at my favorite mechanic every time I hit the mileage listed in the Maintenance Book, and overall, the car had been very very reliable. Surprisingly, the trunk is also very large, compared to the same Civic and Corolla as well. I had been able to help friends move with the car, filling everything to the brim. My GLS model came with the auxiliary port, but I ended up using the MP3 CD a lot more due to consistency and quality issues. The 6 speaker system is phenomenal for a cheap car, better than the 2013 Accord LXs system that my family has. Im no audiophile but I do enjoy my music and all the ranges my songs have to offer, and that is probably what I miss most from that system. Bass was deep and did not sound cheap, but vocals and everything were very clear as well! My friend put a sub-woofer in his, but honestly it was overkill since the stock system is already phenomenal. I have not been in another base model car that has an audio system that is as good as this one. Also, the car is hard to steal (unless theres some kind of new tech that thieves have access to). My friend locked my keys in my trunk once and you cannot put the seats down from the inside of the car. AAA came, unlocked the car, but the standard immobilizer didnt allow us to start the car and the alarm kept going off, so the only way was to get the other spare key/remote I had (Hyundai only gives 2 keys). Overall, the only con is the cheap plastic door panels, but I felt all other pieces in the car were pretty good quality.

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  Happy Hatchback - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Brian - January 10 - 4:13 pm

  Having driven my Touring for 6 weeks, I am impressed with the fit and finish of the vehicle. I am averaging 30mi on HWY and 27 in town. There a lot of user friendly pockets, theres plenty of head and leg room and I am a 62" tall. It may not have the most zip of a car but I am all about getting there safe and its safety really suprized me. Breaking is good and traction control has worked on snowy roads.

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  Fun car, hard to get parts - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Stan - January 10 - 1:43 pm

  I just bought mt Tiburon, when i test drove it it had a bad wheel bearing that the dealer replaced for me (cost them 600 bucks)but it took couple of days for Hyundai to get the part to the Toyota dealer.Finally got it home and the Moonroof went out and Toyotas service department being awesome said they would fix that to....on them!at the moment i am still waiting to get my car due to Hyundai shipping not only the wrong part to fix the moonroof but a USED part at that, so right now im wondering if i just got myself into a money pit.Good news is that it is the 6 speed with the factory clutch still (crosses fingers).Only bad thing I can say about the car right now is tring to see out the back

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  car is a lemon - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By paulkay - January 10 - 10:48 am

  My x sonata was a lemon garbage car! Engine knock, replaced all the struts, both sun visors, oxygen sensor, electronic stab control module went, head gasket. Car was a piece of junk, was afraid to take it on a trip. I kept it for 10 months and bought an American car. No more foreign! No Wonder they give you a 10 year 100,000 warranty you will use it every month!

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  deal of the century - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By webesokool - January 10 - 10:00 am

  I am very happy with this car. I will consider buying it again when the body style changes. No problems for nearly two years. All passengers comment on its comfort and riding smoothness. Love driving it especially on the highway.

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  XG-350 - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By wllogan - January 10 - 10:00 am

  poor turnover by dealership. simple defects not repaired by dealership. Good response by Hyundai.

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  Great car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jacbrilyn - January 10 - 10:00 am

  I just got this car last month, i commute so much and the gas is just great, even with these prices. Im just so happy with this and theres even enough leg space to comfortable.