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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  incredible buy - 2013 Hyundai Accent
  By beths2 - March 31 - 1:00 pm

  I had an idea of what kind of car I had wanted. I had been researching hatchbacks for 6-months already. A friend of mine bought the 2012 accent so I was already familiar with the car. The moment I walked on the lot a Hyundai of Escondido the sales man walked me to the selection they had. All I had to do was pick the color. Im a musician so I needed a car with plenty of trunk space that is easily accessible. The entire team at Esco Hyundai was above and beyond helpful with teaching me all the features and sat with me until I understood it all.

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  Wish every car was like this - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By bigtex71 - March 28 - 12:58 am

  This week my 2003 will see its 260,000 mile, and I will say goodbye to it after 11 years of loving this thing. Im a big tall guy and never felt cramped driving this car. In its first few years it had acceleration that rocked. And even today as I drove it to the wash, I am amazed how smooth it runs, with very little maintenance over the years. The few problems Ive had were it seems to get misaligned quicker than normal, and last year my AC finally went completely out. But its the best car Ive ever owned

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  What a dissappointment - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By april_lynn - March 25 - 9:10 am

  At first we loved the car but noticed the MPG was not as described. The 1st month we had it the breaks had to be replaced because of a noise they made. Next the tires were horrible loud. After that it has gone down hill, the car shakes horrible at stop lights (while in gear) and we have had a knocking noise from the motor. Taking to the dealer several times we left with nothing done. Finally I recorded the sound and took it back where they said there was metal in my oil and they would replace the motor.. This was at 24,000 miles... New motor is now making the same noise (1,000miles later) Hyundais answer swap motor out AGAIN. Is anyone else having these same issues???

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  Best Bang for your buck - 2014 Hyundai Equus
  By klassickruiser - March 17 - 1:51 pm

  I bought the 2014 Equus Signature, black with tan interior, just a great car. I shopped the Mercedes S550, BMW 750 and the Lexus 460 before making my decision on this purchase. Realistically there is no comparison, this car rocks the competition. The interior of the Equus is awesome, the seats are exceptionally comfortable, the controls are nicely positioned and the stereo is tremendous. The interior amenities are as they should be in a car of this class. The fit and finish is comparable to the cars costing $40K more. The performance is similar to both the S550 and the BMW 750 in acceleration, the ride is more closely related to the S550. I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a car

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  Unexpected Find - 2013 Hyundai Azera
  By chazjonathan - March 10 - 11:06 am

  Was in the market for a Cadillac, we test drove and was very disappointed in the ride of the vehicle. Owned several Hyundais in the past and currently own two. None of the cars we owned ever given us any major problems. We to car lot to look at Santa Fes, Tucsons, and Sonatas when we discovered the Azera. I have always thought that the Azeras were priced in the same category as the Genesis. Long story short love the look, style, and comfort of this vehicle. And it made my wife smile which was the number one reason I Love it..

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  Not Happy with my Hyundai Accent - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By 75caddie - March 8 - 9:15 pm

  I bought mine in 2011. One of the first models. I liked the looks inside and out. So I bought it. After owning it for 2 1/2 years I will say that I hate this car. I read previous reviews and would like to let them know that they are not alone. They brought up the same complaints that I had.Poor rear visibility. If this car comes with a rear wiper for a reason.LCD display. (see previous poster) Cheap tires. Do not buy one with the cheap tires.They suck. No spare tire. I swear to God and all that is Holy that was one of the dumbest moves I have ever made. Driving in snowstorms or on slushy roads. Forget it. If you are not used to snowy/slippery roads, just pull over and hope you live.

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  deadly accelarating delay from a rolling stop - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By phunywun - March 4 - 1:59 am

  I have the 6 cyl sedan and the deadly delay from when you hit the gas pedal till the car moves is about 1-2 seconds from a rolling stop. Thats long enough to get someone killed not to mention every time you go over a speed bump and hit the gas it takes a whole second or two before the car moves. Thats not positive reaction by any means. Its deadly when you are trying to turn across traffic. Love the car otherwise but will not get another one if this issue isnt fixed. I guess there is no throttle cable and its an electronic accelarater for the deadly delay I gave it a 2 for reliability because the ac compressor stopped working at 3000 miles and it took them a week to fix it

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  Extremely poor service/quality - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By passingby2 - March 2 - 3:46 pm

  My 2010 Elantra GLS was purchased in May 2011 with 30,000 miles on it. Six months later the transmission had to be replaced and the dealer inserted a refabricated one NOT a new one. Six months later...a front motor mount had to be replaced...and a few months later--a safety recall on a brake part was issued. Now, the car is vibrating again and two independent mechanics have stated, in writing, that a transmission bracket is loose and a motor mount is beginning to crack. After 2 separate trips to the Leesburg Hyundai dealership the mgr stated there is nothing wrong with the car. There are 400 miles left on warranty --then repairs are my responsibility. Staff was rude and non- caring.

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  Terrible fuel mileage and poor supension - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By tdaly16 - February 28 - 2:29 pm

  Bought this cars cause it was showing 58 mpg when I bought it on the sticker in the window I get 28 mpg but I get a credit car from Hyundai for them lying about the mileage works to to fill my tank 2 times a year and I figure Im using about 10-12 tanks extra a year. If I have 2 passengers in the back seat my wheels rub on the plastic cover in the wheels wells every dip in the highway I consider this to be a safety issue took a picture of it to the dealership and was told they put 2 people in the back of the car on the show room and it did the same thing so theres nothing they can do. I also paid 1500 for interior warranty and have a stain that they wont cover only cover threads popping

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  Nice car , BUT... - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By balddog - February 26 - 4:41 pm

  Have owned 3 years now, 16,500 miles. Its a shame, as I really like the comfort, and value of this car, BUT ... I have had to have car jump started 6 times in 3 years. Hyundai claims that I dont drive the car enough to keep battery charged. I work part-time (1 day/week) and car may sit 2 - 3 days between use (average 100 mi/week). Was told that if car sits for a week (say at airport when on vacation) expect that battery will have discharged and need a jump. Dont see Mercedes, BMW or Lexus with this problem. Also, ride is a little stiff for my tastes.