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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  Outstanding car and value - 2011 Hyundai Equus
  By scuff - January 28 - 4:06 pm

  I found, to my surprise, that I really like the forward looking camera. The ride and comfort are very good. Quiet and lots of conveniences. Could do without the ashtrays and would like a bit more storage in front. Auto closing trunk is great. I drove LS 460s for 20 years but could not turn down the fabulous value of the Equus. Im not sorry I switched. I didnt feel I needed the 5 liter engine or 8 speed thansmission. I dont. I wouldnt hesitate to recommend this car to anyone. It is a great machine and the service at the dealer has been very good so far.

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  I LOVE IT! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By farrahmize - January 27 - 6:41 am

  I have to say, this is the most impressive car and I am so glad that I bought it. Orginally I wanted the Sonata (which is also nice) but felt to big after test driving it. The salesman introduced this vehicle to me and I was hooked. Its much roomer in the inside than what it looks like and the design is very sleek. I fill up at $35 and get about 33 miles to a gallon believe it or not. Its stylish, easy to drive, and is perfect for city parking!

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  Good Car - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By dhet - January 20 - 12:55 pm

  I purchased my 2008 Elantra GLS new. It now has over 62,000 miles on it. It has been a very good car for the money. I love mine. I plan on giving it to my grandson in a few years when he starts driving. Then I will buy a new one. But first the few cons: I would like just a bit better fuel economy. And the 30,000 and 60,000 mile service costs seemed to me a bit on the high side. I wish the trunk lid would pop just a little so that I could nudge it up with my hip when my hands are full. As it is, it is necessary for me to empty at least one arm to get the lid up. I can’t think of any more cons. -- I have not found engine noise on aggressive accelerations anything to complain about—it is there, but it’s not a big deal to me. I seldom accelerate hard. Now this is what I like most: The car has great road manners. It feels tight and solid even after 60,000 miles. Road noise is not excessive. The steering is perfect. The breaks are sure and smooth. Acceleration is good. Instruments are easy to read. Controls are easy to reach. In the cold the car heats up and clears the windshield quickly—unlike so many cars, it is the driver’s side that clears the fastest. A few other points: I have been driving cars for over 50 years and always apply good driving techniques: The original tires lasted 50,000 miles. The original breaks lasted 45,000 miles. I get the oil and filter changed every 3000 miles. I religiously follow the maintenance schedule to the letter. I have my tires rotated and balanced ever 5000 miles: I have never experienced a mechanical breakdown or anything in need of urgent car with this car. Of the many cars I have owned, this is the first one I can say this about.

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  Awesome Car - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By butterflyblu - January 9 - 7:28 am

  I got a new lease on the 2012 Elantra Limited a few days ago. I test drove so many cars before deciding on the Elantra. It has everything you can imagine and more as standard features. I put 110 miles on it over the last couple days and the gas gauge barely moved off full. My husband is 62 and there is more than enough leg room for him. I know I made the right decision getting this car its much better than I imagined.

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  Great car and great warranty!!! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By dwhitie - January 7 - 9:13 pm

  I have owned my Hyundai Sonata for 4 years. It has been a great car ever since. The only issue I had was the visor broke, but they replaced it under warranty no questions asked. I love the way it drives and its reliability. I would definately recommend it. I currently have 98,000 miles on it and trust it will go many more miles.

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  Great car so far! - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By papaaj1 - January 4 - 11:03 pm

  I got rid of my 2009 Merc E-350 that I liked but did not love. This car leaves that one in the dust! Im not used to having this much horsepower, and I love it. Its nimble, quiet, and fast. No tickets yet - but Im going to have to invest in a radar detector. For me buying this car meant disregarding the fact that its a Hyundai. Ive always owned luxury cars and quite honestly I think there is nothing better than this for the money. I almost think Hyundai could sell a lot more of these cars if they just spun the Genesis line off. I could rebadge this as a Merc/BMW/Audi/Acura and people would fall over themselves wanting to get one.

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  No spare shocker! - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By stevehouston - January 4 - 11:03 am

  I love this car but I was not "surprised" there was no spare tire, I was down-right pissed. I took a road trip over New Years and when I was heading back home, discovered there wasnt a spare tire!! Who does this!! What idiot S. Korean engineer dreamed this one up? Scenario: Me and my wife and son hit road debris at night on the freeway which shreds the tire. Im frantically looking up and down for the spare which doesnt exist. Bang, lights out. I guess Hyundai thinks a tire inflater will fix this. Wrong! This is inexcusable and is a safety hazard plain and simple. Im notified the dealer, Hyundai and I think Im going to contact a federal agency to complain.

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  Update - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By bjpjjs - December 31 - 1:42 pm

  Hit 1k and still love the car the Smart cruise control works great. Just finished a 200 mile round trip and got 30 MPG on the highway. Great blend of power handling fuel efficiency and comfort luxury and value. Test drive one with some good music you wont be disappointed!

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  My best Car ever ... so far - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By khailash - December 30 - 1:05 am

  After i graduated, im trying to find new car but couldnt find a good as elantra. very comfort, nice interior design, But after i my parent want to change to a MPV, i no need to take a long time to think, I just take elantra to become my 1st car. As owner, continue from my dad to me, from 2002 ,elantra serve us well.Almost 3 years with me, driving more than 160K KM, i maintained this car never give me a big problem. even my friend also compliment this car engine is smooth and never make noise. Hell yeah , now i will keep this car and wait the elantra 2011 coming to Malaysia. until now, Im die hard fan of Elantra.

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  Best Car Ive owned - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By inlinewhine - December 29 - 9:28 pm

  Bought this car Feburary 2003 with 7k miles on for $11,300 and still own it into 2012 and dont plan on selling it. It has 106k miles on it now and the only problems ive had with the car were the e-brake cable boot came off when driving in snowy conditions and the cable froze. Warenty covered it. My blower motor quit working on low speed which was also replaced under warrenty. My map sensor failed at 98k miles and the vehicle died. it started up 20 minutes later and was able to make it to a repair shop. I am hard on vehicles and I will admit I bought this vheichle for the warrenty. I drive it hard everyday and it keeps on running smooth averageing 33 mpg.