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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  2011 Ultimate review - Great Job Hyundai! - 2011 Hyundai Equus
  By jfortino - December 27 - 10:49 am

  I have owned 2 Lexus, 2 Acura, Lincoln Navigator and am turning in my Jaguar XF Premium Lease. I have test drove many cars looking for a premium luxury sedan. I took a chance on the Equus after researching for over 2 months and a number of test drives. After taking delivery and putting on 1000 miles - I am stunned at the quality of the vehicle. I was very unsure of my decision to move on a Hyundai, but relied on many of the reviews here and other places. The fit and finish is superb, and contrary to most professional reviews, the exterior of the vehicle is very sharp - I have already had a number of people asking me about the vehicle at a gas station and restaurant! Great job Hyundai!

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  Nearly Perfect in every way - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By bulldog12 - December 18 - 9:12 pm

  Have been looking at new cars for years and finally took the plunge. Bought a Black V6 with premium for a great deal at Evansville Hyundai from Les for 34k plus TTL and 149 doc fee. It looks incredible and I have am impressed at the build quality. I felt the V6 with premium offered the best combo of value and features. Ive always been a white car guy but the black really grabbed my attention. Very proud of this car and feel it competes in both looks with cars that cost 20k more.

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  Elantra - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By kgrigsby - December 14 - 10:03 am

  I have read all of the reviews that were put out there. Before bashing the car you bought 2 things you people should think about . 1st all of you should of waited till it broke in before you complain. 2nd the car is very sensitive about what fuel goes in it . It does not like top tier fuel. This is my wife and i 3rd Hyundai and all 3 did not get the best mileage until they had 12000 miles on them or so. We with 17000 on ours get 39 around town and 42 on the hwy and my wife drives ours hard. Hyundai is a great CO. and the car is a great car it does everything they said it would

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  Hyundai gone a long way. - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By mpg_enthusiast - December 12 - 4:33 pm

  I have a hybrid in disguise! Just picked up 6spd SE Accent yesterday. Already drove 241 miles and it is still not at half a tank yet. And I was not driving too conservatively. I was revving the engine hard at times taking off treating it like a sports car. Pretty impress so far with the standard features like bluetooth, ipod, decent sound speakers (need sub), satellite radio, etc. Was at 70mph and felt like I was going slow, so suspension is pretty good I have to say. I will update the review if I find anything undesirable, but for now..two thumbs up.

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  Equus - 2012 with a bigger engine - 2012 Hyundai Equus
  By kabirent1 - December 12 - 12:01 am

  Just got my 2012 Equus yesterday. I was on a waiting list. I am a little skeptical of reviewers who got it weeks ago - how did they get the car when mine was one of the first off the boat from Korea? Anyways, the car, after 2 days is a lot of fun and seems to be a great value. It rides a little on the soft side, but with the new, more powerful engine, its acceleration is strong. Its exceedingly quiet, roomy, comfortable, and has a long list of features. The promised support seems to be very nice - time will tell if that turns out to be truth or hype. In short, if you are looking for a luxurious ride, dont need to impress anyone , and want to save big $$, this is worth a look.

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  My first new car! and I LOVE IT! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By drewberry - December 11 - 1:24 pm

  I purchased the 2012 Elantra GLS with preferred package last night. This car has gone beyond my expectations. I wanted to get the Limited with a sunroof but my money couldnt stretch as far as I wanted it to. So I guess I will get a sunroof put on it later or trade this one in the next 2-3 yrs for one that has one. Anyway, the Elantra actually has pep in its step dont let the 148 hp and 131 torque fool you. Already in one day I have acheived 42 mpg and I tend to have lead foot. Thats saying a lot! My beige interior is phenomenal and the red allure exterior color is so crisp and shiny. The elantra gls technology and safety puts all other compacts to shame except for cruze and focus.

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  Great Car for Me - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By red_rider28 - December 8 - 10:57 am

  I had previously driven a 2005 Subaru Forester which was totaled in a collision. So when I was looking for a replacement I began to think about what I really needed. I commute around 50 miles per day to work, so fuel economy was very important. Secondly I am 6 feet tall, so I really need ample legroom when I drive. Most cars I end up hitting my knee on the center console, not with the Accent. I did not even have to move the seat all the way back. There is so much interior room in this small car. So far on the highway IÂ’m getting 42 mpg, and with my commuting IÂ’m still averaging 37 mpg! Not bad. I really love the pick up of this small engine, it feels very peppy.

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  Great Car - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By bjpjjs - December 5 - 9:16 pm

  I got the Genesis 3.8 with tech package is platimum (silver). Had the car only a week but it just feels like a quality car. When the doors close they feel like Mercedes solid feel. Quiet ride even with Michelin Energy savers. Tremendous room I am 66" and its a very comfortable car . Rear wheel drive has a great feel. Definitely check it out if you can live without the high end brand badge. Not an ounce of buyers remorse. Got it for 37.5 + tax and registration

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  Overall a Great Value for the Money - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By daveinnm1 - December 1 - 10:20 pm

  I purchased the 2012 Elantra GLS about 3 months ago and so far the car has been great. My main reason for buying this car was to save in gas as I routinely drive a 100-mile one-way trip for business. I know many have complained about the gas mileage. If youre gauging use based on the on-board computer readings, its not always an accurate indicator, particularly if you get caught in a lot of traffic. Driving alone I average 43 mpg on the hi-way driving just over 70 mph. Obviously in town its much lower, but it exceeds my needs. I really did like the Focus, but to get all of the options I got with the Hyundai, I would have paid another $6K and it just wasnt worth the extra money

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  Great Value, feature packed ! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By acperkins15 - November 25 - 8:21 pm

  I have been researching, researching and researching new cars for about 6 months now, trying to find the best car for me. In the end, I bought the elantra. There is simply not a better car out there that has more features and creature comforts jam packed into a awesome compact. The value is simply amazing. Shifts are smooth, and its willingness to downshift for more power is quite impressive. The car is very smooth and planted at high speeds (70mph), granted the steering takes a while to get use too because it is on the light side. In the end, if you want the most bang for your buck, there is no other choice then the elantra. Its no speed demon, but it is still fun to drive.