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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  Not sure - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By peridot - December 20 - 6:43 pm

  I got the SE instead of the GLS for the ESC. Not only does it bounce considerably and constantly at any speed, it fishtails when driving at speeds over 55 and trying to gradually correct the drift out of the lane. I went to the dealer and they of course didnt find those issues. They said it would take time to "break in", and they lowered the tire pressure a bit. I contacted Consumer Reports and made a complaint, and also contacted NHTSA and filed a complaint with them as well. The more complaints, the more likely they will look into the problems. The Vehicle Safety Hotline is toll-free at 1-888-327-4236.

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  Good Deal and Great Reliability - 1999 Hyundai Elantra
  By Anonymous - December 6 - 2:00 am

  I purchase my car with 100 K miles on it. Now it has 215 K on it and it is still going strong. I am looking for another vehicle right now and possibly going to purchase another Hyundai. It has been super reliable and has only needed general maintainence.

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  Wouldnt Buy Another One - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Anonymous - December 6 - 2:00 am

  This car is not an entrance to the luxury class by a long shot. The transmission in my car is an abomination to the name of luxury car. It shifts with jerky motions, cant find the gear it needs to run in and has to catch up to the engine after braking. Two trips to the dealership and I have been assured that this transmission is within Hyundai specs. The cruise control loses 3MPH up any grade hill and gains up to 3MPH down the hill. I have a 2002 I-35 that keeps set speed dead-on. I think Hyundai needs to reverse engineer an Infinity transmission and cruise control. The ride is rough and the engine is noisy. Other than that the car is OK.

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  340,XXX Miles Strong - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By B.D.Carrasquillo - December 4 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I were looking for a basic 4 cylinder car. Commuting to work roughly 150 miles, roundtrip each day, we wanted a basic 4 cylinder with decent mileage and warranty. We went to Suresky, Hyundai dealership and purchased GT version. We immediatley loved its look. It was fully loaded with everything except powered seats. It was and still is a bit small inside but manageable. The engine is a bit noisy. The only major thing weve had to deal with was a stuck fuel injector at about 290XXX. The car still shifts smooth and looks good as well. 10 years and almost 350,000 miles later we are Hyundai fans. We would purchase another Hyundai without hesitation.

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  Poor Gas mileage No overdrive - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By chriskaline - December 2 - 2:00 am

  Overall this car has been awesome! The only problem is:gas mileage not fitting this car, 25 to 27 overall is not very good, no overdrive, it is simply a fifth gear. At 70 mph it turns appox. 3500 rpm, that is not good and certainly effects gas mileage.

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  Great car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Kevin - November 30 - 2:00 am

  My wife bought this car used in 2006 after her 1999 Elantra was totaled. It had about 35,000 miles on it and we put another 85,000 on it. I put new brake pads on it one time, new plugs twice, changed the oil every 3 to 5000 miles, and we went through 1 and a half sets of tires. This car was super reliable and I would still be driving it at 120,000 miles if it had not been totaled recently. I have no doubt that this car would have made it to 200,000 or more miles. Was hit twice at high speed on a rainy day on HWY 210 and I walked away with no major injuries.

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  Too low to the ground, and inside seating - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By joy - November 17 - 2:00 am

  Ive always driven manual cars, Honda Preludes, Toyota Celica but times changed and I bought this car my first 4dr, and its a jewel. Its not fancy its functional since I could not afford a Prius. My only complaint its too low to the ground making certain curbs and deep snow, and potholes a major challenge. The seating is very low and very uncomfortable. With so many trucks and SUV in this area, my car has been hit three times in there years, meaning its low to the ground the big guys back into my car though parked and take my bumper or leave a major expense to the back of car.

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  Try to find a better built car for the $ - 2010 Hyundai Accent
  By Hyundaiman - November 16 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car brand new in 8/2010. Price before taxes was $10,400. I never owned a Hyundai before, previously Ive owned Subarus. Long story short, my last car was an OB Sport SE, I put it on Autotrader & basically sold it for what I paid for it 3 years ago when it was new. I felt like saving some money given the crazy recession & decided to get a simple commuter car. Although the Subaru is a better car in every way this little Accent has been a pleasant surprise for what it is. Its sporty looking, interior is high quality, I average 40 mpg & its crash tests are good. So far it has been reliable & I hope that I wont have to use the warranty.Heard that Hyundai service dept stinks!!

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  Solid Car - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Brandon - November 13 - 2:00 am

  My Sonata now has 130,000 miles on it and repairs are starting to add up. I bought it brand new and have to say up until now, it has been a good purchase. My O2 sensor went out a few times, but was covered by the warranty. The power antennae broke but covered by warranty. The interior door handles also started to peel, but was covered by a recall. At about 75,000 the paint started to bubble on the roof of the car, and at 120,000, the power steering line started to leak, which cost around $300 to fix. The speedometer and cruise control just went out at 130,000, so who knows how much that will be. The car does ride nice and handles beautiful though, maintenance is expensive but would buy again.

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  Only had to change oil every 3,000 miles - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By ecd - November 9 - 2:00 am

  Only had to change oil every 3,000 miles and just changed plugs water pump and all belts at 108,000 miles, the most reliable car I have had