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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  Great Car to Buy - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By johpen - November 1 - 8:51 pm

  This is my second Elantra. My first I traded after 4.5 yrs with 160,000 miles with no major repair work. My two sons also drive Elantras and one son is getting ready to purchase his second also.

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  Impressive Automobile! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By JFarm - November 1 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for about 2 weeks, and I really do love it so far. I got the Pacific Blue Pearl, it just blew my mind! Got the Popular Equip package plus the HomeLink Compass in the rear view mirror (awesome). I love the BlueTooth, XM and iPod jacks, unbelievable options to come standard! I usually take back roads to work (about 14 miles round trip) and the gas mileage is less than advertised for city driving, but the ride is so much smoother than my 05 Elantra. Im not totally sure why everyone is complaining about the road noise, its not the quietest car Ive ever been in, but it certainly wouldnt stop me from recommending this car to anyone!

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  A few minor fixes could be done - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By BILL - November 1 - 10:00 am

  This car has everything except it could do with:a better horn, sealing the underbody where it meets the door sills-they squeak if you move them by hand but not while riding in the car- just seem too loose; use bigger screws on the underbody or bolts!

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  I Love My Car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By kathy - November 1 - 8:51 am

  My 1998 Mazda died and I looked for a used one, but way too expensive. Happened upon the Hyundai, reluctantly went into the dealership. He took me for a ride and I thought, theres gotta be something wrong with this car. The dealer sent me home with it for the day and I went back the next day and took it for the day. Incredible is all I can say. Love it... Im short so I can never see where I am going. This car is amazing. I dont even have to turn around when backing up cuz I just look in the rear view mirror. The ride is like gliding on a glass slipper. I call it my Cinderella car and it didnt break my bank buying it. Wish the gas mileage was a bit better, but I can live with it.

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  After 6 Mo/ Comparing with wifes Civic - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By David - November 1 - 7:04 am

  After having the Elantra for 6 months, Im a very happy Elantra owner. I have not found one defect inside or out. This car delivers up to 41 mpg on the freeway and as low as 27 city which is a huge range but with the AC off on short trips in a rural area I average 31mph. We also purchased a new Civic Ex about the same time for my wife.I have to say that the Elantra has a much smoother and more quiet ride than the Civic EX that my wife drives. The Elantra has a slower responsive steering set up but not sure if that is bad since Im not racing the Indy 500. The interior could be nicer but for the money, this car is hard to beat.

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  Excellent longevity - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Gwen - October 31 - 7:27 pm

  My Hyundai has approximately 243xxx miles on it. All weve done is change the timing and drive belts every 100K miles, changed the oil every 3-4K miles, tune ups, brakes and tires. The only problems weve had was a leak in the driver door (covered by warranty), repeated replacement of windshield (some design flaw with the mirror embedded in the glass), and now, with its age, its leaking (not burning) about a quart of oil every 2-3 weeks. Overall I am exceptionally pleased with our purchase. Oh, the 5 speed manual is getting between 33 and 38 mpg driven mostly highway.

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  Know what your getting A VALUE CAR , but.... - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jay Cobbs aka. Justhanginon - October 31 - 3:26 pm

  I have driven and owned almost every make...Opel, ford, toyota, dodge, nissan, pontiac, saturn, and the list goes on. Having driven commerical trucks for over30 years in the California Bay Area I was very excited to find a car that was both sexy and practical, with great safety features, warranty and styling all in on package. Drove many dealership cars like subaru impressa, ford focus hathback, toyota prius 2013-2015 models Honda CR-V and yes, enen a Honda Insight. If your catching a theme here, your right...A HATCHBACK ( not listed on edmunds site so put it here) Im 59 years old now and set in my ways of safety, be a carefull driver and can hypermile even my current 2000 chevy malibu 6 cylinder full size car to 26 miles average using "PRIUS STEALT MODE" driving modes...yes Im pretty good at this for a car that the epa said was only 20 mpg. Anyway....after driving the sporty ELANTRA GT HATCHBACK...I was hooked...But there are some things you need to know first...Its not a LEXUS OR BIG CAR RIDE...Its listed as a compact but has room inside bigger than a AUDI A4, toyota matrix ( I drove two of those too) and bigger cargo space than even a CHEVY VOLT ( yes, drove that, did that) tthe pick up is great like a turbo( they use the 2.0 GDI ENGINE in thier currnt 2016 turbo models). NOW TO THE PUNCHLINE...THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW.. This is a sporty, sport tuned ride and as one review said TAUNT" in ride. BUT THE REAR SHOCKS are crap and my new car had to have them replaced before 30,000 miles because I thought the backend was falling off just taking it home about 50 miles from the HYUNDIA DEALERSHIP in MODESTO,CA. After calling them the same day I picked it up, upset and only 1 hour old..they told me to wait till thursday (picked it up on friday) due to the long weekend. I could drive it that way so went to my mecahnic Ive used for years and was told the Hynudia shocks where shot and unsafe and most any speed, not just freeway. I shelled out 300.00 the next day, after picking up the car from the dealer and it rides much better....so moral of the story...take any used car to a trusted mechcinic BEFORE YOU BUY THE CAR and pay him up to 100.00 for a Full "TUG AND PULL AND FLUID CHECK AND ROAD TEST BY A PROFESIONAL its well worth it if you plan to keep the car and all the safety features it has..but make sure its safe first, THEN TALK PRICE NOT BEFORE !!!! Yes Im seeing the dealer this week. Yes the warranty is hella long and can take it to a local dealer then drive from UNION CITY TO MODESTO HYUNDIA but "LUCY...YOU HAVE SOME SPLANIN TO DO".... Love the car and all it can do and hold, performance is great...desgn is wonderful and jazzed about finding a RUBY RED "HOT HATCH" color to boot. The 2016 Elantra gt hatchback is the last of its kind due to under 36 mpg ( which you can get with ECO on the hwy) and power, power, power...did I say power. TEST DRIVE THIS GEM and see what I mean..P.S. the 2015 GT is the same car but more simple front styling..GO GET THE SONATA-GENESIS inspired model... get practical, sexy, family hauler, outdoor gear packer, fun to drive and toss into corners 6 speed fun mobile. Just check it out completely , then pull that trigger and watch it go...Jay Cobbs Tri-cty area BAY AREA California

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  Quit knocking 4 cylinders! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By combattracker5 - October 31 - 7:20 am

  I grew up in the muscle car era. My first car was a new 65 Pontiac GTO. I drove over a hundred MPH every day for decades (really did). I love speed! Those days are over. Americans need to reduce their consumption of oil. The new 4 cylinders have extreme kick, compared to the 6 cylinders of the 1960s! I wish Edmunds would stop complaining about the lack of a bigger engine for many car models. Now I want MPG and enough umph to get over the mountain or for passing. I was seriously surprised by this car.

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  The Genesis is a winner - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By CHI TOWN - October 30 - 11:43 pm

  I am a past owner of BMWs, Infiniti & Mercedes. I never thought I would own a Korean automobile until I test drove this car. Hands down the Genesis is the best car I have owned. For the first time I feel like I bought a car where the performance, quality, & amenities match the price. Test drive this car & I bet you wont be able to forget the experience.

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  2500 miles into it.... - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Matt_Landers - October 30 - 9:46 pm

  Previously, I had written a review on 2/27/10. Not much has changed, except Ive had to replace my muffler which took almost a month to have done. The dealership was fast about things, however Hyundai had no extra ones in the states. Way to go guys!! I wasnt too pleased. Having owned several other Hyundais, (03 Sonata, 01 Elantra) and with other family members owning other models too with few or no problems, Im just choosing at this point to overlook it as a blip in my ownership experience and move on. But these forums are about honesty in ownership too... Gas mileage per the car is a bit optimistic but still not too bad. mid to high 20s in mixed driving and low 30s on hwy.