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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  Fun to Drive - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Eeshasdon - October 14 - 10:00 am

  Without a doubt this is one of the most enjoyable cars to drive that I have ever owned. I did a lot of research on a third car for my family and the Elantra GT fit the bill perfectly. The only problem as I see it, is I may not want to give it to my daughter when she goes to college.

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  better than most - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Kurt Moore - October 14 - 10:00 am

  this little car will cruise at 80 and still get 38 mpg! What a nice little car. So quiet and rides great. Would recommend it to anyone. Also has better that average head room.

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  great fun and economical - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Kurt Moore - October 14 - 10:00 am

  This little car has been a delight to drive. Love the five speend and enjoy the peppiness of it. With the manual we get 33 hwy and that is good.

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  Thank you Hyundai - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Aaron E. - October 14 - 3:32 am

  After 3000 miles Im still thrilled with this car. Ive averaged 34 mpg so far with about 70% of my driving highway miles. I test drove the Yaris, Corolla, and Mazda 3 first, but found this a far better value. I also considered the Fit and Versa. I was most interested in a quiet ride, mpgs, price, and warranty. The Accent hatchback is great for these reasons. I was surprised the others had so much road noise at a higher price. That said, over about 60mph the Accent engine gets more noticeable. The only things I miss from my old Rav4 are cruise control and a rear windshield wiper in snowy conditions. Traction with snow tires has been great.

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  Surprised! - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Race - October 13 - 1:36 pm

  I was very surprised by this car, was compared to RAV4 and CRV but after the test drive and price I was sold. I did not need all the bells and whistles as this car has enough already and it is all standard. Drives and handles great and Hyundai quality as of late and the warranty cant be beat. Do your research and find out for yourself! I am extremely happy and feel I made a great choice in buying the Elantra Touring. I do not see too many on the road and always get asked and get looks while driving..........26 to 27 mpg in mixed driving and still breaking in the engine.....

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  What was I thinking - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Dissapointed - October 11 - 9:56 pm

  So, I purchased this vehicle about 1 1/2 years ago. I tell you what you need that 100,000 mi warrenty. Everything that goes wrong is time consuming. I was sucked in by the cheap price as most people are. Well I have now come to realize that you get what you pay for with Hyundai. Everything in the car is plastic, it all snaps and hooks together. It is not a quiet drive by any means. The gas tank is too small. It tows my snowmobiles but not with out some effort. You cant make it a 3 hour trip with anything in tow without a stop for gas again. Keep in mind that this car is worth nothing in 1-2 years time -- you cant get rid of it. No dealership wants it. You will be buried in negative equity.

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  VERY GOOD CHOICE ! ! ! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Family Guy - October 11 - 9:15 pm

  I have bought my Elantra brand new for $13.800. I insisted on ABS (also came with cruise control and traction control) I worked as a "valet" so i was test driving all kinds of vehicles, but between corolla and civic, i liked elantra better. 10yr and 100,000 miles was a plus. only problem i had with the car is fuel tank. a wall inside the tank was loose, and was making noise. Hyundai dealer changed the tank under the warranty. the engine is not so fuel efficient. the most mpg i got is around 29mpg on a highway (but car was fully loaded, driven 75mph+) but in the city i dont know where the gas is going. i refuel, and few days - boom - gas is not there (trip less than 150- 200 miles(14.5 gal!!))

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  Elantra SE.......Lives up to its expect - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Eric L - October 11 - 12:45 pm

  I drive quite a bit and wanted a car with good MPG. Was looking at the Honda Civic and then the Consumer Reports review came out on the Elantra, peeking my curiosity. After renting an Elantra for a week, I decided to purchase one with leather and a sunroof. I could not find one anywhere close to where I live, all the dealers laughed at me for trying to find one. I finally located one 500 miles away with everything I wanted and drove it home. I am extremely satisfied with it, gets almost 36 MPG highway and about 30 locally. It has plenty of pep and is responsive, the sound system is excellent, the car is quiet inside and has plenty of room upfront. This car is a bargain.

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  Love this Car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By michaellcul - October 11 - 11:10 am

  I get stopped all the time and asked what kind of car I have. I used to have a Genesis and everyone loved that car too. Hyundai makes great cars.

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  Very happy customer - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Carolyn - October 11 - 12:13 am

  I am very happy with my Hyundai Sonata. It feels like Im driving a much more expensive car. Even the buying experience was pleasant. Im so glad I chose the Hyundai Sonato instead of the Toyota Camry (my previous car).