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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  Overall Love - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Moms Taxi - October 28 - 2:00 am

  I bought this vehicle two weeks after it was on the market. Major issues have been doors jamming and mine are not automatic. I have had problems with both sides not closing. When my seats are folded into the floor the car squeaks loudly...annoying. Brakes are definitely an issue and my brake servicer blames the calipers. I have had a couple sensors fail that literally stopped my vehicle from moving. Fuel economy is not so hot but I did see that on the sticker upfront. This van does handle very nicely and everyone who has driven it is impressed and surprised. I have five kids and it is very roomy.

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  Elantra weaknesses - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By don dwyer - October 25 - 2:00 am

  The brakes are too abrupt at low speeds,a slight touch at 2 mph and it and jerks the passengers as they are to touchy.OK at driving speeds.Also, when I push the driver door open there is a tendency to inadvertently lock the door and is discovered only when I attempt to reenter the auto. Aside from the above the car is great.

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  Amazing car - 1997 Hyundai Accent
  By andrewts - October 24 - 2:00 am

  In the 70,000 miles since I got the car,(its at 156,000 at the moment) Ive had to fix nothing but an 02 sensor and the timing belt/water pump. Its completely gutless, and not much bigger than a Geo Metro, but Ive ranged from 35-42 MPG overall, the turn radius is crazy small, and it fits in any parking space. Plus, tires are dirt cheap. I got Bridgestone tires from Costco for $38 each.

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  Exactly As Advertised - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By ODU Dad - October 24 - 2:00 am

  My daughter has been looking for a car for a while and I decided to assist her. After looking at various options (mainly through other reviewers such as here), I started focusing on the Elantra. Because I am concerned for my daughters safety, I decided to focus on the SE model, which also has traction control and stability control. The next step was to find one that was economical but had relatively few miles on it. I found a used 2009 SE with about 9k miles on it and bought it for 13k. After using it for about a month, we are very pleased with the car. It is exactly as advertised: a well built car with many important safety features that doesnt cost an absurd amount of money.

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  Small problems - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By Karra - October 20 - 2:00 am

  The only BIG problem I had was the brake lights stopped working. Hyundai had to replace the brake switch box. I replaced my tires twice after 3 yrs of having my car. I am now experiencing the Check Engine light coming on. My car also makes a small flap like sound. Which I am going to have Hyundai check out tomorrow. The inside of the vehicle is too hard to keep clean (paneling) I have scrubbed it with EVERYTHING imaginable. any suggestions.?? I do overall like my car but I do question some things. I have had to have an air bag replaced - I have NO IDEA why it had to be replaced though

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  Pros and cons - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By npg - October 20 - 2:00 am

  Unless you own a tire shop, dont buy. Although maintained properly, the rear (drive) tires were junk in 15,000 miles! Dont buy the optional GPS/Camera System---Pitiful! Rides like a tank!

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  The little car that could - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Silentwolf - October 19 - 2:00 am

  Many hate Hyundai, but never really give them a shot. So far I havent really been disappointed. I might wish for more, but Im happy with the sub $14k price paid. Takes to mods well, including using factory items from higher Hyundai models Car will also take a beating and keep on ticking. Had a compressed piston rod from water logging the engine, but it ran for 20k miles with naught but a misfire code. Have had a couple of minor quality issues dealing with poor taillight fitment and center arm rest fabric coming loose. Only other minor thing would be the mpg. Tho others report more, I ~27 mpg mixed tho have got 33 mpg on long road trips. Still way better than my 18-20 mpg in last car.

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  A no frills car - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Vinod - October 17 - 2:00 am

  Bought this amidst much warning from all friends and ignorant people who tend to be scared about buying anything other than a Toyota or a Honda from the used cars. Reason why I bought this was how Elantras offered the same features and higher power than a corolla or a civic at a much lower price. After having driven this for more than 16,000 miles, I am very pleased with this car. I have not had any bad experiences and the maintenance has only been preventive maintenance like transmission oil change, brake rotor change etc.

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  I just bought it - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By zoodoo11 - October 17 - 2:00 am

  I saw the commercial for the Genesis, had to check it out. The car looks good, inside and out. Both the driver and passenger have power seats. Plenty of pick up, 290 horse. When the windows rolled up nothing but quiet.

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  Great Car at Great Price - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By Rich - October 12 - 2:00 am

  Purchased used with 20,000 miles at a great price (thousands less than comparable Hondas, Toyotas, etc.). Car drives great and has been very reliable. Disappointed in gas mileage for a compact car (30 mpg average). No reliability issues.