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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  dissapointed - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By gismo2012 - August 10 - 8:32 am

  I bought a 2012 accent last yr new,I like the style and interior but the performance of it is very bad,last winter i had an experience I have never felt with any car,the roads were slushy and I had no control of the car,it was all over the road,stearing went one way and tires went another,also felt like I had no brakes took to dealer,of cource they found nothing also the gas,oh my god it eats gas,and the gas gauge is way off all the time,the range gauge that tells you how much further you can drive on that tank drops 2-3 miles as you are driving,even if I go a block.I have the digital gas gauge and that drops fast to,The dealer says nothing wrong,of course.

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  Sad to trade at 194,000 - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By tommyz504 - August 8 - 1:05 am

  This little car has performed so reliably I hate to see it go. Comfortable interior (though the cup holders are truly miserable), nice handling, zippier than you might expect. Bought used at 121,000 up to 185k car spent only one day out of service. New Orleans streets took out a U-joint at 125k brakes at 150k, gasket at 175k, high pressure hose around the same time, 2 alternators in 6 years, and belts from time to time. Timing belt at 185k. Minor interior nuisances: rear window motors out at 130k, driver door handle failed, drivers window gasket out of line. City mpg was always a bit disappointing: steady at 18 mpg, much better on the hwy. Still, it was a great way to get around town.

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  Bad Mileage. Check out the lawsuits. - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By lonyjeff - August 6 - 4:13 am

  I bought the 2012 Elantra. The most mileage I got was 24MPG on highway 18MPG on the street I do not drive fast. Steering wheel peels. Awful car. I fill up every 3-4days on 66 miles per day do not buy this car read the real reviews first. Hyundai lawsuit gave $89.00 for gas compensation for 25000 miles. that not even three weeks worth of gas.

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  Do not buy - brakes fail on lots of HYUNDAIs - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By i_love_carz - August 3 - 10:17 am

  Brake pedal goes to the floor occasionally. No braking at all!!! I am told the ABS module has failed and not covered by warranty at 62,199 miles as I am the 2nd owner. $2,500 repair cost. This is a chronic/common problem with Hyundais and should be covered as a recall because the engineering/manufacturing process or something is obviously is defective! Do your research as brake problems with Hyundais is way too common. Go to http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov and look for yourself

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  Not happy! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By 2424 - August 2 - 3:58 pm

  I have 20000 miles on my elantra. the first 600 miles I followed the recommended break-in procedure from the owners manual. I drive conservatively and always have eco on. I average 22 to 24 mpg city. very disappointing. dealer checked it out and said all specs were normal. I was doing almost that well with my sonata. My trunk latch and glove compartment have had to be replaced. Noise from front brakes that dealer could not solve. Pads are good. So all in all, I wish I had kept my sonata.

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  Average Yet Amazing - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By destiny225 - July 22 - 9:37 pm

  I currently get an average of 30 mpg thats through town mainly with some highway, but I do drive conservatively. The seating is spacey both in the back and front. The seats are quite large in the front compared to other 2009/2010 cars that I have seen. The sound is amazing. I barely have to turn my radio up unlike multiple other cars I have test driven/driven (forester, grand caravan, corolla, etc.). I also have noticed that the ride can be a little more than just bumpy over potholes, but nothing severe. The acceleration is slow when preparing to enter the highway, but I hear you can fix that by taking the ECO off. I havent tried to turn the ECO off though.

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  LOVE this sedan. Have only a few dislikes - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By cooperlr - July 14 - 7:06 pm

  I love this vehicle. I am leasing this vehicle and would love to own it. Thinking of purchasing it or even rolling my new lease to another, newer Elantra. Overall, this car is excellent and has been very reliable. Hyundai has stood by their advertisements with the fuel-efficiency even though they give me a check for every five thousand miles due to a suit pressed against them for failed fuel-efficiency. I live in the city and drive highways daily. I get 38-40.5 MPG Highway and/ or 30-35 MPG City. I drive 60 miles give or take a day.

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  Wouldnt Recommend this Car - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By dwrbebop - July 12 - 8:58 am

  I am sitting in the dealership service department waiting for them to Fix a coolant leak, the A/C, and try to figure out why it blows an astronomical amount of smoke when I accelerate to pass another vehicle. This is a $21,000 brand new automobile and there is no reason for me to have this kind of trouble this soon after purchasing. As many of the other post stated as soon as Hyundai get your money they dont want anything else to do with you. Actually called Hyundai Motor Company to get explanation as to why I was having this trouble this early in my purchase. I was told that they have no explanation and was very rude. I will not be buying another Hyundai any time soon.

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  Happy with my purchase! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By johnbaptist - July 7 - 10:06 pm

  I previously owned a 2005 Elantra and was so happy with it that I stuck with Hyundai. Right off the bat, you can tell the appearance was really stepped up from prior model--and even compared to other cars in class. It looks very sleek and sporty, making it look more expensive than it really is. Additionally, the actual gas mileage (while admittedly a complaint of many reviewers) is still an improvement over previous models. Elantras used to be less fuel-efficient than Honda Civics but now they are equal. That was one reason I opted out of the Civic this time. I have reached the 1000 mile mark and so far I am averaging 33 mpg. Broken down, I get 20-25 mpg city, and 35-40 mpg highway.

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  2012 Genesis R-Spec 5.0 - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By bheitert - July 7 - 9:49 am

  Great car, blast to drive! Good looking car, most of the time no-one can figure out who makes the car. When I tell them its a Hyundai theyre dumbfounded. Took it to a 4th of July car show and won 3rd place in the Import Car class! Not bad for a 4 door.