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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  Looks Arent Everything - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By creeves1 - July 6 - 8:39 am

  I would like to preference this by saying I Never write reviews on anything, so this is a Huge deal to me. Lets see where can I start....Okay so I just purchased a 2012 Hyundai Elantra which I had so desperately wanted since the new body changed in 2011. Let me just be honest here I dont have any Major complaints, but my only issue is the noise level when I am driving. At first it start off on rough roads with potholes, now it seems like the noise and sound when I drive is just becoming louder and louder and it is driving me crazy. Its not a sound coming from the car itself just the noise I can hear when I am driving on rough and smooth roads.

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  Unbelievably Great MPG! - 2013 Hyundai Accent
  By capisce - July 2 - 5:36 pm

  Ive had this for 90 days/4,250 m. I researched small hatchbacks for weeks. MPG, crash test results, price, value of included features were all criteria. The kicker is the 136 hp in the 1.6 liter engine. All of the competitors had less output yet still could not beat the Accents rated MPG or price. (OK, if you blow a few more Ks for a turbo Sonic, or Maza 3 or Fiesta you might get more ponies under the hood, but why)? I drive the 6 sp stick prudently--using cruise on the highway and staying within 7 mph of posted limits. Invariably I get 42 to 44 mpg. My city driving consistently gives 38 to 39 mpg. Phenomenal! FYI, Im consciously coasting whenever feasible and avoiding jack-rabbit starts.

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  Canadian purchaser - 2013 Hyundai Genesis
  By ncc4 - July 2 - 3:25 pm

  I have been looking for some time and with the new transmission, bigger brakes, and updated exterior, I finally decided to buy. Cabernet pearl with tan interior. I bought the base model as I dont need navigation or the 17speaker sound system. This is my "grand kids and golf course" car. Still a bit apprehensive about Hyundai service on a luxury car, but time will tell. Had the 3-M chip film put on the hood/fenders, and got the all weather mats and trunk tray. Recommended by C/R, Phil Edmonds ( Lemon Aid ) and recently got the JD Power award for initial quality ahead of Mercedes, Lexus etc. so that says something. Why dont they sell more??

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  Not bad, not great - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By chris72771 - June 30 - 8:39 pm

  The interior is very roomy yet it is very plain and some of it appears bare bones. The car has been reliable but the engine has seemed to run rough since day 1. When I asked the dealer about it I was told it was normal for the new cars to not idle smoothly. (It still makes no sense to me but it is what it is) The car is very fuel efficient but definitely could have had more bells and whistles for the price.

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  2012 Elantra Wont Start - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By 20grand4crap - June 25 - 10:37 am

  Brand new car. Intermittently wont start. Starts only maybe 30% of the time. Six trips to the dealership, all to no avail. they scratch their heads and send me back home with the hunk of junk. Every week, im having to get it towed in because it wont start.

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  Mine just died... - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By 00elantra - June 17 - 3:30 pm

  I bought my 2000 Elantra in 05 (and its actually an automatic transmission - not given that option in dropdown box), and it has officially died right at 150,000 miles. The head gasket is leaking - I could replace for about $1,200, but Im not. AC compressor happens to be leaking / needs replacement also at this time. It was a fine little car while it lasted. Only major repairs prior to this were: front strut mounts at 120k miles entire radiator replaced at 100k CV joint / axle joint issues couple times (not a big deal) went through many tires & car pulled most of the time. Very little mechanical issues.

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  Not Happy - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By sem103 - June 13 - 1:04 am

  Purchased 05.14.2013 had it in the shop for bluetooth not downloading contacts, delivered with scratch on glove box door and window tint not done properly on 05.24.2013, windows retinted, glove box door replaced bluetooth problem not fixed. The way vehicle drove seemed odd took a few weeks to get use to it, noticed it was pulling to the right and the steering wheel was not centered and extensive wear on left front tire. Bluetooth still will not download contacts have tried several different phones. Dealership told me that steering wheel and pulling to right would not be covered by warranty, even though it has driven that way since i got it with 65 miles on it. Making another appointment.

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  Horrible car - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By genesiscoupe7 - June 11 - 12:32 pm

  I bought the limited 2013 brand new and it has had problems from day. Not to mention they lied about the MPG, and now there is a recall for the car. Also when you step on the brakes hard the whole car sounds like its about to fall apart. Stay away from Hyundais they are not what they used to be. THey are having problems with all of their cars now. You will see massive recalls and their business will go down. THey are pushing leases now so people dont realize what junk they bought.

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  Wonderful car! - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By margarets_dad - June 10 - 11:39 am

  Bought this car used with 42,500 miles, and have put on another 5,000. This is a fantastic car for the city--very durable and fits into the parking spaces that are too small for everyone else. The car drives very nicely, and has a substantial feel for its size. Its handling is excellent, and although it doesnt have a huge amount of power (how much do you really need anyway, unless youre in the Indy 500?), the engine is very peppy with the manual transmission and it has more than enough oomph for day-to-day driving. Depreciation on Hyundais is still pretty bad (undeservedly so), which is bad for the original owner, but great if you want to get a high-quality used car at a great price.

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  So thankful - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By uraveragemom - June 10 - 10:53 am

  To put it simply, this car saved my son and my life. We were hit oncoming on the passenger side. Had this car not have been made with such durable materials and just all around a well crafted car, I dont even want to think about what might had happen. We both came out unscathed. Before this had happened, I loved my car. It was the first one Id ever bought and I couldnt have been more happy with my purchase. It was roomy, the sound system was awesome. I bought it with 78,000 miles. Only replaced back brakes. The only thing I didnt like was the gas mileage but thats expected with a V6.