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. One major flaw!!! - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By motorgolf - July 5 - 1:14 am

  I love the car. Second Hyundai and no complaints other than one. Air bag passenger Off Light glows a bright orange at night even when no one is sitting in the passenger seat. It is very disconcerting since everything else is a very nice blue. I contacted Hyundai corporate. A very nice lady said there was no solution and she asked me if I could avoid driving at night. I told her not really. I didnt buy a luxury car that I wouldnt drive it at night. She realized she asked a dumb question. My solution is to scotch tape a penny over the Off Light at night. I wonder if a Lexus has the same kind of flaw.

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  2012 Elantra GLS - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By thfrazer - June 28 - 2:25 pm

  2012 Hyundai Elantra GLS Black with gray interior and Automatic transmission, preferred package, carpeted floor mats, ipod cable, electrochromatic mirror with Homelink, and emergency roadside kit. This will be a long and detailed review. I must preface everything by saying that I have been driving a 2000 BMW 323ia for the past 11 years. It now becomes my sons. It is impossible for me to review any car without reflecting back on my experience with my BMW. If BMW’s weren’t so damn expensive I’d never buy another brand. I will try to point out the areas where my BMW experience has impacted my review of the Hyundai. My job requires that I carry a catalog case with about 35 pounds of paper in it and I am reluctant to toss it in for fear of breaking the floor, but I’ve never actually tested my theory. It would be nice if there were some trays in the floor on the side of the trunk to put things you don’t want sliding around (a la BMW). The doors are also light and easy to open. I am very impressed with how wide they open. Especially the front doors. It makes it very easy to enter and exit the vehicle. Compared to my BMW this is very impressive! When opening the doors from inside the car there is not a defined click or sound/feel when the door unlatches. I’m 53 so I like my AC/DC, Tull, and Zeppelin loud. The Ipod cable and connection work great. Once the system has “loaded” your Ipod you can control it from the radio stack or the steering wheel. Very nice! Seats: The drivers seat is easy to position and it alone has an up/down feature. For me the sides of the bottom cushion push in on my thighs too much even though I’m only 5’ 10” and 170lbs. After a while it begins to annoy me. I’m sure my legs will get accustomed to this, but for now I notice it. I am one of those people that can’t sit anywhere without my lower back being uncomfortable so my comments about the seats should be taken with that in mind. Air-conditioning: The controls are easy to see and easy to manipulate. The air is ice-cold, as it should be. One small issue is that if you use Max AC then you cannot have the air blowing anywhere but from the upper vents. The fan noise is minimal. Miscellaneous: The center armrest in the front slides forward which is nice. However, once you’ve done that it is not easy to push the latch to lift it up to reveal the storage area below it. The side pockets of the front doors have a tilted bottle holder. These will NOT work for cups or anything else that doesn’t have a lid that seals well. They will work well for baby bottles, but not for cups from a fast food restaurant. I haven’t had to put the brakes to any kind of test, but they have stopped me quickly when I just wanted to see what would happen. This car is light so any kind of brakes would do a good job. Fuel Economy As I’ve pointed out the Elantra was built with lightweight materials in an attempt to increase gas mileage. The lack of a spare tire is for weight savings as well as cost savings. You will notice the bumps and jolts in this car more than you would in an SUV or heavier car such as a BMW. That is the price you pay for better fuel economy. Unfortunately, you are NOT going to get the mileage you see posted on the window in my opinion.

• 

  286,000 Miles and Almost Like New - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By warren_j - June 25 - 6:49 am

  I am actually the second owner. The first commuted 300 miles each day from PA to MD four 4 years (80K miles /year x 4 years). I just drove from MD to Atlanta to pick up my daughter over the past three days. From the look of the car, you would think I just went to the 7eleven. Ive owned 2 Fords, 2 Nissans, 1 Mitsubishi, 1 Toyota, 1 VW and 2 Audis. This is the coolest little car Ive ever owned. It gets about 36 miles per gallon average, turns on a dime, runs perfectly, is super smooth in traffic and up to 80 mph on the highway, and looks pretty good. The 6 CD stereo sounds really good, although it skips when running without AC in summer heat. In short, its an amazing little car.

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  Cannot Bring myself to trade it - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By generalflea - June 24 - 11:44 am

  My wife and I bought this car back in June of 2008 and it has been one of the best decisions ever! The little guy, (now known as the General Flea due to its color (tango red) being close to the General Lee and the way I can drive it) has been faithful at every turn. We bought it with 2 miles on the clock and it now has close to 50,000 without any trouble, just gas, some oil, and a couple of airfilters. The transmission at first was rough but I added a more sporting clutch setup and it has alleviated the rough transmission. This car has been known to hit 51mpg on the highway before and usually has a combined city/highway of 36mpg, well above its estimate. Overall great car!

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  2011 4.6 Black on Tan - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By corkdsp - June 22 - 1:09 pm

  2 weeks ago purchased 2011 4.6 with deep discounts from dealer ($35,200 plus dealer fee and TTL). Traded my 2004 BMW530. Gave up some driving dynamics for a more soft ride and more body roll than I am used too but the increase in raw power and luxury features plus 20k staying in my pocket feels well worth it. Genesis has worked flawlessly and very enjoyable to drive. Highly recommend this vehicle so far.

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  A very well built car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By elster - June 19 - 1:21 pm

  Bought my 2004 Sonata 4cyl base model used in 2006 with 24K miles. My car currently has 138K miles and still going. No major work needed. Biggest repair was the cv/boot from all the speed bumps I went over. This cost about $600. Also needed a new engine mount at about 100K miles. I get 25MPG city and 31MPG on long trips. The other drawback is the paint job. Very peeled, but not worth repairing for a 7 year old car. They make good cars.

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  Love the car - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By nerl945 - June 17 - 12:18 am

  Ive had my 2012 Elantra for a week now, have put almost 700 miles on it. Ive done two fill-ups, first one included 65% highway and got 38.1, The second one today which included 75% in town and 25% highway, I got 33.1. This is actual mileage, miles divided by gallons. Taking it on a trip this weekend and expect 40 plus on highway. The front has as much room as our 2010 Malibu, back 3" less leg room. Trunk is .3 cubic ft less than Malibu. It has more than enough power and drives very nicely. First time I ever paid "sticker" for a car but it is worth it. Made in the USA by non union labor. Gas mileage, outstanding style, build quality, outstanding warranty drew me to the car.

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  Great car - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By skisurf1 - June 16 - 11:11 pm

  I own a 2006 Civic currently and have owned a Chevy and Toyota. The dealer experience was not up to speed but the car is. You just can beat the warranty, the price and free road side assistance for 5 years. Honda civic would cost $3000 more and probably have as many recalls like my current Hondas. The transmission kills my 06 Civic. I feel little vibrations in the seat and cabin is quiet compared to Honda. I cant say enough about the design. They have surpassed Honda and Toyota simply as that.

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  WOW! - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By satexas - June 15 - 8:56 pm

  My wife and i decided to depart from the luxury car segment and get something more practical. We decided on the hyundai because of the feature content of the limited and the gas mileage. We just werent sure of hyundai reliability. I am happy to say we have had the car 3 months and havent looked back. Sure its no speed demon, but if all you want is a great every day driver and a car that has most of the technology of a luxury car with great gas mileage then this is the car for you. My wife has managed up to 44mpg hypermiling it on the expressway. Those people that arent getting the high 30 mpg on the highway may just need to have a lighter foot. Great car would totally recommended.

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  Best Car For The Money - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By poematic - June 9 - 6:23 pm

  Just bought it today, out of all the new cars I test drove the look and feel of this one blows all of them out of the ball park.