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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  still going strong! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By tigerbully - May 27 - 8:36 pm

  My 2001 Hyundai Elantra has over 340,000 miles and still kicks backside going up and over the grapevine numerous times a year. As a matter of fact it just made yet another trip from Oregon to California last month. I just had the transmission replaced and a new clutch(the second one) last week. If you maintain a car and fix it when the littlest problems comes up it will be good to you. Having said that my daughter is using this car to commute 110 miles back and forth to school 5 days a week while I am driving a brand new 2013 Hyundai Elantra and so is my husband thats how impressed we have been with this car. Didnt test drive or look at anything else.

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  Defective engine - 2012 Hyundai Equus
  By ted2332 - May 23 - 9:30 am

  At little over a year, performance and gas mileage began to deteriorate. Next, an engine knocking became increasingly loud.no check engine or oil pressure light warning. Dealer found oil 3 quarts low-- suspect that the engine had already been damaged..on investigation, this is a systemic problem which Hyundai Equus and Genesis with the same engine share. Hyundai does not appear ready to own up to the defective engine which occurred with the higher horse powered 2012. Major blow in their aspirations to compete as a luxury brand

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  Great little commuter / light traveler - 2013 Hyundai Accent
  By vivaster - May 22 - 1:41 am

  I spent many hours researching cars and test driving them, found this little Accent to be the most roomy, efficient new car you can buy for the money. My criteria was it had to be able to carry 2 adults and two car seats (2 kids). Zippy enough to take over the pass loaded. The trunk is roomy enough for weekend trips. I was able to get mine for $13,600 + fees for a base model. The manual transmission is very slick and the clutch is very light. Low wind noise on the freeway. Handling feels tight, but still soft over bumps.

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  Best Car Ive Ever Owned - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By collette93 - May 19 - 1:02 pm

  I bought my Sonata with 17,000 miles on it. It now has 204,000 miles and its still going strong. It has never once left me stranded, and Ive only had to do the usual car maintenance: brakes, tires, tune up, etc. I have been meticulous about oil changes every 3,000 miles. The interior is still in great shape, and it continues to be a comfortable ride, still. Truly the best car Ive ever owned. My only complaint is that its not the greatest in terms of gas mileage.

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  Very good car - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By ahtoh1 - May 19 - 11:34 am

  Got it new. Now has 110,000KM. Few minor issues that dealer repaired no problem. Overall quality of the car is very good. I would advise to drop it off at the dealer for a full checkup just before warranty runs out. On my car the bracket that holds exhaust pipe rutted out and i did not notice after warranty ran out. I really like the look of the car. I owned 1986 excel, then first and second generation of Accent and now 3rd generation Accent. 3rd generation is almost perfect.

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  Good Car in Need of a Suspension! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By brooklynjoel - May 18 - 6:32 pm

  My wife and I purchased our Elantra GLS in late June of 2012. So far the car has required nothing other than routine maintenance in the 8,200 miles weve driven it. Our main reason for purchasing this car was to obtain good fuel economy, and good value. It replaced a 2003 Honda Accord 4 cylinder that was burning a quart of oil every 700 miles with only 86,000 miles on it! The best Ive seen using the cruise control on the highway (65 mph) is about 33 mpg, which is lower than we expected. In NYC traffic, the fuel economy has dipped to as low as 16 mpg. This is disappointing. Hyundai has promised to reimburse us for the fuel economy shortfall as has been widely reported.

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  Good car but gas mileage disappointing - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By gws2 - May 15 - 5:45 pm

  I used to test auto manufacturers prototypes, so I understand how to drive for best MPG. No matter how I drive the Elantra, I never get over 28 MPG highway or city. Gas mileage was biggest selling point for me. My Infiniti G20 I traded got better MPG

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  Just an amazing car - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By lovethiscar - May 15 - 2:11 pm

  I traded in my 2007 Civic. The Elantra so much more car for the money as I test drove a new Civic as well.

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  I Cant Complain - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By lclark3 - May 14 - 3:53 pm

  I purchased the 2012 Elantra Feb. 2013 as a birthday gift to myself. I must say I have no complaints other than the car not coming with a spare tire (that is just lame and cheap), what am i supposed to do with a air pump?! And the steering quality on rough or damaged roads (cant have it all). Also I just received a recall notice because of the side airbags, but I am happy that the company was able to communicate this safety error.

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  Ive never had a more reliable car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By cbutschek - May 13 - 12:32 pm

  Ive had this car for about 6 years now. It has never let me down. Not long after buying it, I rear-ended an old truck that should have, in all honesty, torn things up. The car started right back up and has been running flawlessly ever since. Ive never had a bad belt and, unlike my Ford, a broken a/c compressor doesnt affect engine performance. The serpentine belt started squealing a little shortly before the alternator went dead earlier this year, but I suspect a squeaky pulley rather than the belt. There is plenty of power and handles very well. I trust it to keep me and my family safe on the road, within reason.