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:

• 

  Calling all recalls - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By disabledvet84 - May 15 - 10:06 pm

  Like most cars, the 2002 Sonata has its recalls and defects, at first this car was rated very high in customer satisfaction and industry standards, for the most part this still holds true despite recall defects... what i find interesting about the bad features of this vehicle is not that its a bad car but that simply stated, The only thing bad about this car is mainly small recall issues in its performace design. what i really like about the company is thats they are quick to investigate any problems with this car to fix any malfunctions free of cost...5 stars here..thats called trust!

• 

  Great except for gas economy for size - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By jobber1 - May 14 - 10:22 am

  I bought it new and now have 162 K on it. Nothings been required beyond standard maintenance. I have never had any problems with it and it is fun and comfortable to drive (and I am 610"). I have owned a 1972 Fiat 124 sedan (auto), 1982 Toyota Tercel (stick), 2001 Honda Accord (auto), 1974 VW Rabbit (stick), diesel 1980 VW Dasher (stick), and a 4-cyl. 1989 Dodge Spirit (stick!). I would rank this Elantra up with any of them ... except for gas economy. The fuel economy is disappointing, but to fair, it does get what the sticker said it would (around 30 hwy). That was like worst of its class that year. (The 2011 Elantra is best! Oh well.) I love my Elantra.

• 

  9 months into it - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By worldbfree - May 13 - 9:27 am

  I now have about 16k on the car, over 100 mile daily commute. I ask a lot of the car and it meets my needs. It has plenty of pep. I can get to / cruise at 80-85 no problem. I just got over 32 m.p.g. for the first time, slowed down used cruise, plenty roomy - reliable, seats have improved. It does not glide or float down the road like my 08 Sonata 4 cyl but I had my 2002 Elantra 8 years 193k, you cant go wrong with a 2010 Elantra not as pretty as the 11 but for about $13,500 cmon auto,cruise,ac etc. - average about 30 m.p.g.

• 

  Bad Tires O Genesis - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By jspong002 - May 11 - 12:47 pm

  After only 7500 miles my two rear tires were completely bald. The dealer replaced them commenting they had never seen anything like that before. After the next 8000 miles the remaing two tires were also bald, but the dealer and Hyundai refused to replace. Do not buy a Hyundai with Dunlop Sp Sport 5000 m tires. Insist the dealer change them or dont buy the car. These are junk tires and should never be put on a car, as they are unsafe.

• 

  What A Car - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By luremakerfdl - May 4 - 11:55 pm

  4 weeks ago picked up my new Elantra. Have been byuing cars since 1958. This with out a doubt is the best ever. Now have 2700 miles on it and there is nothing but smiles on my face. Took 4 adults, ea over 200 lbs, on a 330 mile road trip through the Ozark Mts. in north central Ar. averaged 35.3 actual MPG based on miles and gas used. This was abought 2 MPG less than the trip computer indicated. I traded an 07 Aveo. what a dif. Compared to the 6 Pont Bonnevilles i bought over the years this car beats all of them. Hyundais Baloon purchase with extended amortisation sure keeps the payment lower, nearly $140 less than the best i could get from Chev Dealer for a Cruz.

• 

  I love this car!!! - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By carvedscissors - May 4 - 1:24 pm

  I was considering several vehicles (The Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius, and the Hyundai Elantra) when I decided to go for the new Hyundai Elantra. It looks and feels like a luxury vehicle, without the price tag. It is roomy and fun to drive. =)

• 

  A pretty decent car - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By ibilkut - April 26 - 1:54 pm

  For a little over $18k, its hard to beat what one gets in this car. New styling in and out takes it to a modern, jazzy level. The front seat is comfortable for my 6 foot frame, and the tilt/tele wheel enables me to drop it down low, as is my preference. While the 40 mpg is on the sticker for highway, a mix of long/short drives puts me at about 34-36mpg. Id say the car is responsive, tracks nicely on the open road, brakes quick and tight, pulls nicely into parking spots, has above average pep, and an ample trunk. Im pleased with what this car delivered as compared to Mazda 3 and Honda Civic. Theres some slight engine/road noise, but this is after all not a Lexus.

• 

  Perfect except for 1 - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By natr - April 19 - 3:21 pm

  This car is amazing! I always lease cars because i want to drive the latest model without having to pay a big hefty sum every month. The Elentra was not an option at first, thinking it would be as tight on the inside as a Toyota Corolla. WRONG! this car is amazing! Both my husband and I are tall, we can comfortably sit in the front and back seats without anything touch our knees. Also we have an infant with a car seat plus we carry the stroller everywhere we go. Cargo space if nicely designed to fit more items. And the GPS and bluetooth are amazing features. got it for $1900 and $246/ month for 35 months.

• 

  22,000+miles and still a great car - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By troy26 - April 17 - 3:43 pm

  Fun to drive and wonderful on long freeway trips. average mpg is 24. The 4.6 V8 has very good acceleration, 0 to 60 in 5.3 seconds, leaves BMWs in its dust. Very good seats and easy to get in and our of. The adaptive cruise is the one of the best features.

• 

  I bought my Elantra Limited a month ago - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By jeffdavis1 - April 16 - 12:57 pm

  This car makes me feel like Im driving a much more expensive car. I traded an 08 Nissan Sentra SL and this beats it hands down. The Sentra was quiet, this is more quiet. This car is loaded w/toys that are easy to use and dont look gaudy. The controls are very well put together - elegant. Winters in Michigan means lower fuel milage. My first drive from the dealer (90 miles) showed 35 miles per gallon. The first two fill-ups averaged 31 miles for mixed driving. Unless something happens, Im going to be very happy with this car.