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:

• 

  new car - 2014 Hyundai Elantra
  By joe480 - April 26 - 1:09 pm

  I have a new car a 2014 Elantra. I found with less than 100 miles on it the speedometer was off by 3 mph. When it showed 35 miles per hour the car was only going 32 mph. I called Keys and took it in. They did their tests called Hyundai and did not fix the problem. I was told the car is with in limits. The dealer said they can not help it is up to Hyundai. So much for bumper to bumper coverage. I might have given a good rating but now every time I get into the car I have to speed to go the correct mph. How they can say it is with in limits when clearly the speedometer is off by 3 mph. I now wonder when something goes wrong what they will tell me why they wont fix it. Beware

• 

  Ready to give the car back - 2014 Hyundai Elantra
  By tracker14 - April 23 - 5:54 am

  Just bought the car 1 week ago and I want to give it back. I regret buying it. The front seats are extremely uncomfortable if you drive more than 20 minutes . My legs go numb and I limp every time I get out of the car . I did take the car for two test drives before I bought it, but never long distance. I am tall, 6.1. The angle of the seat bottom is something I never considered. In the Hyundai it is extreme. I will look at seat bottom angles at any future car buying adventures .

• 

  What a dissappointment - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By april_lynn - March 25 - 9:10 am

  At first we loved the car but noticed the MPG was not as described. The 1st month we had it the breaks had to be replaced because of a noise they made. Next the tires were horrible loud. After that it has gone down hill, the car shakes horrible at stop lights (while in gear) and we have had a knocking noise from the motor. Taking to the dealer several times we left with nothing done. Finally I recorded the sound and took it back where they said there was metal in my oil and they would replace the motor.. This was at 24,000 miles... New motor is now making the same noise (1,000miles later) Hyundais answer swap motor out AGAIN. Is anyone else having these same issues???

• 

  Not Happy with my Hyundai Accent - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By 75caddie - March 8 - 9:15 pm

  I bought mine in 2011. One of the first models. I liked the looks inside and out. So I bought it. After owning it for 2 1/2 years I will say that I hate this car. I read previous reviews and would like to let them know that they are not alone. They brought up the same complaints that I had.Poor rear visibility. If this car comes with a rear wiper for a reason.LCD display. (see previous poster) Cheap tires. Do not buy one with the cheap tires.They suck. No spare tire. I swear to God and all that is Holy that was one of the dumbest moves I have ever made. Driving in snowstorms or on slushy roads. Forget it. If you are not used to snowy/slippery roads, just pull over and hope you live.

• 

  Extremely poor service/quality - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By passingby2 - March 2 - 3:46 pm

  My 2010 Elantra GLS was purchased in May 2011 with 30,000 miles on it. Six months later the transmission had to be replaced and the dealer inserted a refabricated one NOT a new one. Six months later...a front motor mount had to be replaced...and a few months later--a safety recall on a brake part was issued. Now, the car is vibrating again and two independent mechanics have stated, in writing, that a transmission bracket is loose and a motor mount is beginning to crack. After 2 separate trips to the Leesburg Hyundai dealership the mgr stated there is nothing wrong with the car. There are 400 miles left on warranty --then repairs are my responsibility. Staff was rude and non- caring.

• 

  Terrible fuel mileage and poor supension - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By tdaly16 - February 28 - 2:29 pm

  Bought this cars cause it was showing 58 mpg when I bought it on the sticker in the window I get 28 mpg but I get a credit car from Hyundai for them lying about the mileage works to to fill my tank 2 times a year and I figure Im using about 10-12 tanks extra a year. If I have 2 passengers in the back seat my wheels rub on the plastic cover in the wheels wells every dip in the highway I consider this to be a safety issue took a picture of it to the dealership and was told they put 2 people in the back of the car on the show room and it did the same thing so theres nothing they can do. I also paid 1500 for interior warranty and have a stain that they wont cover only cover threads popping

• 

  just traded in 2013 hyundai elantra - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By steven39 - February 20 - 7:02 pm

  Purchased 2013 Hyundai elantra last summer and recently traded it in..It was trouble from day one..the radio came on whenever it felt like it and the trunk unlocked by itself also..

• 

  The car is a bad joke - stop buying Hyundai until they get serious - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By whatfuture - February 10 - 7:01 pm

  1. Its rated well by Consumer Reports. 2. Looking good inside and out doesnt make for a quality car. 3. I feel ripped off and I did my research. Im currently looking to trade it in with @1100 mi. 4. I shouldnt have purchased the vehicle...

• 

  Buikd quality Misses - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By muddie36 - January 16 - 8:29 am

  There are certain build quality issues with Hyundai and I believe that this was good first serious attempt to challenge Toyota and Honda. But the cup holders are horrible and should have never ever made it to production. What was hyundai thinking? One can only assume that Koreans think that every drink Americans have are supersized big gulfs? (they did address this with the 2010 updates). The Sunvisor breaking arm issue should have been a recall and not a TSB. The Sunvisor arm breaks and then comes down while you are driving, so I guess its okay that the visor comes down and blocks your view causing an accident. And the final pet peeve are the break lig

• 

  7.2 L/100 Km, Not really - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By richiray - January 3 - 8:51 pm

  I am writing this review cause I am disappointed with my 2013 Elantra GLS. After driving for some weeks and going for three full tanks, I am not even close to the publicized 7.2 L/Km. I am getting between 8 and 9 L/100 km (city and highway combined). I drive very cautiously, never accelerate too aggressively or maintain the car idle for prolonged periods of time. I went to see the Hyundai dealer and they first mentioned that they could not do anything about it, that 9 L/100 Km was better than other drivers were getting. I had to push the dealership to do something and I they said that I needed to take the car for a road test and I needed to pay for the test. I accepted.