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, Fun to drive (SE) - 2013 Hyundai Accent
  By realquiet - April 7 - 12:48 pm

  My wife and I were looking for a commuter care (90% city/10% highway). With stop lights every mile to half-mile we are averaging 28 to 29mpg (w/o AC). This breaks even with my 06’ Civic (5-speed manual). As I am use to driving a manual, I do find that the automatic transmission could be more responsive and that the car shifts up a gear a little too early (to improve fuel economy). For example, this is annoying when traffic goes from 35-25-35: Civic (3rd-3rd-3rd) / Accent (4th-3rd-4th). While the 6-speed automatic has shorter gear ratios, I still feel like it is shifting too early and this causes the RPMs to spike and the car to pull forward more eagerly than anticipated.

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  I love my Sonata - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By youcantseeme - April 5 - 2:09 pm

  I have 125k+ Miles on my car and its still going strong! I was told it gets 21-24 city miles per gallon, but I get 26-31 mpg as long as Im keeping up with maintenance and what not (air filter changes, oil changes, etc. also have fuel efficient tires) I also drive on cruise control as much as possible which makes a huge difference. the interior is comfortable and roomy, the exterior is pretty standard. No complaints. only repairs Ive needed so far were very minor ones that are to be expected or were just standard maintenance (aka windshield wipers, headlights, new brakes, new tires, etc.) but the car runs like a dream.

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  Great Car for the Money - 2013 Hyundai Azera
  By msticks - April 3 - 11:24 am

  As a longtime Infiniti driver, my friends gave me quite a hard time when I traded my Infiniti M35X for a 2013 Hyundai Azera with the technology package. Let them laugh as I laugh all the way to the bank. This is a luxury car in everything but name and price. For well under $40K I got a better ride, more features and much better fuel economy than the Infiniti I traded in. I test drove quite a few cars including Audis and BMWs but based on content and build quality I just couldnt justify $20 to $30K more for a name. Engine is smooth and responsive and the leather is as butter soft as in any other "Luxury" car that I could actually afford.

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  Very Disappointed - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By lemon25 - April 1 - 8:39 am

  This is the third Hyundai I have owned and, to be honest, the one I like the least. Outwardly it is a beautiful car. I owned it less than two weeks when I had to have a new steering column installed. I have owned the car since last July and find the suspension so loose that hitting a bump in the road causes the car to jump sideways. At freeway speeds the car tends to drift somewhat. Noisy, as well. I dont feel I have as much control with this model. It is very light and I dont feel I have a sturdy vehicle under me. Additionally, the gas mileage is just about the same as my 2008. Sorry I traded my 2008 Elantra for this new, (improved?) model. No more Hyundais for me.

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  Zero problems - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By morahno - March 30 - 4:07 pm

  Bought with 128k miles on it. Changed the battery and windshield wipers cause they were old, thats it. After 8 months and 10k have had absolutely no problems.I get 28 mpg combined. The exterior is pretty cool comparing to other cars with same age imo, the interior of course is not good looking, in high speeds it shakes sometimes, the steering wheel shakes a little most of the time, but for the money I paid and the reliability I got, I can overlook those.

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  MY ELANTRA IS GREAT - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By latruck - March 26 - 3:23 pm

  Ive owned many different cars, from a caddy to a fiat. This is my first hyundai and I love it. Ive only owned it for a month but so far Im happy with my car and the all the people at hyundai dealership. Couldnt have had a better experience

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  Genesis 4.6 Rocks My World - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By 3xhyundai - March 25 - 9:20 am

  Third Hyundai I have bought. First a Sonata GLS, then a Santa Fe Limited for the wife, now it was time to upgrade to the Genesis 4.6L. This car is what I call an "upper-middle class" luxury car. It has all the options that the top German and Japanese automakers offer, but for much, much less. Granted, I have only had the car for 12 days, but it is everything I dreamed it would be. I look for excuses to go out of the house just so I can drive it. Great power, great interior features, looks like a million bucks and will turn some heads. Had four State Troopers stop and check it out in the parking lot at lunch last week. I dont think they knew what it was.

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  Outstanding value, power and handling - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By aseries - March 23 - 12:20 pm

  Our 2006 Hyundai Sonata LX has 68,000 miles. My wife used it for daily commuting for 5 years with an occasional road trip. We are both retired now and it is mostly used for road trips around Minnesota and one or two long trips to Arizona and other vacation spots. It is by far the best family car I have owned. I have it regularly serviced at our local Hyundai dealer and I have experienced only one minor issue with rear brakes. Otherwise...zero problems. It is a joy to drive on the highway or twisty back roads. I am on my second set of tires and brakes. This week I will replace the original battery. We fully intend to keep this car forever, God willing.

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  Six Years and Still Happy Customer - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By danbro1 - March 21 - 3:35 pm

  Overall, I am VERY pleased with my 2006 Sonata LX. I purchased it new in 2006 and have had two minor warranty repairs, a power window malfunction and an ignition key issue. I change the oil and rotate the tires every 4M miles. I have about 55M miles on the car.

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  Can NOT reccomend this car - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By veevolt - March 20 - 5:19 pm

  I hope a ton of people read Edmunds reviews and will not be lured in by Hynundais pleasing designs and high option content. I see there are others here that are dissapointed! I had TWO 2012 Elantras, the first one bought back due a intermitent "no start" problem that the dealership cound not fix. We had car #1 for about 3 months. Car #2 has suffered from several stall outs, this happens in the City, or on the Highway. My bluetooth has never worked right, cruise control worked when it wanted to, had a clunk in the front suspension from 8k miles, the engine developed a nasty ticking sound at idle, and of course the fuel mileage, Ive seen best 28 mpg while drafting a semi in Montana. avg is 25