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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  2007 Hyundai Sonata Limited - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By dill - March 12 - 11:34 am

  Overall decent car, gas mileage isnt what was advertised 25-30, have consistently gottn 23-24 mostly highway. Issues with the transmission shift from day 1, dealer said its normal. Tires held up real nice, 65,000 miles. Sound proofing and suspension could use some work. Hear road noises and noise from the sun roof. Brakes dont hold up well either.

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  i like my car but.... - 2010 Hyundai Accent
  By chancey - March 9 - 9:43 pm

  the only complaint i have is a big one, i would say this car gets about twenty miles per gallon period....my ninety five escort got way better mileage

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  Great car w/ good gas mileage! - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By MikeB - March 4 - 12:02 pm

  I owned this car for a little over 2 years about 30,000 miles. I traded in a WRX for this so it was quite different but I needed a better price and gas mileage. It was comfortable got around 30mpg and never had any issues!

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  suspension problems - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By mike - March 4 - 8:36 am

  Into the dealership 3 times with under 1000 miles for suspension noise in front left. Adjusted twice and replaced strut and mount on third visit. Better but still makes popping and cracking noise on bumps more noticeable when turning. Dealer has been great even provided a free loaner but now claims the problem is fixed. I guess I will just turn up the radio - kind of sad for a new car. Also, living in the Buffalo area a temp gauge would be Nice. Over all a good car for the money and warranty but you really are just getting that, nothing extra.

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  Do yourself a favour... - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By CWR - March 3 - 10:38 am

  Do yourself a favor and upgrade to the ABS on the GLS model, especially if you drive in snow or a lot of wet conditions. Considering the price point of these vehicles, it is well worth the investment for the safety of ABS brakes. I was used to the system in a 04 Civic (much better braking system to be sure), and almost paid the ultimate price when I spun out a few times this winter in the Accent GLS w/out ABS. Hyundai should really make ABS standard on all models. Apart from this legitimate beef, its a great little car for the money, far more room inside than Civic. Nice fittings inside, lots of leg room up front, highly capable engine for size of car. Excellent gas mileage all around.

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  Surprising build quality - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Phil - March 2 - 6:00 pm

  This car is a winner. I loved my Acura RL - unfortunately totalled in an accident. Drove Merc E, BMW 5, Lexus GS, etc. If all the same price I would buy this car. More leg room than a BMW 750i, quieter cabin than a Merc S class, same HP, acceleration and MPG as a Lexus LS460. Linear torque curve & loads of power. 10 yr warranty & under $40k w/ V8 & tech pkg. Wow. What an incredible value. The topper is the xclt build quality & refinement, worthy of a Lexus. Minor complaints - should have more wood trim inside (theyre probably holding back to not outshine the upcoming Equus). The suspension is well tuned but transmits a little too much input to the passengers when on imperfect roads.

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  Great little car - 1995 Hyundai Accent
  By wahadooo - February 27 - 3:48 pm

  I bought my car used as a emergency had to have a car as my old one died. I have been very happy since. It is great on mileage(38mpg). The timing belt broke while I was driving so since then Ive had a new engine. I has 169,000 miles on it and it still hauls wood for my wood stove like a little pick up truck. The front has a few dents so when I nailed a deer with it I didnt really mind. I will definitely get another Hyundai when this one dies. But, I do need a truck too. either way, we will always have a Hyundai in our dooryard.

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  Generally satisfied - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Topper2 - February 26 - 7:59 am

  As a former Toyota owner, I took a chance and went to the Hyundai mainly because a comparably equipped Camry was $6000 more. The car has performed well. No brake problems. At my last service my local mechanic said that the brakes front and back were only 50% worn at over 40,000 miles. The styling is attractive, nice large trunk area and plenty of back seat room. . I still have the original Michelin tires and they have plenty left. Gas mileage is as advertised offering about 30 mpg with the V-6 when driving at or near speed limits on the freeway. Service at the dealership has been good. Have had 1 problem with a rattle in the windshield. Three attempts to fix it have not worked.

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  Gets the job done. - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Macnewbee - February 25 - 8:40 pm

  I dont think I would ever say to anyone, "Oh yeah, I love my car." Having said that the car itself, for what it is, is great. I paid 13,500 for it. Ive driven it 32,000 miles since I bought it 9 months ago. Id say 30K miles were spent on I-95 to and from work at 80 miles an hour. The car does what it needs to do everyday- starts and stops. There has been hesitation in the engine on more than one occasion. Something to expect out of a car with 100K on the engine, not a brand new car. I asked the maintenance people about this and they said that should be expected out of a Hyundai. The car came with features that would cost 30K on any other car. For the cost, the value is great.

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  Mistake - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Too NOISY - February 22 - 6:54 pm

  2010 Hyundai continues to ride flat with stiff suspension. Lots of noise on most bumps. Dealership adjusted seats and bushings. No improvement. Tries trading at 800 miles. Too much of a loss. Take a test ride on an uneven road not a smooth road like I did. Poor economy. 25mpg on highway. My traded cobalt was better.Big Mistake!