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 Value, Great Car, Well Kept Secret - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By 2006sonata - February 23 - 9:45 am

  We bought our Sonata new in Pittsburgh. Its been a really fantastic vehicle. In 2006 they changed the body style, and it still looks fresh. We got the V6, and this car will really move. Mechanically weve had no issues, but we havent hit the 60K mile mark yet. If you need a good second car, or a first car for a new driver, you wont regret buying one of these. Been fantastic. (I only hope it can go as long as my 2001 Jeep Cherokee - truly an awesome SUV if ever there were one).

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  Look in the trunk! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By cjj71 - February 22 - 10:28 am

  I really was a fan of my 12 Elantra since I purchased. No, I have not been able to get close to the mileage stated on sticker but I dont put a lot of mile on my car and they are mostly city miles. I liked the "extras" heated seats, XM, blue-tooth. Price was good compared to other cars in same class.("Get what you pay for") NOW this is why I am not a fan anymore...I recently got a flat tire (in Feb. in very cold NH) luckily I was close to enough to make it to work before it went completely flat!) well upon opening the trunk to get the spare and jack I found NEITHER!!! There is a small air pump. I called my auto dealer to find out the Elantra does not come with a spare tire or a jack!!!

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  Beware The Dealerships!!! - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By justdude - February 17 - 8:04 pm

  I had owned a 2012 SE for one year and just traded it in for a a different manufacture vehicle. The problems were the mechanics made fun of the car saying it was akin to a GEO Metro. Didnt feel to good hearing that. Broke the glove box changing the cabin filter. Broke the new filter but installed it anyway. Left the engine a mess with dirty oil slopped around and dirty hand prints in the car. The next dealer I went to charged me for 5qt of oil, to give bulk oil pricing, and put in 5-30W instead of the spec-ed 5-20W. Hyundai corp suggested I do it myself after conplaing on a post service survey Welcome to two of the OC Hyundai dealerships.

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  Where are these! - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By 1514mb - February 15 - 11:09 pm

  I have been interested in the Hyundai Azeras for a while and finally found a good price on a used one. With 78,000 miles on it I still cant believe how well it looks and drives. What really surprises me is how little these gems sold in America. For the money I dont believe there was a better buy in this class. All cars have issues and for what you pay for this car, and the amenities you receive it is amazing. I cant wait to buy one of these brand new some day. Great job Hyundai and Kia!!!!!

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  2013 Equus Review - 2013 Hyundai Equus
  By equusowner1 - February 15 - 12:46 pm

  I purchased a 2013 Equus in December of 2012. The car have lived up to all of my expectations. I looked at BMW, Mercedes, and Audi and non of them could come close to the features of the Equus for the price. I could of spent $40,000 or $50,000 more for one of their cars with similar features. One of the biggest difference in the Equus vs. the other manufactures is the engine! Try to buy a german manufacture car with 429 Hp. You better bring your check book! I changed the logo on the trunk and no one knows what it is. The car gets a ton of looks and compliments. Save yourself a fortune and get this car, you wont be disappointing.

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  Fun to drive and very efficient too! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By bleese - February 12 - 5:31 pm

  Weve owned our Elantra for a year now and we love driving it daily. Its sporty and very quick to respond to sudden turns and stops. We dropped from a Honda Accord to this car and at first were worried about the size, but after a few days, we quickly feel in love with it. The savings on gas is amazing, the trunk space is massive and at 62" tall, I have plenty of leg and head room in either the driver or passenger seat. It handles well in all weather conditions and is super quiet. We havent had any issues and never mind taking it in for an oil change with inspection since the warranty is so extensive. I recommend this car to anyone needing a solid, dependable vehicle.

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  Second time Elantra owner. - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By 2ndtimeowner - February 12 - 4:40 pm

  Just traded our 2010 Elantra.Why ?Why not. new style new color . and the best fact we liked our last Elantra . The dealership and I dont say this much but,they made it work. really. we only had 35,500 miles on last car ,gave us great trade in . and in the end walked into new car as if it was nothing. trade in covered loan ,payment stayed the same .. But most of all we liked the service ,and also the car .. the 2010 was a big question mark for us . our first hyundai. We owned Honda,toyota , many times over the years . But this elantra . These two Elantras are the best bang for the buck. saved alot of money . The 2013 is no question a nicer car.

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  Problems with tires and break - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By rafiai - February 11 - 8:51 pm

  I have bought this car just over one year ago, we do live in cold climate ( Ontario), I am not sure if this car was built for this climate, as the car has done only 25000 KM, the dealership tells me I need new sets of tires and my break are rusted, I was shocked to hear I have to spend over $1400 for a car that is one year old and Hyundai Canada refused to cover the cost, they said to me the tires are not part of the car and I have to go to the tire manufacturer , and when I did approached them, they refused to pay for the tires, this is a car that is been used for inner city and was kept indoor at all times, and I am 56 years old, so I was not racing with

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  Deplorable Gas Mileage - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By metzrob - February 1 - 2:57 pm

  I am getting under 30 MPG on my 2012 Hyundai Elantra while doing 55 MPH on the highway and using cruise control. They respond to your emails with big promises, but then they just disappear and think that you will magically become a satisfied, and silent, customer. Im neither satisfied nor silent. I estimate that I have steered at least 15-20 people away from Hyundai and I will try to warn as many people as i can in the future.

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  Excellent Value! - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By aair13 - January 31 - 10:38 pm

  As a Honda guy i wasnt very fond of getting a Hyundai. Bought in 2011 with 163000 and boy am i glad i did. Gets me 39mpg all highway. I drive it about 50 miles daily. I have the 4 door with the 1.6L auto. Mine does have a small noise in muffler but mechanic told me this was common on that year. Plus i dont mind cause it sounds cool, lol! Great car! Parts are easy to find and cheap. I recommend it!