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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  Cant Beat the Price - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By WP 34 - January 14 - 2:00 am

  I just bought the Elantra GT but had a hard time finding one. I hear they are jumping off of the lots. I added the options package 7 and for the price couldnt touch a Toyota Corolla. The Toyota was very uncomfortable and I had to lean forward very far to operate the radio. The Elantra has more interior room. At 6 3" tall, I am very comfortable in this car.

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  Great Car for the Price - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Christopher E - January 13 - 2:58 pm

  I had this car for about 4 months before it was totaled in an accident (thankfully not my fault). I drove it mainly on my commute to college, and had no problems while I drove it. I got about 30 mpg average. Im about 62", so leg room is a big deal for me, but I never felt cramped in my Accent. In my accident I a man ran a red light in front of me, tearing up the whole front of the car. But I was completely unharmed even though the car was totaled. Overall I really liked my Accent and would recommend it to anyone, if not for the gas mileage, then for the safety.

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  VERY DETAILED Elantra 2007 Review - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jon NJ - January 12 - 4:40 pm

  Overall Very Good VALUE for the $ compared to Corolla and Civic, 2-3 grand less. Was about to buy Corolla, but Elantra BLEW it away. Looks better and is LARGER & SAFER than both. After driving over 6k miles and 6 months, heres the COMPLETE deal below. Too many reviews have the good, but not the BAD---and there are some! Dealership service HORRENDOUS & sales person was big liar. Medium bumps a bit harsh, mileage no way near claim, closer to 28-30 local/city combo, quick accelerating bit loud but quiets out. Side mirrors nice & big, but too big when parallel parking. BUT GOOD FAR outweighs the bad. Its simply the BEST value for $ no doubt! Watch out Toyota & Honda! Why pay more for less?

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  grandfather car - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By saulkaplan - January 12 - 3:34 pm

  After owning a dozen new cars I finally found, in my dotage, a car that is comfortable, powerful and smooth-simply a pleasure. it lacks some of the new gadgets as back-up TV and geographic locator but look at what you get for the price of a Camry? So far, fingers crossed, its a winner.

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  Very happy! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Lovin it! - January 12 - 11:10 am

  This is by far the best vehicle I have ever owned. Granted, Ive only owned it for a few days now, but I am yet to be disappointed. I cant hear the engine and cannot tell if it is even running. The drive is smooth and the steering wheel is very easy to handle. I feel like I am apart of the car when I am driving it. I previously owned a 99 Mazda 626 that I loved very much. But I have to admit that the Elantra is much more fun to drive and is easier to maneuver. Plus, the gas mileage is a whole lot better than the 626. There is a lot of trunk space and there is more back seat room than I would have expected for an economy car. I love the cup holders, CD Player and sound system!

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  bwaller78 - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By bwaller78 - January 12 - 10:54 am

  I purchased this car a month ago, and found that this car is really comfortable, handles and turns well. I am getting 26 mpg avg on 90% city and 10% highway driving. Acceleration is good for 4 cylinder motor. Wind noise is normal at 80mph+. Car is built sold, doors shut and sounds solid. Excellent value for price, strongly recommend checking out this car before spending an extra $2000-$4000 to get same quality on other competitors.

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  Fun and Low Maintenance - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Loopy - January 11 - 8:33 pm

  Looking for a fun commuter I was all set to buy a Civic until I found that it didnt offer leather or traction control or a $14K price tag. Fuel pump went 1st mo which was replaced by dealer same day. Oil change every 3K, replaced brakes once at 60K and now have 120K on orig clutch. 30-32mpg combined city/hwy. Upgrades include Tiburon rear anti sway bar and 17" wheels which make it very fun in the twisties. Dont try this at home but is very stable at 105mph. Recently have also replaced headlights every 6mo and found my first rust spot behind rear wheel. Excellent in the snow with winter tires. I, too, barely get NYC AM stations from 60 mi away. Very happy with this ride.

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  Test drive b4 you buy anything under 30K - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By VERY CLOSE - January 11 - 7:33 pm

  This car is a compromise between price and perfection. Unbelievably closer to perfection considering the price. In terms of the cost-savings per deveation from perfection, the Sonata shines. I adjusted the cost of the following cars for each "defect" that needed improvement(Test Drive Rating)/ (Value Rating)..VolvoS40 1/2, HyundaiSonata 2/1, HondaAccord 3/3, ToyotaCamary 4/2, MitsubishiGalant 5/4, Mazda6 5/5, FordFusion 5/5, & NissanAltima/(felt cheap). S40 had fewer deductions, cost much more. Camary cost slightly more & had a horrible door armrest, losing more points than Sonotas cruise/radio buttons on the steering wheel. Insurance savers on Sonata - etched glass & alarm - standard.

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  GLS 5m - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ben - January 11 - 10:51 am

  A very affordable car, with features you would pay thousands more for if it were from Japan. It can seat 4 adult males and not have the unlucky ones in the back seat feel like they are in a penalty box. I average 28.5 combined and best ever highway mileage was 32.76 loaded to the gills. If you have a great deal of stop and go traffic in your commute I would suggest the auto transmission. Buy it, and then drive it for 10 years and then sell it for $2,500.00 . Thats my plan BR

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  Practical comparision - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By easycheez - January 10 - 10:42 pm

  We needed a new family sedan. Researching new car w/3 criteria: price, roominess, and MPG. After comparing compact sedans, the Elantra was 1st pick due to MPG. We drove the Sonata, too. The price difference was enough to consider mid-size due to roominess. It was a toss up between the Sonata and the Ford Fusion. The scales tipped to favor the Sonata vs Fusion by: price, roominess, MPG, and the best warranty. Weve driven our Sonata from Cleveland to Pittsburgh and back. Average MPG hwy: 34.7 @ 75MPH. Average city/mixed MPG 27.8 @ 43 MPH ave; close to EPA rating. Only bad thing I can say about this car is road noise gets noticeable around 45 MPH and blind spots thru back window.