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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  Excellent car for the money - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By sconnelly0319 - January 4 - 12:24 pm

  Traded a 2004 Sonata and this car is just as comfortable as the Sonata. Very comfortable and supportive seats. Performance is great and the milage for a car that is not broken in yet varies from 33 mpg to 42 mpg.

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  Mpg rating, lie..... - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By north8 - January 2 - 2:26 am

  I bought this car last week as a college student thinking I was going to get great gas mileage. Every review i read was great, but of course I never ran across anything about the bad MPG ratings. Well it has about 600 miles on it and it is getting about 25 average mpg and this is with about half my driving on the freeway. That is 8 under the average mpg it should be getting. Its sad, and Hyundai doesnt care, nor does the dealership at hilltop hyundai in richmond, california. All in all its a great car other than the fact it does not do what it is advertised as.

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  This car just keeps going - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By chehalispete - January 1 - 1:19 pm

  I bought this car out of desperation when my old car died. I was looking for anything when I went to a dealer who pushed it on me more or less. I felt I paid a little too much but whatever. I bought it 6 1/2 years ago with 13,000 miles on it. Today Im at 200,000 and the only problem I have had is the timing chain went out (my fault since I should have changed it). It is hands down THE MOST reliable car I have ever owned. Im always looking at other cars, but I know I will keep driving this thing just to see how long it will last. It reinforces my theory that cars you love will screw you over, but cars you dont car about will serve you well for years.

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  This car will convert Hyundai snobs! - 2012 Hyundai Azera
  By larryhat1 - December 31 - 4:00 pm

  I just turned 5,000 miles on my new 2012 Azera and I love it more every day! This is the best entry level luxury car there is. The body design, coupled with the lighting screams nothing but class. Premium comfort comes from within on this car. The controls are laid out very well, and the all around the cabin accent lighting in a nice touch. Plush seating is very important to me and this ride has it in spades. Being that you can get all that for well under $40k, it is an unbelievable buy! Lastly, on a trip from Virginia to Texas using only interstate highways, I averaged 33 mpg!

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  Follow up on my 2012 Elantra Limited - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By rt129 - December 29 - 11:25 pm

  I wrote a year ago about my gas mileage being poor. This winter is colder than last in PA, so based on cold winters with my 08 I am more disappointed. My 12 is averaging 21.5 / 23.5 per gallon. My 08 Elantra SE averaged 25 / 26.5 per gallon in the cold PA winters. Warmer weather my 12 gets 28.5 / 30 per gallon where as my 08 averaged 30 / 31 per gallon (Same driving approx 65% highway / 35% city). On long trips, the 08 would average 36 where as my 12 managed 34. This is my 4th Elantra and by far the worst for fuel economy. When it comes time to purchase a new car, I may have to look elsewhere (Love the car but disappointed by Hyundai and the way they are handling this situation).

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  Amazing car - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By highmiles9 - December 29 - 11:37 am

  I have owned this car for 3 years now and 170,000kms. Its been great. I tow a trailer with it and it will tow a small trailers with ease. I have done nothing to this car over the time ownership. I have done two sway bar links. 2 ignition coils under warranty. One blower motor, and anti theft module, connector and ignition antenna ring. Other then that just maintenance i havent even worn through the brakes yet. This car is fun to drive with the factory 16" wheels it takes a corner fast. Im tall and this car fits me well and gets great gas millage. This car was almost half the price of Japanese competitor but wayyy better.

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  terrible gas mileage - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By apoe5467 - December 28 - 2:58 pm

  I drive a combination of city and highway and I never get above upper 20 MPH. I got over 30 once on a trip.

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  Overall great car! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By braindeadunit - December 28 - 9:27 am

  Performance -- Feels a bit sluggish at low RPMs, but that gets you the high mpg, but pushing it up into the higher RPMs gives you plenty of performance, and the sports mode helps me keep in the RPM range I want without having to get a fully manual car. Comfort -- I feel as comfortable in this as I do in a Buick, but I dont feel like Im driving a boat! Value -- For a "more full" sedan with packed features, its great value! But if I were buying for myself, I find it hard justifying spending more on the Elantra vs. the Accent. Fun: Its not really fun, but it gets you point A to point B wonderfully. Design: A bit funky, but looks modern and advanced. Interior is more subtle. Quality: A+

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  300,000 miles - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By 2001sonatagls - December 27 - 5:33 pm

  I bought my Sonata GLS new in the summer of 2001. I have a 43 mile one way commute to work. I change the oil every 3,000 miles. I replace the engine coolant and transmission fluid every 60,000 miles. I replace the timing belt and serpentine belt every 60,000 miles. My reward for taking care of my car is 300,800 miles so far. My car does not use any oil or leak any fluids. Ive had work done on the AC system once and had it charged a second time. I replaced the front wheel bearings once and each of the front tie rods once. Eleven and on half years of reliable service sums up my satisfaction with Hyundai. btw, This is the first car that I have ever kept past 100,000 mile.

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  Love my Elantra! :) - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By elantraguy241 - December 26 - 10:57 pm

  Purchased my Elantra in July and so far I love every bit of the car. With the stock hankooks the interior noise was pretty audible, especially at speeds over 55 mph. Just recently I switched over to new Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires and road noise is almost eliminated. I named my Elantra Serenity since her ride is very peaceful and relaxing. For being a commuter car, the Elantra is quite peppy when pushed. Im impressed with the fuel economy, currently at 33.5 mpg average, which is higher then the EPA rating. I also drive without the active ECO feature. My gps has an instant mpg readout and at 70 mph it reads from 39-45+ mpg depending on how flat the road is.