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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  174K miles and still strong! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By eldom72 - December 3 - 10:03 pm

  I bought this car last year with 150K miles and Ive already added up 24K miles to it and it still going strong. I was first skeptical before buying because it was a Hyundai but I was proved wrong, this car has been a blast to own.

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  THIS CAR IS SUCH A FUN DRIVE! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By zealart - December 3 - 9:15 pm

  I love driving this car. Ive been using it for my commute to work, and I average a combined 34-39 mph, well above the 33 theyve rated. In Los Angeles no less! For all the people complaining about low mileage, if you drive in stop-and-go in the city a lot, your mileage will suffer. You have to actually reset your MPG on the highway to get the magic 40. As long as you dont have a lead foot, youll easily hit the 30s and higher. I get 43 mpg exclusively on the highway, doing about 80-85% hwy driving. If you can drive 40-55, youll probably get even better. I actually ENJOY driving to work because I love driving this car!

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  love this car! - 2013 Hyundai Azera
  By dlflyboi - December 1 - 12:27 pm

  I was looking tired get a new car and get out of my 09 Accord EXL V6. I test drove the new accord touring model and then the Azera. I had already fell in love with the looks of the Azera. But after driving it I was sold! While the new accord was much improved over the previous model the azera had all the creature features I wanted. Im 61 and this car is very roomy.

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  update from 6 months ago - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By utahandjazz - December 1 - 7:58 am

  This is an update from a review i wrote 6 months ago. We now have 12000 miles on our elantra and gas milage has only improved about 1 mpg...from 22/32 to 23/33. VERY DISAPPOINTED! We took into dealer to try to improve milage and they couldnt find anything wrong. The milage indicator also does not tell the truth for the milage. When i check it with actual miles per tank and divide the gallons put in, it is about 2 mpg off. This car is horrible on ice...not sure if it is the car or the tires they put on it in the factory, but dealership said they are all-season? We dont feel safe with the kids in this car when the weather is bad. NOT HAPPY FOR THE MONEY SPENT!

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  Great little car - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By magpie318 - November 20 - 2:23 pm

  I bought my car about a year ago with 114,000 miles on it. It drove like new. I never had a problem with it. While driving on the highway a deer jumped right out in front of me. I ended up hitting it. At 55 mph the car took the brunt of the impact. It felt as though I had hit a speed bump instead of a 6 point deer. When I got out of the car, and was able to see the damage done to it, I was amazed that no one was hurt. My beautiful car was totaled, but my family and I walked away without a scratch. I am now loyal Hyundai consumer.

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  Excellent gas mileage - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By connie50 - November 18 - 12:53 pm

  We purchased the Accent because of price and gas mileage and referral from a friend. He said mileage exceeds the posted mileage on sticker. The mileage on this car was 27-29 mpg highway. We CONSISTANTLY get 30+ running around in town and 35+ highway. So now that the news states Hhyndai over states their mileage on their stickers is TOTALLY wrong. We have had this car for 5 years and alway get min 30 mpg and usually 33-34 every time we fill up and we check our mileage every time. We get better mileage with gas from Holiday or Amoco.

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  love this car - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By wchowells - November 18 - 11:53 am

  Bought this car for my wife in 2006 and she loves it, it had 55,000 miles on and it 204,000 miles in it know, have had a few issues but overall a great car, Not much for foreign cars but I like this one, Did have to have automatic transmission rebuilt at about 150,000 miles, but other wise would consider buying again. still gets great gas mileage to.

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  Great First Car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By drivinglove4l - November 18 - 12:56 am

  The 2004 hyundai elantra gt was my first car, I recently got in an accident on the freeway and my car was totaled. I only had the car for 6 weeks, but I loved it, it was comfortable to drive and got me where i needed to go. I have been looking for another car but have yet to find one that compares in my mind, i would definately recommend this car and i wish i could find another one.

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  Not being Truthful must be part of Hyundais Culture - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By dmee - November 17 - 11:13 am

  I would have never bought this car if the MPG was this low. My low is 23 mpg and the high was 34 on a 8 hour drive, not using A/C or the fan. I called the dealer shortly after buying it, they told me there was a break in period and just to wait. There must of been email damage control so everyone would lie to customers and say the same thing. When I questioned the MPG when the Hyundai dealer called me a week ago to try to sell me a newer car, he said he wasnt aware of any law suit but questioned me if I liked my Elantra besides the fuel mileage. I said no, and he hung up the phone. Quality!! I dont want the $100 rebate a year, I want a refund plus 15% for the lies they told me.

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  Reliable, but has little else going for it. - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By johanndc - November 5 - 1:46 pm

  Despite check engine lights, awful squealing from the serpentine belt, and a transmission fluid leak that prompted an emergency repair (shifts smoothly years later), this car has NEVER failed me. That said, there are issues. Constant rattling from interior trim pieces. Serpentine belt squeals despite several repairs. A headlight that is prone to failure. The 2.4 I4 has that wonderful combination of disappointing gas mileage and a deficit in power, and it shakes quite a bit. Handling is somewhere between Buick and BMW. But all in all, if you just need reliable transportation and dont mind getting the heck annoyed out of you, by all means get it. Certainly cheaper than alternatives.