5 Star Reviews for Hyundai

Overview & Reviews

Average Score

4.45/5 Average
13,764 Total Reviews
Make Overview:

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:

Showing 461 through 470 of 13,764.00
  • Most impressed for a truck guy - 2009 Hyundai Accent
    By -

    Handling was awesome. Was worried about highway but performed great. Daughter going to college next august and have no problems passing car on to her.

  • Quicker than you think - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
    By -

    This car is much quicker than you think. It is so smooth and quite that your speed builds extremely fast within a very few seconds. The Tech package is great. If you want a sports car dont buy this one. If you want a combination of luxury, power, comfort and tech features then this is the auto for you. The bang for the buck factor is off the charts. I ran it through our local drag strip at 13.8 sec @ 104.32 mph. Very impressive. I also went on vacation and averaged 28.5 on the highway! This is amazing for a 385 hp V8.

  • Spiritual Successor to the EK Civic - 2009 Hyundai Accent
    By -

    Ignore the 07 consumer reviews from the "sport compact mafia". Amazing how hostile people are to Hyundai. Car is a blast to drive. only 2500lbs, short-ratio tranny, and 110HP makes it pretty fast. Add synthetic oil/filter, NGKs, Grounding Kit, and the AEM short ram (none will affect warranty), and you easily have a sub-8 sec 0-60 (R&T got mid-8 sec range out of the factory). Thing drives like its on rails, shifter/driverside-armrest combo borders on perfection. Interior looks spartan, but "just right" with upscale touches.

  • E Class MB has nothing on this car! - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
    By -

    The factory Dunlop Sport 5000 tires were a disaster--noisy, rough riding. They might be fine if your planning on doing some late night "drifting"in your local Walmart parking lot! I doubt that most purchased this car with that in mind! Most of my driving is long distance touring and those tires were not compatible with that driving style--replaced with Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum "sneaks"--what a difference--very quiet--very smooth--great wet road traction and all but eliminated that choppy ride except on real bumpy back roads. Not quite the ride of the E Class MB (realistically the benchmark of "smooth") I dumped but real close on the open road--definitely not worth the price difference!

  • My best car - 2011 Hyundai Azera
    By -

    My last cars before my azeras were Jaguar & Lexus. I just traded my 2009 azera limited for 2011 limited. I liked the 2009 so much that I wanted another. The 2011 is even smoother & faster with the 6 speed transmission. The trade in value was excellent & I am very happy. This is more of an automobile than the jag & Lexus could hope to be, and for thousands less. I test drove the sonata & Genesis. The sonata was too small & the Genesis is not as smooth & comfortable as the azera. The azera is just the finest car I have ever owned.

  • Very dependable and fun car - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
    By -

    We have 49,000 carefree miles now. Only reg maint. 4 new tires at 42,000 miles wiper blades, just normal wear parts. Best mpg 40, average 35 mpg. No rattles or squeaks. Controls very easy to use. If in snow definitely need snow tires. Brakes still good. Good solid car for the money. Only minus is low resale which I think is unfair since I think it is just as good as Honda and Toyota.

  • Love it - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
    By -

    I have owned my Elantra for over 2 years now and still love it! I am a big guy who drives a lot for work, however I fit well into the Elantra. My kids call it "lightning" and I like the gas mileage. I did change the cheap tires quickly, and also put new brakes/rotors on at 55k. Other than that, I have had zero issues.

  • Best Small Car - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
    By -

    I test drove Civic, Corolla, Soul, Mazda3, Focus, Cobalt, Aveo and others. I found the Elantra the best overall, huge points for comfort, roominess, and quietness. SE version had the handling and road feel the GLS lacks. I average so far 29.4 MPG mostly city driving. Not bad at all. Decent stereo, tilt/telescope wheel with controls, nice brakes and decent power for a 2.0L engine, a turbo would make this a little screamer. Decent looking, I got the Black Noir Pearl, decent wheels, very nice fit and finish, no rattles or strange noises. Large Trunk. Maybe lacking a few bells and whistles from other cars, but a great all-around vehicle that does what its suppose to.

  • Great commuter! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
    By -

    I bought this car new when I could not find a cheap, reliable commuter on the used market and have been 100% pleased with my purchase. Comfortable on long drives as well as around town. Only nonscheduled maintenance has been for O2 sensor and noisy visors. Both were fixed with no problems by the dealership. This is a great first car for those looking for one or a great commuter.

  • Excellent Value! - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
    By -

    I have owned my tan 3.8 Genesis Sedan for 8 months now and over 9000 miles in every kind of road condition. I am extremely pleased I bought this car. The ride is extremely smooth, quiet and comfortable. The V6 is very responsive and has more than enough power for the majority of drivers. The interior layout accommodates the drivers needs well, and the sound system is terrific. Reliability so far has been outstanding with not a single problem. And even better - my wife loves the car! All together an excellent value and great choice for those entering the luxury car market.

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