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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  Best Compact car for the Money - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Tommy G - October 23 - 2:00 am

  This car is perfect right off the lot purchased for $14.200.00 its a lot of car for the money Im 6,3" and have plenty of room in it at idle you dont even know its running shifting is very smooth power is no problem at all. Build quality, panel gaps how the doors close are all superb I just love driving it, and talk about safety its full of safety features .

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  Enjoying this car after 11 years - 1999 Hyundai Elantra
  By gloryglo - October 22 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car when Hyundai just started giving their 100,000 mile warranty after having some bad reviews previously. My choice was between a Honda Civic, which I had before and the Hyundai Elantra wagon which was 2000 less in price with only a 3 year warranty. I took a chance and bought the Hyundai. (both choices were manual shift which I always drive). I made the right choice and have been very happy with this car. I do all short trips, no highway driving. I just had to replace the clutch at 45,000. My first big expense. It now drives like a new car. very peppy! All other repairs have been normal wear and tear. Oil changes only $10 at dealership. Im happy!

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  Great car - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Bertand Wilder - October 22 - 2:00 am

  I have owned the car eright at a year and I have enjoyed driving it. For the price this is a great car. The harshness in how it takes bumps is my only complaint. I had Nitrogen put in my tires and the ride improved a lot. I really enjoy driving it and for the money you cant buy this kind of luxury.

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  2 for 1 - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By SSSmythe - October 19 - 2:00 am

  Budgeted $70-$80k. Looked @ Benz CLS550/Es/Cs, BMW 5s/3s & a few domestics. Hands down, for the money, this ones a "no brainer"! Fit, finish, performance and my family fits. Oh, & the bank acct is $30k better off - Ops - Priced so good in comparison, bought wife a loaded Nissan Murano with the difference!

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  Affordable luxury sedan - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By ojotigre - October 18 - 2:00 am

  Its gentle ride and smooth engines cocoon the driver from the road. cabin of the Hyundai Genesis feels more luxurious than many similarly- priced cars from more traditional luxury brands. Inside, the Genesis seems more like a $50,000 competitor to the Mercedes-Benz E-Class than a $30,000 competitor to its less- luxurious C-Class cousin.

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  Terrific vehicle!! - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Karen - October 17 - 2:00 am

  Love the vehicle. Never buy American again due my experiences 4 almost 50 yrs driving. Vehicle has great power & pickup for a 4 sp auto trans. Gas mileage (approx 25 mpg) is great because drive about 45% city, bal hwy. Tend to gun it from stop lite. Handles well, comfortable to drive although at times feel the seats bit 2 low 4 long distance driving. Notice difference when driving dads sonata. Noticed steering wheel was shaking at high speeds, learned rt front wheel was slightly bent. Hit a terrific pothole dec 2008 . Experienced blowout. Bought 2 new tires (not dealer) they didnt check wheel even though I explained what happened. Had slow leak. Now ok.

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  We love this car. - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Matt - October 11 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I couldnt be happier with our car. You really cant find a better car without spending a lot more money. We get excellent fuel economy (mid 30s everyday, 40+ on back-road road trips), without a bulky hybrid battery and without compromising safety, comfort or performance. The FWD provides great traction we had a brutal winter last year and only got stuck once, when we got high-centered in several feet of snow. The interior is well thought-out, with plenty of cubbyholes and cup/bottle holders - great for road trips. MP3 CD and aux input are nice features. We havent babied this car, but with regular maintenance it still runs and drives like new. Havent had a single problem yet.

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  Best car i ever drove - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By chrismartin1701 - October 9 - 2:00 am

  What can i say? this car is awesome! normally i go crazy for the classic American muscle cars, but im happy with this one. use it as a daily driver to and from college and i also use it as my general aid and rescue vehicle for the Ballston Spa Volunteer Fire station. in all, its fun to drive, powerful V6, responsive, comfortable, stylish, and just plain awesome.

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  Interesting take s on this car. - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Chris - October 8 - 2:00 am

  This car was a gift to my wife at 173K miles. It stood in the African sun for a year before the radiator was done and the head skimmed. After 200 miles on the very first trip, it overheated. Towed it to a work-from-home mechanic. Problem was a T-insert pipe in the cooling system repaired with silicon! This was re-engineered and all else done properly. After running it in for 2000 miles to settle the head, the power at 7K rpm pops your eyes. This engine is amazing you can do anything at any rpm. Never saw such before. In Johannesburg above 5800 ft ASL I get 42 mpg. Semi-city and synchronized lights. The soft body is an all-round crumple zone. Saved me a bomb! 2nd choice after the Mazda3.

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  Wise choice fo - Money, Quality & Comfort - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By BayAreaMom - October 7 - 2:00 am

  Had test drive with recent 2010 models of toyota prius, honda fit, honda insight and elantra. I liked the elantra ride the best. (No brake jerk like in prius, and no flimsy like honda fit.) Especially for the price you get all basic feature anybody with family looking for small/medium size car. Bluetooth, Keyless entry, ipod cable, Black and roomy interior is fun and comortable. Also air bags all around, quality wheels and break system, powerful engine, CC all features are perfect what a family guys is looking for. Thanks to Hyundai for making decent car available for the price!