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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  Warning: It costs $4,000 for a clutch job! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By rob_anderson - December 3 - 1:54 pm

  My clutch failed at only 85,000 miles (and half of those highway miles), and to my dismay I found that this car has a "dual mass flywheel" that can not be resurfaced and costs $4,000 to repair (even MORE if you have the dealer do it). Ive also read online that brakes are REALLY expensive to repair on this model - but I havent had to do that yet. So, if you buy this car (and probably other Hyundais) be aware that you will have huge repair bills down the road. Ill sound like a shill for saying it, but my mechanic literally told me that I should have bought a Honda. Its too late for me, but not for you.

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  Nice Car But! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By tedtlaw - November 10 - 2:04 pm

  Suspension engineering and steering awful. Owned this car for 2 years and had to replace both rear shocks in addition the dealer could never get the steering working properly. I believe it to be an engineering flaw. The front suspension started thumping and in general this car got to be one of the worst cars we have owned.

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  Too Loud and Although Mostly City MPG Averages 28/30 - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By alabamaautoguy - September 21 - 8:55 pm

  Hi! Youre probably getting ready to upgrade or make that big purchase for the first time. As a new Hyundai owner I dont recommend the Elantra or any Hyundai because of the noise (you can hear the engine when you hit the gas), it doesnt get that great of gas mileage (always look at the bottom city number and think that most of the time), the way it wears (Im worried how it will feel in a couple years), the weird policy of Hyundai to replace things rather than make them good in the beginning, no spare tire, etc.

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  Not bad, not great - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By chris72771 - June 30 - 8:39 pm

  The interior is very roomy yet it is very plain and some of it appears bare bones. The car has been reliable but the engine has seemed to run rough since day 1. When I asked the dealer about it I was told it was normal for the new cars to not idle smoothly. (It still makes no sense to me but it is what it is) The car is very fuel efficient but definitely could have had more bells and whistles for the price.

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  Not a very good car for the money. - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By pnpain - June 9 - 11:19 am

  Good little car for most people though mine was poorly made. Had to have brakes put on constantly and I am NOT hard on brakes. One year I had 4 sets put on because the calipers kept breaking and the break would stick to the wheel and burn it up, then the rotor would be unusable. Safety Hazard!! No air conditioning, no power anything. If I could go back in time I would have purchased the Kia.

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  Very Disappointed - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By lemon25 - April 1 - 8:39 am

  This is the third Hyundai I have owned and, to be honest, the one I like the least. Outwardly it is a beautiful car. I owned it less than two weeks when I had to have a new steering column installed. I have owned the car since last July and find the suspension so loose that hitting a bump in the road causes the car to jump sideways. At freeway speeds the car tends to drift somewhat. Noisy, as well. I dont feel I have as much control with this model. It is very light and I dont feel I have a sturdy vehicle under me. Additionally, the gas mileage is just about the same as my 2008. Sorry I traded my 2008 Elantra for this new, (improved?) model. No more Hyundais for me.

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  Zero problems - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By morahno - March 30 - 4:07 pm

  Bought with 128k miles on it. Changed the battery and windshield wipers cause they were old, thats it. After 8 months and 10k have had absolutely no problems.I get 28 mpg combined. The exterior is pretty cool comparing to other cars with same age imo, the interior of course is not good looking, in high speeds it shakes sometimes, the steering wheel shakes a little most of the time, but for the money I paid and the reliability I got, I can overlook those.

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  Decent car serious problems - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By anonumos - March 5 - 7:48 am

  I bought this car used in May 2012. I paid too much, but thats my fault, not the cars. It had been throwing an engine warning off-and-on since I bought it, but the dealership mechanic could not find the problem told me it was fine. However, with 38k on the odometer, the engine has blown a main seal and is being replaced completely. It appears to be covered under warranty, but I felt no warning until oil started to leak all over the engine compartment. Engine still ran smoothly, good power, no problems...just oil everywhere. And now a replacement engine. Meanwhile I have a 2013 Elantra loaner with 100 miles on the clock. 2013 is a much better car.

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  Problems with tires and break - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By rafiai - February 11 - 8:51 pm

  I have bought this car just over one year ago, we do live in cold climate ( Ontario), I am not sure if this car was built for this climate, as the car has done only 25000 KM, the dealership tells me I need new sets of tires and my break are rusted, I was shocked to hear I have to spend over $1400 for a car that is one year old and Hyundai Canada refused to cover the cost, they said to me the tires are not part of the car and I have to go to the tire manufacturer , and when I did approached them, they refused to pay for the tires, this is a car that is been used for inner city and was kept indoor at all times, and I am 56 years old, so I was not racing with

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  Deplorable Gas Mileage - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By metzrob - February 1 - 2:57 pm

  I am getting under 30 MPG on my 2012 Hyundai Elantra while doing 55 MPH on the highway and using cruise control. They respond to your emails with big promises, but then they just disappear and think that you will magically become a satisfied, and silent, customer. Im neither satisfied nor silent. I estimate that I have steered at least 15-20 people away from Hyundai and I will try to warn as many people as i can in the future.