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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  Bought two and they are a great value! - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By xmix - December 11 - 12:03 pm

  So my husband and daughter were in college. They needed dependable transportation with great gas mileage. She iives in snow country. We live in city. Both have over 50k on them and run great. We bought these because of the gas savings and warranty. For those things they hit the mark. The road traction is great in the snow. Neither car has needed repair. Just tires at 50k.

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  Awesome 1st car! - 1999 Hyundai Elantra
  By avi8r - December 8 - 9:24 am

  This was my first car that I ever owned. I can remember seeing it sitting in the used car lot while going to high school. I loved the way it looked and at the time(2001) it was only 2 years old(99). After graduating I went and looked at it. Has 8,000 miles on it and I bought it. Family was hesitant since it was a Hyundai. I didnt car. It was a fantastic car to go back and forth to school every week. Round trip was 400 miles a week. Traded it on a new 04 Elantra that was left over in 05. The 99 NEVER gave me a problem and was bullet proof. As was my 04 Elantra until I traded it for a 06 Sonata that was new. Still drive the 06 Sonata. Love Hyundais!

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  Love it! - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By caseoane - December 2 - 11:57 am

  I bought this car in Jan 2013 with 19k miles. I was considering a BMW 550 or A6 4.2, but my Genesis was exactly HALF the price of an equivalent German sedan (I paid $25k all included, in mint condition, with warranty until forever). And my genesis is quieter, safer and more reliable than any BMW or Audi, too. I had some qualms about the lack of a premium badge, but now I consider it a point of pride: I look at a guy in a BMW and think of the extra $25k I have in the bank...

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  my second one - 1997 Hyundai Accent
  By sunshinedays - November 28 - 3:25 pm

  I had one in Korea for one year with 285,000 m on it, and tried to kill it before leaving. Couldnt. Having such a good experience with Korean cars, I bought a daewoo matiz (1998?) and drove that 100,000 miles without any incident until the rear axle packed it in. When returning stateside, went looking for a cheap ride, and found my second accent, and grabbed it at 2000$ after it had been cleaned up by a dealer. I have put 130,000 km on it in 3 years and havent had to do anything except one front bearing. Parts are among the cheapest in the industry and I dont think I would buy anything not Korean for transportation unless I win the lottery. Better than any ford or chev I have owned.

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  I traded a BMW 745i for the 2011 Equus - 2011 Hyundai Equus
  By peteranger - November 12 - 1:28 pm

  After looking at luxury sedans for about a year, I traded my Bimmer for the Equus without a second thought. The Equus was the first car I got into for a test ride that I felt was more comfortable than the 745. It uses regular gas, gets comparable mileage, is as quiet, comfortable and well equipped as the 745i - for 10s of thousands less. Add the superior warranty and valet service (I havent been to the dealer for service in nearly 4 years!) Only two demerits: less than stellar iPod implementation (on an otherwise outstanding audio system) and handling thats more boat like than Bimmerish. Ill keep the 2011 until Hyundai delivers an AWD Equus.

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  its just a car - 2014 Hyundai Equus
  By marc49 - November 5 - 9:00 pm

  After looking and wondering why any one would spend 80,000 to 120,000 on a German or Japanese luxury car I have come to the conclusion the world is full of idiots. My 2014 equus is so close in all categories that the thought of spending big bucks on the German or Japanese luxury cars makes me laugh. They are all just cars and nothing more . I drove them all then looked at the window sticker and just laughed. The only one that made sense was the equus.

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  Tolerable - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By cheapster1 - November 5 - 6:43 pm

  I bought the car used eight months (9500 miles) ago. The style is nice, the price was right, and it has lots of desirable features.. However, the gas mileage is poor, generally about 24 mpg, with 80% on city streets and 20% on Californias freeways. The highway ride quality is barely tolerable. Even with new tires and wheel balancing theres considerable bouncing and vibration.

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  10 yr Review - Fantastic value! - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By diydriver - October 25 - 7:11 pm

  I bought this vehicle in 2008 as the third owner (1st yr, rental car company2nd owner, military who commuted 60 miles each way to base). Bought for $5400 w/55k miles, I drove it for 2yrs locally, going to work, errands on weekend, avgd 29/city. Took a job 102 miles each way, commuted each day for 18 months, avgd 35 highway! Mileage at start of job was 70k, 145k when done. Since then, local commute is all-city, avg 28mpg. I now have 170k miles, and the only major expenses Ive had are tires, wheel bearings, and FWD axles. Also replaced a few broken door handles, spark plugs, plug wires, & belts, but those are cheap. Most reliable and cheapest car to operate Ive EVER owned in 30 years.

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  Little Reliable - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By playmaker - October 25 - 1:44 pm

  This car has been awesome to own. But with just over 100k miles now close to 200k and still going strong. Does surprisingly well in snow and is an excellent commuter. Easy to maintain and no hassles.

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  62% decrease in value in 1 months!!!! - 2013 Hyundai Genesis
  By gwhite4075 - October 6 - 2:10 pm

  I purchased my Hyundai Genesis from Hyundai of Asheville, NC in Sept. 2013. By the time the dealer made their "add ons" and taxes, I paid a little over $50,000 for this vehicle. It rides and drives like a dream! Since the last part of 2013, I have become disabled by a neurological disorder that came on suddenly. It is becoming harder and harder for me to get in and out of the Genesis because it is low to the ground. My solution would be to trade the Genesis for a Santa Fe Limited, which would make it easier for me to get in and out. I found out that I was horribly upside down due to the Genesis depreciating 62% in 11 months! Stay away from this vehicle!!