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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  Nice Car.. Could use some improvments - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By lorisue02 - August 20 - 1:10 pm

  I bought this car in April new and now almost have 17,000 miles on it. I drive a lot and for the most part I love the car. Recently the steering wheel started to peal in a certain spot and the dealership installed a new one with no questions. The backseat has heated seats but when you put on air/heat there are no vents in the back which makes it uncomfortable if you have people in the back since it has to be too hot/ cold in the front so it blows to the back.. The cruise control is really sensitive if I hit a little bump on the highway it flips it right off (which might just be a safety precaution).

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  Excellent car... hands down. - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By privatebanker - August 20 - 1:25 am

  As an owner of a BMW 7-Series, I was incredulous when 5 separate friends recommended the Hyundai Genesis to me when I was in the market for a new car. After test driving the vehicle at my local Hyundai dealer, I was sold. Ive owned the car for several months now and aside from a few dealer issues, the car runs great!

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  Like my Elantra - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By edmund2001 - August 19 - 9:05 pm

  I bought a 2013 GLS with the preferred package two months ago. Now have 2000 miles on it. I look forward to driving this car. Its peppy, fun handling and the brake action is good. Also like using the manual shift gate at times to hold a gear a little longer. Can cruise 75 mph at 2500 rpm no problem. Car is relatively quiet except the tires sound course over certain road surfaces. Getting 29 to 30 MPG overall. Was hoping for the 33 advertised number. It will get over 40 at steady highway speed of 65.

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  Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec Excellent Car - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By charlie_r43 - August 18 - 7:16 pm

  I have owned my 5.0 R-Spec for 10 months and the car lives up to everything Hyundai said the car would be. There are reviews out there giving the car a medicore rating. I completely disagree with them. The interior is well thought out and the leather is of a high quality. All of the instruments and navigation systems are easy to use. The engine is very responsive and will pin your back into the seat when floored. Cornering is improved with the upgraded suspension. Overall the ride is quiet and comfortable. The Genesis is very sporty for a luxury car though it is not a true sports car. The Genesis is more of a luxury car and a muscle car combined. Still makes me smile!

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  Great value! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By glsazman - August 17 - 12:43 pm

  I just bought my Elantra GLS a few days ago and so far Im extremely satisfied. I got the idea of buying a Hyundai because my sister just purchased a Sonata and I thought it was a really nice car for the price. The Sonata is a little too big for what I need and I love the gas milage the Elantra has. I am really suprised at how many options you get for the price. I couldnt decide between the limited or the GLS but Im not a big fan of moon roofs. I didnt see the value on the limited so I found a GLS with the preferred Pkg and that was great! The car handles well and drives great.

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  A pleasent surprize! To be sure... - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By user560870 - August 17 - 12:57 am

  This is a great car! Payed 1k for it about a month ago, it sat for a year w/174k. Yes, it needs some work but its a runner and will make a perfect "beater". Cars in this condition that have sat and have been taken off the road running are NOT for everbody. I am a mechanic and will do most of my own repairs. I will put 500 miles on this car every week. I expect after I finish the laundry list of things to do to get about 250k or so out of it. I have seen the reviews on this site and some are rather harsh and dont understand that things fail and must be maintained. NO CAR stays running w/o investment. If a car is neglected it will disapoint the owner. It is only a machine, designed by a human!

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  do not waste your money - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By katybillie - August 16 - 4:07 pm

  although the car is great at first everything starts to go with in the first year. I got my accent right of the truck my problems started before I had even had my car for a year, I had gotten oil changes tire rotations and alignments every 3,000 miles first my front left tire went followed by my back right and now my front right. The car doesnt shift until 6,000 RPMs and is not fun to drive at all. I have been trying to find somewhere to trade this car in at but no one will even take it. Never again will I own a Hyundai I didnt want one to begin with

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  some issues and sounds - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By ensankk - August 13 - 11:10 pm

  i got this 2012 elantra brand new. since the first time caught my eye , nice exterior and interior design..the right window pasanger side make noise, driver seat is peeling off (5250)miles on it. every morning when i start it the lifters sound like old car but the dealer say its ok ...well i asume that is fine ...who knows???. i onw this car since february 2012 its very nice presentation compare with the ugly honda civic and corolla ...but sometimes i think its too delicated and doesnt run x ever like toyota or honda . im afraid to close the doors cause if i close hard seem like im gonna destroyed hahahaha. and the other hand i own before a strong gmc sierra but gas prices kill me

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  Equus - Beware of unfulfilled promises!!!!! - 2013 Hyundai Equus
  By equusowner - August 13 - 2:43 pm

  I looked at several cars prior to my purchase of an Equus. The dealers kept telling me how reliable the Equus was and emphasized their "valet service". Overall I have been happy with the performance of the car. As summer wore on I noticed that the interior of the car would get to 82 degrees on a hot summer day with the a/c at maximum settings. I contacted Equus and they set up an appointment with Alexandria Hyundai. As a part of their valet service they are supposed to pick up the car at my location and deliver a "luxury" loaner car, either an Equus or Genesis. Alexandria Hyundai has cancelled 3 times because they have only "1 luxury loaner car". When I commented that this was the third time that this had happened I was told that it was because the person that had the loaner car out was not satisfied with his service so they were still working on his car!!!!!! What a joke. I again contacted Equus customer assistance and they schedule an appointment with Fairfax Hyundai. Once again they were to provide a Genesis as a replacement car. They showed up an hour late and brought with them a Hyundai Sonata. If Equus and wants to play with the big boys (Mercedes, Lexus, BMW, Infiniti) they should put up or shut up. We were considering purchasing a Genesis as our second car but based upon the unkept promises of Equus I guess we wont be spending any more of our money on a Hyundai. Do yourself a favor, spend the extra bucks and get a car that has some support behind it - not just a lot of hot air.

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  Glutton for punishment - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By fl_lead_foot - August 11 - 6:30 pm

  I love our 2012 Hyundai Elantra GLS SO MUCH, I just bought a SECOND 2013 Hyundai Elantra GLS to add to sit beside it. We have 15k on the 2012 and so far so good! The ONLY cars I have ever owned two of (NEVER at the same time), in years of buying cars and owning MANY, was two VW Jettas, two Jeep Grand Cherokees, Two Jeep Wranglers, and two Chrysler Sebring convertibles (Im a ragtop kinda guy). When I find something I like/works, I tend to stick with it!