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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  Top of the line luxury at a fraction of the cost - 2012 Hyundai Equus
  By peteranger - July 9 - 12:05 pm

  I traded in my BMW 745i for the 2011 Hyundai Signature Series Equus, and apart from some irritating aspects of the i-pod and navigation systems, Im delighted with the smooth, comfortable, QUIET! ride of this luxury ride. To boot, I get 27+ mpg on the highway and 20 mpg overall using regular gas, and the valet service, where the Hyundai dealer delivers a loaner Equus to my house when picking up mine for service is a major plus. The exterior will remind you of the top of the line Lexus, and the interior is similar to the S600 series Benz (the suede like head liner, analog clock in the dash, etc.). Compare sticker prices with the competition and youll be astounded at the savings.

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  285 miles per tank?? - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By dbldigit10 - July 7 - 3:39 pm

  Really only 285 miles per tank of gas!!! 30 mpg barely. I am driving 60/40% hwy/city and im not even getting 300 miles per tank. I took it into the dealer and was told that they "hooked it up" and there were no codes showing any problems. I drive speeds varying from 45-75mph....more closer to 75mph. So tell me what i must be doing wrong??? When my wife drives the same as i do (if not worse) and she has the sedan model. She gets close 340 miles per tank of gas. I was told by the dealership (Colonial Hyundai of Downingtown, PA) that it was the way i drive not my car. Should have stuck with an american made car!!

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  Awesome car - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By - July 2 - 10:58 pm

  I so love this car, it has been very reliable and a great MPG, I love my experience with the Happy Car store

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  Did I really just buy an Azera? Its the 8th wonder of the world! - 2012 Hyundai Azera
  By zoomzoomguy - July 1 - 7:54 pm

  First off we have found ourselves only buying German cars as far back as I can remember. I bought 3 new Mercedes and 2 new BMWs and really was a bit of a snob when it came to the Hyundai brand. I told my friends my criteria for the new car that I wanted to buy and they told me I HAD to at least test drive the Azera. It came down to another 3 series, the new Lexus ES350, the Maxima, a Ford Taurus and a comparably equipped Buick. Hyundai was my last test drive and I knew it was the car for me and bought it on the spot. The tech in this car is nothing short of amazing and I felt so responsible for the first time after buying a car.

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  utilitarian with character - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By ben223 - June 29 - 2:56 pm

  This is the second car Ive owned and the first Ive come to love. Bought it with 135,000 miles and still starts and runs great at 147,000 miles. Have only had to replace manual window regulator, and do routine maintenance. I love to drive this car! It gets great gas mileage, is very reliable, and with rear seats folded is capable of holding LOTS of stuff. I frequently go on camping and road trips and im easily able to fit all my gear in the back hatch (and often times a canoe on top too). I am 66" tall and 275lbs and I easily fit in the interior, and am also able to climb in and out of the rear seat when front is folded, a difficult task in my other friends coupes.

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  Its just a reliable car... - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By meathead1986 - June 28 - 8:13 am

  Bought this car back in May after having to get rid of my baby(1996 nissan 240sx). Overall it is a great vehicle but there are reasons for my non 5 star review. First I have a fully loaded platinum edition and there was no nav installed. Thats a huge ding for me (Hyundai seems to have fixed this with new models). Second the paintis EXTREMELY thin so when you get a door ding it takes off every layer of paint. and the whole exterior of the car seems like they went and raided other manufacturers parts bins to throw it together... it has a little of every brand in it if you pay attention. having said that it is a great car and it does what its built to do. And I would reccomend it.

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  Weak in some areas - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By trafficjam - June 26 - 4:38 pm

  I no longer care about the mileage. At first it was great, 40 on the freeway 31 in town but after 22,000 miles it has fallen off. The major problem with this car is its horrible rear suspension. I cut someone off on the freeway, not because I wanted to but because i hit a bump and was thrown into the next lane.Cant wait to get rid of it.

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  First impressions--Accent SE Hatchback - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By uptowndoug - June 26 - 4:02 pm

  I considered a number of sub-compacts, including the Honda Fit, Kia Soul, Toyota Yaris and Ford Fiesta before deciding on the Accent hatchback SE. Main considerations were price, fuel economy and warranty length. Its only real competitor for me was the Kia Soul, but at only 34 mpg and about a grand more, I chose the Accent. I paid $16,900 in Sacramento CA for a brand new one with nearly all the options available. So far, after two weeks, here are some first impressions. Two fill ups and about 800 miles: only getting 30mpg so far combined city and freeway. Smooth riding, plenty of pep. Comfy, plenty of leg and head room. Stereo could be more powerful. Ipod lacks volume.

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  Good, not great! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By zbrian - June 24 - 1:21 pm

  So I purchased a new 2012 Elantra about 3 months ago. I have put 5,200 miles on the car so I thought it was time to write my review. The car is really good in some aspects such as exterior styling and smooth ride, but lacks in other areas. This car is a head turner, as I have had many people compliment or ask questions about it. The paint quality also seems good. Overall the car is worth the money (I hope). Overall this model of elantra has not been released long enough to attest to the reliability or longevity.

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  Great Car! - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By bacon777 - June 22 - 9:42 am

  A few years ago, I never would have given a Hyundai a second glance but I love my 2011 Elantra. I typically average 40 (sometimes higher) on my long commutes during the day and still get about 30 in the city. This has cut my gas bill quite a bit. The entire looks amazing though the black can make it pretty warm during the summer. Has many great safety features and the warranties beat pretty much any other car I researched before purchasing. Only downside Ive come across so far is Hyundais replacement of a spare for the pump and seal device in order to maintain good fuel economy. Once my roadside assistance is up, Ill probably invest in a spare.