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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  Genesis Sedan 4.6 Budget Rental car - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Larry Hatch - July 16 - 2:29 pm

  My wife and I recently rented a car from Budget in Seattle for a 2 week trip to San Francisco. We reserved a Ford Focus. We got bumped up to a Genesis 4.6 Sedan. Wow! I fell in love with the car immediately. Loaded car. Drove like a dream. No matter how hard or easy I drove it I was never disappointed. We actually were disappointed to have to give it back to Budget at SFO and walk away. I would buy one without hesitation if I were in the market. I drive a 2003 Crown Vic LX Sport Model. The Genesis was the closest to a new version of the car I drive at home. Keep up the good work Hyundai. I will be looking for a clean used one in a couple years.

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  Awesome - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Carla - July 16 - 11:51 am

  I upgraded from a 2005 Sonata. Ive had it less than a week. I LUV the Genesis! This is my first luxury car and it has navigation too.

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  I love my Elantra! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dani - July 15 - 3:43 pm

  I got my 2007 Hyundai Elantra a little over a month ago and I love it! It is a great car, fun to drive, comfy, GREAT sound system, more storage than I can fill and great on gas, I average 32-35 mpg city and got almost 40 when I drove a 300 mile trip a few weeks ago. I love the cruise control and it is a manual so it accelerates quickly. It has a lot of great features. I would recommend this car for everyone. I am a college student and this summer I am babysitting. This car fits two car seats in the back comfortably. I will also appreciate all the space when I am coming back and forth from school this fall. Great car at a great price!

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  Driven 7 months so far - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Driven 7 months..... - July 15 - 12:43 pm

  Purchased 2010 3.6 new in Jan. 2010, after 7 months I am pretty happy overall but not without complaints. Radio/stereo with combined navigation on screen suffers from poor design, too many clicks required to do simple tasks like view then change radio station. Voice recognition software not great, will only turn off using the specific word, "suspend", otherwise wont go off and no manual off option. Driving and ride excellent after 7 months and 6,000+ miles, no repairs or squeaks. Dealer had to update nav software, and now must replace tilt wheel and seat memory chip. Dealer has great service, Hyundai customer serv. great! Overall, excellent vehicle, top warranty (10 yr) Paid $38k pre tax.

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  Not too shabby - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By Hyundai Owner 23 - July 14 - 8:35 pm

  Bought the car in Aug. 2009 and have had incredible fuel mileage from the beginning. I am surprised to see people putting numbers below 30 mpg. I havent gotten anything below 32 mpg. I got 36 my last fill up. I commute 70 miles a day driving around 55 mph most the way. This car is great for that (commuting).

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  2010 Genesis Sedan - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Jeff in Texas - July 13 - 9:06 am

  You cant buy a better luxury car for the money. I owned a Sonata which was one of the most trouble free cars Ive ever owned, and the Genesis is following suite. The quietness, luxury interior, looks, features, well, just about anything I care about is outstanding. I routinely get compliments from the people who see it and the ones who ride in it. If your emphasis is on value, get a Genesis. If your ego demands recognition, get a BMW, Lexus or Mercedes.

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  Happy with Purchase! - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Bella - July 13 - 8:41 am

  After much consideration I got a Hyundai due to price, options, and warranty (which I also got an extended warranty because I drive for a living). My car runs great, is very quiet, and is comfortable to drive in (I did have to get used to the headrest though - just a little different). I have not noticed any of the suspension issues others have mentioned here, but I did notice a difference in how the car rides with the SE vs. the GLS model. The SE is a much nicer ride, and hugs curves like a pro. It is a very responsive vehicle. So far I have gotten 30 mpg on average. Also the car looks small from the outside, but feels very roomy inside - which I like very much.

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  Frank Hyundai Awesome dealership, - 2010 Hyundai Accent
  By pashun - July 8 - 12:51 pm

  This is my first Hyundai, love this little car, fun to drive, love the color ice blue, frank Hyundai is a awesome dealership, sales manager is great. Everything is centrally located, I needed to cut my payments so I traded a Toyota, (long time Toyota customer) but with all the problems with Toyota, I decided to go to Hyundai, I am a senior and just needed a car to get from point a to b, felt this would be a great car for me, like the hatchback, gets to 60 with no problems, drives smooth on freeway and takes bumps in the road nicely, got the car for 11,810 got great payments also with a $2,000 rebate. Totally happy with my new car. Test drive one you will be surprised

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  Great Bargain for High Luxury - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By McGruff71 - July 6 - 3:10 pm

  Just brought my 4.6 w/ Technology package home last week. I have to say, my wife and I are giddy with our choice. Had a hard time finding a performance sedan at a reasonable price. Drove a lot of cars, this one was the hands down winner. I LOVE to drive it! I will say the road test reviews that describe poor ride/handling on broken pavement are 100% correct. You definitely feel some unwelcome lateral movement, verging on loss of control when you come across some broken roadway. But so far, that is the only drawback. She is a wonderful highway cruiser, and the sense of refined power from the purr of that V-8 is amazing. For the price, you cannot beat this sedan. (Coming from a Pontiac GXP!)

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  Little Beast - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By sssss - July 6 - 1:10 am

  I got this car a week ago, and so far its been great, except for the fact that the car shakes while braking around 45 mph, and the tires lost pressure after a week so the low tire pressure light came on(but hey, at least there IS a warning light). i am taking it to the dealer this week to resolve those issues. Other than that, i love it. its so fun to drive, and i like the way the gears click into place and how easy the clutch is. i do wish it had cruise control and power locks, but its the base model and was cheap. I was very impressed when i test drove it, the ride is great for such a cheap car. also the mp3 jack is awesome