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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  Deplorable Gas Mileage - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By metzrob - January 31 - 5:30 pm

  I am getting horrible gas mileage on my 2012 Hyundai Elantra. It is under 30 MPG while doing 55 MPH using cruise control on an open highway. The dealership treats me like a moron and promises me the moon and then thinks I will just disappear and somehow magically become a satisfied customer if they do nothing. The mileage rebate program is woefully insufficient. People need to know that these cars are not good on mileage to say the least.

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  Transmission Problems - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By missmyescort - January 14 - 7:05 pm

  Ive had my 2006 Elantra for 3 years. Up until the last week I was pretty impressed with the value. These cars are much cheaper than those in its class for any given year. I had to replace the A/C condenser and a power steering pump but not bad for three years. ENTER YEAR 4 & THE TRANNY PROBLEM! I didnt read a single review about Hyundai tranny problems... but once my car started having problems I googled "hard shift from 2nd to 3rd after car has warmed up" and WOW! A lot of people have had this problem. Replacement was the only successful fix (appears it doesnt lead to failure but I cant live it). These car also have timing belts, another expensive maintenance item so trade it in I did.

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  Dont be seduced by the phantom fuel economy - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By zapfogldorf - December 16 - 9:06 am

  Had our GL for almost two years and got our best mileage during the break in period which we were told was 3k. It didnt get better after 3k. We were told that the break in period is actually 5k. It didnt get better after 5k. T keep this shorter, we went in after each required distance had been travelled and each time were told that it was more. After 5k it was 7k then 10k then 12.5k then 15k then, finally we were told that under no circumstances is break in less than 20k, ever. Where did all the other numbers come from then? Bottom line, we are at over 29k now and we get the worst mileage in the life of the car. Were getting 11-14L/100 km. Were extremely disappointed.

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  Wow, no thanks to the Elantra - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By rickpettry - December 11 - 12:24 pm

  Wow So disappointed in the Elantra. I talked my wife into selling her 10 year old Honda and buying a used Elantra. I wanted her to have a car with low mileage and a warranty. sometimes I have to leave town for work and I wanted to make sure she had no problems. while I was at the Dealership. I looked at the new 2012 Elantra. I under stand that the car would not get the estimated mileage on the sticker. but the salesman talked me into trading my car in based on the money I would save buying the new Hyundai. Here is what I fount out. the Elantra only get gets 3 more miles to the gallon than my other car. it dose not get the mileage the sales person told us. what I gave up is handling. comfort, and more. I am saving about $20.00 a month. the car has so much road noise I have to crank up the stereo to here it. the stereo. is one of the worst I have had. I swear I can hear the wind blowing through my windshield right above the rear view mirror. the seats are not very comfortable, my last car was a better car, and only had 50,000 miles on it. this car is not comfortable especially for long road trips. my wifes Elantra wow. this car came with the Hyundai. certified used car warranty. all 4 tires were bald on the inside. so you couldnt see it. it was out of alignment. and we just found out the Transmission Had never been serviced.. and now it has a electrical problem. the Car only has 40,000 miles on it. that over $700.00 we had to put into a certified used car. this car gets less mileage that her 10 year old civic. and also has more road noise, ect. Now her interior is more comfortable than my new car and she cant ride in my car for long periods of time. she has a bad back. I only had 1 year left to pay off my other car. then I would have about 4 to five years of no payments. I would take that money and save it for my next. car. i figured to have my last car 8 to ten years, and then buy another new car. this way it keeps my payment down. Now I get a letter stating Hyundai will give me credit for the mileage the car doesnt get, great. that doesnt solve the the comfort, and other problems I have with this car. If I trade it in on sothing else I will take a loss. I cant see having this car for 10 years. Thanks Rick Pettry

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  Rough rider! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By exhonda - December 6 - 9:23 pm

  Without a doubt the noisiest and hardest riding car Ive ever owned. On complaint,I was told perhaps nitrogen filled tires may be unbalanced. Guess what? That was not the problem. I was told they could not duplicate the problem[s] and was signed off. I have 2400 miles and will trade in on another brand ASAP!

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  update from 6 months ago - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By utahandjazz - December 1 - 7:58 am

  This is an update from a review i wrote 6 months ago. We now have 12000 miles on our elantra and gas milage has only improved about 1 mpg...from 22/32 to 23/33. VERY DISAPPOINTED! We took into dealer to try to improve milage and they couldnt find anything wrong. The milage indicator also does not tell the truth for the milage. When i check it with actual miles per tank and divide the gallons put in, it is about 2 mpg off. This car is horrible on ice...not sure if it is the car or the tires they put on it in the factory, but dealership said they are all-season? We dont feel safe with the kids in this car when the weather is bad. NOT HAPPY FOR THE MONEY SPENT!

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  Not being Truthful must be part of Hyundais Culture - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By dmee - November 17 - 11:13 am

  I would have never bought this car if the MPG was this low. My low is 23 mpg and the high was 34 on a 8 hour drive, not using A/C or the fan. I called the dealer shortly after buying it, they told me there was a break in period and just to wait. There must of been email damage control so everyone would lie to customers and say the same thing. When I questioned the MPG when the Hyundai dealer called me a week ago to try to sell me a newer car, he said he wasnt aware of any law suit but questioned me if I liked my Elantra besides the fuel mileage. I said no, and he hung up the phone. Quality!! I dont want the $100 rebate a year, I want a refund plus 15% for the lies they told me.

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  Reliable, but has little else going for it. - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By johanndc - November 5 - 1:46 pm

  Despite check engine lights, awful squealing from the serpentine belt, and a transmission fluid leak that prompted an emergency repair (shifts smoothly years later), this car has NEVER failed me. That said, there are issues. Constant rattling from interior trim pieces. Serpentine belt squeals despite several repairs. A headlight that is prone to failure. The 2.4 I4 has that wonderful combination of disappointing gas mileage and a deficit in power, and it shakes quite a bit. Handling is somewhere between Buick and BMW. But all in all, if you just need reliable transportation and dont mind getting the heck annoyed out of you, by all means get it. Certainly cheaper than alternatives.

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  20 Miles Per Gallon - For Real... - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By lisam6 - October 16 - 8:54 pm

  Do not buy this car if gas mileage is important to you. I have had this car for 4 months. I get only 20 miles to the gallon on city, flat road driving. Disaster.

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  Warrenty about up and car falling apart - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By spencer_sc - August 23 - 11:25 am

  I really liked my car at first. It is coming up on 5 years old (warrenty about up) and has been to the dealer 3 times in the last 5 months. Twice for check engine lights and once for ignition problem. Twice I could not get the car to start. I thought I got a good deal but I am a little worried I will be spending a lot of money to fix soon. I would stay away from Hyundai and spend a little more to get a quality car.