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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  My first foreign car - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By skydog1964 - March 10 - 10:06 am

  The professional review I read stated that the car was sedate for driving. well dont be put off by that because it couldnt be further from the truth. I am 47 yrs old and have owned a lot of cars. This car is the total package for someone looking to save money on gasoline without sacrificing power, looks, comfort, and driveability. To be clear I have the 2012 accent gls sedan, not the hatchback. I test drove the fiesta first and lemme tell you, it doesnt touch this car in the performance department.

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  As the other reviews say, What A Find! - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By jheaslet - March 6 - 11:38 am

  I havent been this excited with a new car in a very, very long time. I feel similarly about the Genesis as I did with my first car back when I was 16. It was an 83 Buick Skylark which required me to pour gasoline into its carb to get it started haha. Those were the best times. Im by no means comparing the two, just the lovely feeling I had with my first car and how excited I was every time I had a chance to drive it. This is how I feel with the Genesis. I like nice things, but love saving money. This car fits the bill and provides me with a great feeling when I get settled into its wonderful seats. I find myself making up reasons just to drive it. Really, the experience is terrific.

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  I LOVE IT even 200,000 miles later - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By shelly09 - March 6 - 10:58 am

  I love this car. I bought it 2 years ago as my first car. It is getting me through college. It is the most reliable car ever. I am 2nd owner and 200,000 miles as of yesterday. the only problem I have had was a small leak in the power steering line. I get good miles and it is quite. I call it my dolphine because of the long nose and short tail. :). I do not regret getting this car.

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  limited sports car - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By tail_lights - March 4 - 11:51 pm

  Ok when I first got this car I thaught it would be a drag to drive because it was "fuel efficent". Well its not, I was suprised its a little beast. Ive broke 115 in a stock very standard model. So it is an absolute thrill for me to drive. Aside from that I love the mpg. When i cruise down the hwy at 70 I get 44 mpg in eco mode, only 33 when doing 80. My only complaint is in my residential area we have alot of stop signs so i only get 10 miles to the gallon till i get to the main roads. Its because of the quick shifts in the lower gears. Over all an amazing car.

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  Such a good car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By missij12 - March 4 - 6:25 pm

  I bought this car new back in college. 8 years and 100k miles later Im finally about to give it up for something larger. The biggest repair Ive ever had to do on this car is replace the battery. Other than that, every day this car has started right up and performed great. Its been all over the country and even got me through the mountains without a problem. I couldnt ask for better gas mileage out of a car with such good acceleration. I did install an aftermarket stereo a few years ago to support my Ipod but the factory stereo was fine besides that. Its going to be hard to say goodbye!

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  Update 1 year later - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By whigbee - March 2 - 2:53 pm

  Im updating my review from 1 year ago. Since then I have encountered more issues. My dashboard has cracked on the passenger side, where the Airbag is. The cracks are basicially in the shape of where the bag is. Also the rear window shade has gone out for the 2nd time. The paint is fading. I e-mailed Hyundai Usa, and they directed me to a dealership. I have 1 month or 5,000 miles left until the warranty expires (5yr/60k). This is something that should be covered even after expiration, I feel they are both safety issues. Unfortunatly I have to go back to a dealership that lacks customer service and follow-up. I had such high hopes for this Car, but am disappointed in the build/reliability

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  First new car with the worst mpg - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By drewberry - March 1 - 2:06 pm

  This is an update from the one I did 2 months ago or so. The car is still nice but the gas mileage sucks. No matter city or highway or driving conditions I only get between 21-25 mpg. And the miles to empty when full is 259 exactly. Both of those numbers are horrific for a compact car as well as a car that suppose to get 29 city/ 40 highway. I drive extremely gas efficiently and have not even came close to the 30s at least. I have started to look cars I can trade this for....maybe 2012 honda civic ex....But I am trully done with Hyundai. Such a disappointment.

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  UpDate on the MPGs - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By gofor40mpg - February 28 - 11:32 pm

  I have hit the 31.4 MPGs again. I have gone 323.9 miles, using 10.3 Gallons. I have also done more city driving in the last half tank. I have now 1274 miles on the Elantra. Now on this tank I will not use the ECO. I will see what difference it will make on the MPGs. So at this point, have not improved on the MPGs, But I am very pleased that i am getting better than 30 MPGs. You should know, that I live in Albuquerque New Mexico. If anybody Knows the terrain, Abq is not flat by any means, and is 5000 Feet above see level at the lowest point. So driving around, its up and down constantly. Traffic can be bad, but not as bad as most larger cities, Next will be a road trip. Will update.

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  Great Value - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By jesse_tn - February 26 - 8:21 pm

  This car is a great value just loaded with features and feels like a class above what it is. Ive had only for a week but I have found it to be smooth, responsive, quiet and really great gas mileage. It has very good transmission. I love the way the car looks inside and out especially the instrumentation at night. I looked at many different cars and I simply could not come close to what this car offered at such a great price. Outward rear visibility could be a bit better but seems fine overall.

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  12000 miles fo far and very happy with my Elantra - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By grandsportc3 - February 24 - 9:59 am

  Bought my 2012 Elantra last November and already put 12000 miles on it (trips from Florida to New York and from Florida to Mexico) and the car has been very fuel efficient and reliable. I had ZERO problems with the car and Im getting an average of 39 mpg (mostly highway). The only time that I got worse gas mileage was when driving with 3 persons, a dog and lugguage to New York and to Mexico.. The extra weight dropped the gas mileage by about 3 - 4 mpg.. I really love the looks of the car, inside and out.. I dont know what other reviewers are talking about when they mention that the engine is noisy.. At 70mph cruising, I cant even hear the engine...