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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  Great Car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By pooh - March 24 - 6:44 pm

  I really like my car. No major issues. I had car break down but Garden Grove Hyundai took care of it and it was covered under warranty. I would definitely buy another Hyundai. Very dependable and worth the money. I seem to not get as good mileage as they claim but still overly happy with vehicle.

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  Incredible car - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Drobeta - March 23 - 12:58 pm

  I got it after testing Lexus 350, Infiniti G37, BMW 5.The clean and sleek design caught my eye.The interior is very roomy and looks awesome.The quality is unbelievable.The Genesis is by far the best value for the money.If you are open minded and not a brand name slave, take a closer look at it.Did I mention low maintenance costs, longer warranty, $30 oil change and regular gas instead of premium?

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  2008 Accent wow what a bargain! - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Daniel - March 21 - 9:31 am

  I needed a 2nd car to take pressure off my Genesis as I have been racking up the miles. I got 2008 GS 3 door hatchback for $7850.00 mint condition, no wear or tear. 38 months left on the basic warranty. Im very pleased with the performance for the money. Inside is fine and simple. Back seat has more room than you would have thought.

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  A happy owner - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Mike - March 18 - 10:16 am

  After owning 2 Elantras and 3 Sonatas and having no reliability problems and next to none other problems with Hyundai cars I got a Genesis 3.8L w/Premium Pkg. Build quality and comfort exceed anything Ive ever owned and Ive owned Lincoln an Mercedes. Performance, considering the 3.8 is hauling around a 2 ton vehicle, is nothing short of amazing! All surfaces inside have that certain luxury quality look and feel. All exterior panels fit evenly and the doors, trunk and hood close with authority. Everything works as intended and expected. In town gas mileage can be no so hot at 16-17 at the highest, but on a run back from Omaha one day I got 29 which was a pleasant surprise.

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  Great 1st New Car - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By GRC - March 18 - 8:20 am

  I totally love this car. I drove from Mass to Florida and back to Mass with this car full of stuff. I have about 79,000 miles on it now. Still runs great. I had good luck with dealers in Mass and in Florida. I get regular oil changes and tires when needed. Brought this car brand new. Great 1st car for me. Do you see how much the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour looks like the Elantra GT.

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  NICE luxurious car - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By gohuskies77 - March 16 - 5:11 pm

  When my husband told me that he wanted a luxury sedan, I was worried about the cost. We test drove many cars and really liked the Audi A4. As we continued to look, we stopped at the Hyundai dealer to see what they had in the line of luxury sedans and were shocked to find the Genesis. A gorgeous car at such a low price!! One test drive and we were sold...done deal! We have already put 12,000 miles on it and have ZERO regrets. I do recommend re-badging this car. I found some neat "winged" Genesis badges on Ebay (very much like the Bently badge), pulled the Hyundai badge off the rear and replaced with the new, and added a badge to the front hood. Makes the car look more elegant.

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  Great Car for Value Oriented Drivers - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By NFerre - March 16 - 12:16 pm

  My wife needed a new car because her 95 Accord was on its last legs. We knew the day was coming, so we has already been researching vehicles, and the combination of price features, and warranty put the Accent at the top of the list. We ended up purchasing her a Hyundai Certified car with 4500 miles and an automatic. The car is very well built, and handles well for a lightweight economy car. The engine, wgile no speed demon, etc the job done, even at 80 MPH plus highway cruising. Dont let the lack of ABS scare you if you are looking at the Accent, the car stops just fine. Build quality is far better than one expects at this price point. We bought a second one to replace my 1994 BMW 325is.

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  Best car for the money - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Best car in catagory - March 13 - 11:43 pm

  Bought the car a week a go drove it about 1000 miles and it does not drive like a compact car its more like a full size ride, getting around 37mph mixed city/hwy .Tested several cars and it beat the others out so we bought it.this 4cyl is quiet even at 80 mph and plenty fast enough on take off,car is roomy smooth ride what else could you ask for. Review,s are about right except for the ones selling other brands trying to ho do you.

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  Very good - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By xCourtneyx - March 13 - 10:07 pm

  Great car! I looked at Mazda3s, Honda Fits and Civics and hands down better of all them! Much more quiet and while not as quick as the Civic or 3, a much better feeling.

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  Just purchased my new Elantra - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By KC_Ryan - March 12 - 4:18 pm

  Just purchased a new Natural Khaki GLS and Im thrilled. I feel like I got a really good deal on the car too. Got it for $14250.00 and with the admin fee it was only $14,600.00. I was ill-prepared for the hard sell on the extended warranty so I purchased one but canceled it the very next day so Im happy about that as well. The car drives great and seems like it will get great gas mileage. My wife and I drive mostly on the interstates but I really havent noticed the suspension issues that have been brought up here. It drives as smooth as any any other short-wheel base vehicle that doesnt have a sport-tuned suspension.