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 - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By pscarguy57 - November 23 - 10:43 pm

  I have really enjoyed owning my Sonata GLS. The few problems with the car Hyundai covered the costs of repair under their 5 yrs/60,000 mile warranty. And they extended that warranty by 2 yrs/24000 miles because of the horse power class action. The car is quiet, rides smoothly and is a good size, not to big, but carries four adults in comfort. I added after market leather interior, and wood trim for the dash, door/arm rest. And Chrome TSW 16 inch wheels, looks great with the bright silver paint. I have 76000 miles on my car. I am the second owner of this vehicle, I bought the car with 9,000 miles on the odo. Still after nine years of ownership I still really love driving my Sonata.

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  Excellent car but forgot the spare tire - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By garoman - November 23 - 2:10 am

  The Hyundai Elantra is an excellent car but Hyundai has elected to not provide a spare tire. I have owned my car for 6 months now and have had it towed twice due to not having a spare tire. The repair kit provided is a joke- you are not going to fix a gash in the side of a tire with "fix a flat." Yes, you have free roadside assistance, but my family has been stranded twice now- once in a dangerous part of town. I have purchased a spare tire so that my family will not be in danger again. Dont let them tell you their tire repair kit will get you home safely it wont. There are other good cars out there that come with the safety equipment you need to keep your family safe.

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  Definitely Worth the money for an outstanding car! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By birdiexris - November 21 - 3:20 pm

  I love this car. I got rid of my poorly designed BMW 1 series to UPGRADE to this car - there i said it. Limited - fully loaded to carbon copy of my BMW and i love it. There are no design flaws in this car. None. Everything is accessible to the driver and passengers. Even for a "light sedan" the car hugs the road well. No sports car, but its definitely fun to drive. Has the necessary power to be my commuter car and have it not feel like a commute. The technology works flawlessly and i havent yet found a problem working all the buttons on the touch screen -- which is not a junky screen and is EXTREMELY RESPONSIVE.

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  LOVE my car - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By shivelyk - November 21 - 7:31 am

  This makes the 2nd Elantra I have owned, & dont think I would own any other vehicle. Mine has 72,000 miles on it & other than replacing both fog lights (due to driving in snow & on salted roadways), I havent touched it for anything other than tires, brakes, air filter, & the other routine maintenance that is suggested in the manual. I get EXCELLENT gas mileage--with a combo of city & hwy miles I get at least 32 mpg with every tank. It drives smooth, & it fires right up in cold weather. Roomy interior, lots of nooks & crannys for storage, & an awesome factory stereo system are just some of the plusses on the inside. I would recommend this car to anyone who needs a good car for less $$$

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  Best Value for the Money !!! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By psills - November 20 - 11:06 am

  My 2011 Elantra LTD with the Tech Package (nav, camera, etc) is a delight to drive and to own. Heres a tip for those looking to buy one. Hyundai does NOT offer financing terms similar to other manufacturers. Most will give 36months a 0% and up to 60 at 1.9%. Hundai is a lot higher. Well I bought my car the other day--- and guess what-- I got 1.9% for 72 MONTHS. No prepayment penatly. The trick is to have a credit score over 700. The dealer would rather have you finance directly through Hyundai, but, theyd rather sell a car. Now, add that to the best warrenty in the business, the incredible write-ups, and the fact that this car holds value so well !!! A WINNER

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  Fun, comfortable,well-equippedseems like good value - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By f800 - November 19 - 9:57 pm

  I never gave Hyundai a second look - I made jokes about the brand and assumed it was junk that wouldnt be worth throwing away after a couple of years. When I got a new job that required a lengthy commute, I needed an econo-box that I could wear out and that wouldnt take too much maintenance and fuel. I saw the Elantra mentioned in Edmundsrecommendations and gave it a bit of a look on the web just to feel like I was doing due diligence. Three days of research, and I was driving a 2012 Elentra on my commute. The list of standard equipment in this car is remarkable. The dealer earned my business. Its comfortable and the warranty impressed me. I enjoy my car.

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  Best car for the money anywhere - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By signfixer - November 18 - 4:44 pm

  My wife & I recently bought a 2012 Elantra Limited with the Technology Package & pretty much everything else they offer. Ive never driven anything that has turned so many heads as this car. In parking lots, people look at it & they want to know how I like it when I touch the handle to open the door. Everything works well and the touch screen is easier to use than in my sons BMW. The car actually has been delivering the mileage it promises and weve been averaging 32 to 36 mpg on combined city/highway trips. It may not be as fast as it looks but its got plenty of guts for us and weve already been way over the speed limit on interstates at half pedal. Maybe next year a turbo version!

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  Not a Good Car - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By 06elantraowner - November 18 - 1:34 am

  I currently own an 06 Elantra, after owning an 02 Elantra, I am seriously disappointed. The gas mileage has gotten horrid. I dont even get 18 miles to the gallon anymore, and it has been to every required maintenance and then more. I have taken good care of it, but the reliability of the parts is terrible, and again it has become a horrific gas guzzler. I am at a loss, as is Hyundai, to why it cant get anything over 18 mpg. It is poorly built, the interior has begun to fall apart, switches and knobs have broken, and the cloth seats are coming apart. This car has been used as an in city car only, but is still just falling apart, and costing me an arm and a leg to continue to drive.

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  Love my new Elantra - great looks and fuel efficiency - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By grandsportc3 - November 15 - 9:20 am

  Ive read some of the other reviews and some people seem to be complaining about worse than expected gas mileage.. However, that seems to be only the case with automatic transmission. I have the 6-speed and on my first 3 fillups, I got about 39 mpg on average. The ride of the car is like a full size car. Very comfortable but not too soft suspension, good handling. I really love the exterior and interior design. The feel of the 6-speed transmission is great. So far, I have driven about 1300 miles with my new Elantra and Im very satisfied.. I didnt expect the car to have sportscar like performance. The power it has is plenty for regular driving.

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  Very Impressed with the 2012 Genesis - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By fernwood - November 14 - 9:53 pm

  I bought a 2012 Genesis 3.8L with premium package last week. After having test driven the 2011 model, I think that this is a nice upgrade in powertrain performance and exterior styling. For the price, I like this better than many of the higher priced Asian competitors such as Lexus, Infiniti and Acura. Fit and finish is excellent, it is fast and quiet and the price/value is tremendous for what you get. My wife likes it so much that she is trying to trade me her Audi A6 for it.