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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  Best customer service and value for money - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By bmet2013 - November 10 - 9:27 pm

  This is my second Hyundai. I bough an Accent brand new in 2004 and only had one issue. About 34k miles I had to get a second to third gear sync and it was covered under warranty. My Sonata is a blessing. Last year I let my parents use it to go on vacation to Myrtle Beach. Loaded with luggage and 4 people through the hills it managed around 31mpg which was really awesome! The car got up to 35 mpg on my monthly trip to indianapolis from cincinnati. Cincy to Indy and back to cincy it used barely 1/2 tank. Normally I see 23mpg mixed which is ok. Ive gotten as good as 400 Miles per fillup in mixed. Over all this is a great car for the money. Always get complements on my car!

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  A great Van! - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By mcsweeney - November 10 - 6:31 pm

  I have over 84,000 miles on the van, and it is a vary dependable van. I go everywhere with it, and I mean everywhere. I plan on keeping it as long as I can. Everything works great. I chose the Entourage over, Dodge, Chevy, ford,etc.

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  I Love This Car, Great Buy - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By tjpillar - November 10 - 5:18 pm

  This is my first Hyundai that ive ever purchased. I bought this car back in August and I have to say I am very happy that I did. Its great on Gas, The Styling of the car is excellent, The Warranty couldnt be beat, and The Price was better than Models I considered such as: Mazda Mazda3, Scion XD, Nissan Sentra, and Ford Fiesta. I can honestly tell everyone that this car is the car to beat. Comfort is so-so, but I also can honestly say that if you choose to want a slightly bigger car the Elantra is a car i almost purchased. Lets see how well my Accent performs in later years. hope this helped.

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  My new Equus- 2012 model - 2012 Hyundai Equus
  By jfred - November 8 - 2:45 pm

  I have just had the car a short time and I held out for the 2012 model due to vastly improved engine and transmission. (429 HP and 8 speed). I havent opened it up yet, but it obviously has worlds of power. 0 to 60 probably near 5 secs. It is ultra quiet and very comfortable. The seat has many adjustments and the control for same is very handy. It is priced many thousands (20 to 35K) less than M-B S series, BMW 7 series, or the big Lexus, or Audi A8. Go drive it and see for yourself!r Audi A8 to 30K) less than any equivalent car from BMW, M-B,

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  About as good as it gets - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By wiccanferret - November 7 - 5:20 pm

  Weve had this car since it was new and it now has 52k miles on it. Despite what other reviewers have said, you wont find a car that has lower maintenance costs. So far, the only things Ive had to worry about, as per the owners manual, were oil changes and an air filter. Thats it. Oh, and the battery went out after 4 years, which is better than your average stock battery, especially considering the Texas heat this year. This car couldnt be cheaper to run, period. The gas mileage is decent (35 mpg) and the power and handling are phenomenal for this class of car.

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  Power steering failure!!! - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By missmel89 - November 6 - 2:44 pm

  This car is NOT what I thought it was. I fell in love with it when I first got back in August. Then two days ago, while I was making a sharp turn, the wheel suddenly became extremely heavy and tight to turn as if there was no assist. I had to use all my strength and accelerate in order to make my turns safely! After 10 minutes the steering softened up again. However, yesterday as I was making a u-turn it happened once again! My car is currently at the dealer and I should be hearing from them tomorrow. I am hoping they find something wrong because this is NOT NORMAL OR SAFE! This is not the first complaint about the power steering either, meaning there must be more out there!

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  2012 Elantra Limited - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By rt129 - November 4 - 10:32 pm

  I took deliver of my 2012 Titanium Gray Metallic Elantra (my fourth Elantra) and have received many compliments on the color and style of the car. The interior is modern and has some upscale flair to it. The leather seats are comfortable on short and long trips with little to no fatigue. Love being in this car. The only thing, to date, that I am a bit disappointed is the fuel rating is not as good as I hoped (averaging 31 in mixed driving). Overall, I am happy with the car and I highly recommend the Limited as a great car at a great price.

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  Good stuff. - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By kles - November 3 - 9:58 pm

  I bought my Accent SE about a month ago and have put 1000+ miles on it, and still love driving it! Other cars I test-drove first: --Honda Fit--Had better visibility and cargo space, with cool fold up/down seats but no Bluetooth , more expensive, and virtually unavailable for months) --Ford Fiesta was nice looking and cheap, with great Bluetooth for wireless phone and music. But a miniscule back seat and cargo area--doubt it would have fit the carseat with my 4 yr old actually in it, let alone a full-sized person. Also, poor visibility--felt like I had to crane my neck to see out left drivers front window & right rear window. Poor visibility out back d/t small window & huge headrests.

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  Hyundai Elantra - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By drealee73 - November 3 - 7:48 pm

  I was in an accident with my 2004 Hyundai Elantra and although it was totaled, there is nothing bad I can say about this car. The other guy ran a red light and I t-boned him at 60 mph. The airbag deployed and my seat belt did not break. This accident was three days ago and Im just sore. No broken bones. I was at the emergency room for about 30 minutes and was told I was fine and could leave. My Hyundai Elantra saved my life and that is why Im taking the time to write this review. I highly recommend this vehicle for its comfort, safety, size, and pretty much everything else about it.

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  Good looking and decent car - not so good EPA gas mileage - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By lucd - November 2 - 7:27 pm

  I traded my Mazda 3 Sport 2.5 liter because it did not give me good gas mileage. After buying this 2011 Elantra for its advertised 40 mpg, Im feeling pretty foolish. The car is a good looking car, but very disappointed in gas mileage. I average 34 mpg in the summer with 70% highway and 30% city. I baby the gas pedal. Now I put on snow tires and Im getting 31 mpg. 40 mpg not so much. If Id of known how deceptive the MPG was going to be, Id of kept my Mazda. Hyndai Sonata is a good car with very average MPG.