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:

• 

  advertised gas mileage problem, reliability zero - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By araz0001 - August 20 - 3:18 pm

  I bought it in July 2011 and i investigated some problems. First of all, if you like drive fast, it doesnt dispose of buying that car because when the ECO is not seen, its fuel consumption is very bad and it is not economic about fuel consumption.The second one is about noise. After 6 month the noise emerged and while i am using it, the noise is increasing. It specifies itself when you are on the damaged road.The other one is that the car is very light. If you are going with 60 mile per hour and suddenly apply brakes the car will fly. The back of the car is dancing. Thats why in that car safety is zero!

• 

  Very Noisy! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By gjg1 - August 3 - 2:36 pm

  This is my first and most likely my last Hyundai. My 2013 Elantra is the nosiest car I have ever owned hands down. The sound generated by the 17" wheels and low profile tires is extreme. Hyundai, put some sound absorbing material in and please, include a spare tire. "Just call our 24 hour road service" does not make up for sitting on the side of the road for 2 hours waiting for the tow to come.

• 

  Very reliable - 1998 Hyundai Elantra
  By supgamer - July 16 - 5:26 am

  I bought this Elantra with 76,000 mi. , now I have 172,000 mi. on it. I dont know if the first owner did all the fixing, but this car has been very reliable to me. I use this car for long distance deliveries (courier), therefore, most of the mileage have been highway. Besides regular maintenance (tires, fluids, brakes, tune up, etc), I had to change the crank shaft position sensor, slave cilinder, clutch, the AC fun that was out of balance and making noise, drivers inside door handle (switched with the same side back door, fits perfectly), did change the timming belt and water and thats it. My only complaint are the air vents that are very delicate (all broken). Love this car!!!

• 

  285 miles per tank?? - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By dbldigit10 - July 7 - 3:39 pm

  Really only 285 miles per tank of gas!!! 30 mpg barely. I am driving 60/40% hwy/city and im not even getting 300 miles per tank. I took it into the dealer and was told that they "hooked it up" and there were no codes showing any problems. I drive speeds varying from 45-75mph....more closer to 75mph. So tell me what i must be doing wrong??? When my wife drives the same as i do (if not worse) and she has the sedan model. She gets close 340 miles per tank of gas. I was told by the dealership (Colonial Hyundai of Downingtown, PA) that it was the way i drive not my car. Should have stuck with an american made car!!

• 

  Weak in some areas - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By trafficjam - June 26 - 4:38 pm

  I no longer care about the mileage. At first it was great, 40 on the freeway 31 in town but after 22,000 miles it has fallen off. The major problem with this car is its horrible rear suspension. I cut someone off on the freeway, not because I wanted to but because i hit a bump and was thrown into the next lane.Cant wait to get rid of it.

• 

  Huge Disappointment - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By illinoisbear - June 6 - 9:18 pm

  I bought this car for one reason: fuel economy. I wanted a car that actually delivers 40 mpg on the highway. Imagine my disappointment that this car actually got 30.45 miles per gallon on a recent 200-mile trip. Tell me Im a bad driver or whatever, but 30.45 is a far cry from 40. Oh, Im right around 3,000 miles. This car replaced a 2003 Saturn L200 that was getting 30-32 mpg mostly in town with some highway mileage. Im extremely disappointed in this car. Wish Id read the reviews before buying.

• 

  Tire Problems Hyundai Accent SE 2009 - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By farahk - May 15 - 1:42 pm

  I have had my Hyundai Accent since 2009 August. I have been comepleting regular checkups at the dealership and the car has been performing well. I have driven for 5 years prior to buying this car. Other cars I have driven include the Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sentra and Kia Spectra. Obviously those are bigger sedans than the Accent. I have a clean driving record as well. One issue I have found is braking in poor weather conditions. Expecially when there is a layer of snow on the ground, the car tends to slip (compared to the other cars I have driven). The main conern I have had was the tires. I have had 3 bursted tires since I have bought this car. cont...

• 

  Hyundai Does Not Stand Behind Their Product - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By jason010 - May 10 - 4:59 pm

  I purchased a 2011 Elantra new just over one year ago. I am a sales rep and I drive the car quite a bit. I now have 45k miles on the car. It gets good mileage (30-32 mpg in the hills of East TN). The cab is roomy & comfortable & the engine has been fine so far. Now, on to the issues I have with it. The car rides very rough, the road noise is terrible (and gets worse with time), & overall quality of the materials is questionable. Recently, all the audio (radio, bluetooth, and button) just went out. Hyundai wont fix it & basically told me to [non-permissible content removed]. The radio/navigation only has a 36k warranty, along with the paint. This tells me Hyundai knows the audio system is crap & doesnt care.

• 

  Loved and now hate this car - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By smm7 - March 24 - 1:32 pm

  I bought this car in 2007 when it had 120,000 miles on it. It now has 190,000 miles, and Im still driving it. There are good and bad things Ive encountered. Good things- I love small cars, easy to drive, gets around very well in snow storms surprisingly, and it has never had engine or tranny issues. Bad things- Ive pumped tons of money in this car to keep it going. From the radiator to the belts and everything in between. And the paint is horrible. Its looks like crap and all peeled off on the hood, top, and trunk. It looks horrible now. Its still getting me places, and after 5 years, this is the longest Ive had the same car, but I cant wait to get rid of it.

• 

  Only 8-Month ownership of the car - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By jonathan16 - January 31 - 2:26 pm

  I was convinced by my wife to buy the 2011 Genesis 4.6 and I sold it 8 months later. The ride was killing me. Couple times I traveled with my family, my 18 years old son thought were riding on truck. Furthermore, the squeaks & rattles are also unacceptable. My wife said she will never tried Hyundai again.