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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  An outstanding car at an ordinary price - 2011 Hyundai Equus
  By fastmarty - October 12 - 7:20 pm

  We have had our Hyundai Equus Signature Sedan now for several weeks. It is an outstanding large luxury car at the price of an intermediate size premium car. The car is silky smooth and quiet in all driving modes and is a joy to drive. The interior is exceedingly comfortable, and the fit and finish is superb. Our only complaint is the rather pedestrian looking exterior styling.

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  Love it . . . but - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By wubaja - October 11 - 7:49 pm

  I have driven my 2012 Accent for more than 4,000 miles and it is still fun to drive. There is one feature, however, that is problematic an annoying: The LCD display has virtually no contrast, i.e. it is medium blue on light blue. I find it difficult to read under any lighting conditions and brightness cannot be controlled. At night, it glows like a spot-light. During the day, its just fuzzy. And no, I do NOT have any vision issues. I hope that Hyundai fixes this because the Accent is otherwise a good value (so far).

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  Fantastic reliable car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By grande45 - October 9 - 10:47 pm

  I purchase a 2007 hyundai sonata 4 cycl brand new and I have had it for 4 years and during that time this car has not giving me one single problem, even during the winter months this car kept going and going, it also did very well on gas I get up to 22 city and 35 high way. Before I traded the car in for a brand new kia sportage I had over 163000 miles on it.

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  Great value, but you get what you pay for... - 2011 Hyundai Equus
  By kpsocal - October 8 - 8:02 pm

  I have been driving my Ultimate Edition for 6 months now. It drives very nice, has lots of power and is very smooth. This car is an excellent value for the money. However, lets not get carried away. There is a clear difference between the quality of this vehicle and the German luxury sedans. I am starting to experience some shakes and rattles after only 6 months. Also, the iPod interface and Navigation system have some issues. Also, dont expect a world class service experience at the dealership. When I complained about my problems, they returned the car without saying anything and writing on the service ticket "functioning as intended". I wish I had more room to tell you the whole story.

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  Exactly what I wanted! - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By catdaddy74 - October 8 - 1:43 pm

  Ive had my 2012 Hyundai Accent SE (mocha bronze) for 5 days now and I absolutely love it! It is roomy and comfortable with plenty of power when I need it. The engine is quiet and still feels powerful when I turn on the A/C. Reviewers like to say its not as sporty or fun to drive as the other hatchbacks in its class. Personally, I find it plenty sporty with a very smooth ride and quiet cabin. I never thought I would consider a Hyundai let alone step foot inside a dealership but Im glad I did. I am thoroughly satisfied and impressed with this little gem of a car!

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  A Good Car Overall - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By justme86 - October 8 - 10:24 am

  Ive had the car since new. Quiet, good performance and decent mpg. A comfortable ride thats been on quite a few long trips. The only problems Ive had are an undercar protective panel falling off on the highway (covered under warranty), the Michelin tires lasted only 30k miles and, now, the dash has cracked (I assume the dealer will also cover under warranty). I only have one little occassional rattle but dont they all have at least one? Ive enjoyed this car and intend to keep it until at least the end of the warranty period. I would recommend Hyundai to all buyers.

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  Very good, but not excellent - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By albertyoun - October 5 - 11:06 pm

  I previously leased a 2010 Elantra GLS. Wow, the 2012 Elantra Limited is a huge improvement. I shopped around, and did my research. There is no better car available for $23k. I liked the styling of the Mazda3 but the ride is terrible. (Who cares about "handling" when that Mazda rattles your teeth on smooth pavement?) If you want a compact car with leather, nav, and a backup camera (essential features for me), then this is your car.

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  Stripes Earned - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By patsd - October 5 - 10:03 am

  We have 6000 miles on it now.. I just drove from Chicago to NY, with my wife, our baby, and about a ton of baby gear. The MPG calculator never beat 37... but when we arrived I realized: we drove over 800 miles and stopped for gas twice, putting in ten gallons both times. The tank has more now than when we got on the road. Thats 40 mpg (at 70-80MPH). But MPG was not why we bought this car. We test drove everything in the class, and the handlings not quite as tight as the Focus or the 3, but its also not so far off the pace to justify the price difference. The cars balanced and stable, and theres plenty of fun to be had. And while saving money, you get more space and features. Great Car.

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  Awesome Car Totally - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By luvmyaccent - October 4 - 8:47 pm

  Had this car for two weeks and love this car, got mocha bronze hatchback. this car is everything i want and needed in a car, 36 miles per gallon so far, drives will, a/c is great, stero is nice lots of room, But No spare tire or jack, went to discount tire got a tire and rim for $93.00 brand new full size and fits in spare spot. This car has great pickup and fun to drive, price was under $17,000. The bronze mocha is a hard color to find. I got mine smile, only bad thing is the visalabilty out of the rear window. no regrets on getting this car at all, I love it. Test drive one and you will fall in love with it

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  2012 Elantra Limited - Fantastic Value - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By mrbill1950 - October 2 - 2:10 pm

  Traded in my 2006 Caddy STS (the money pit) last Friday for a 2012 Elantra Limited with all the bells and whistles. Things I love: push button start nav system great radio with XM, backup camera, etc. All the things that made the Caddy special are here in the Elantra. Whats missing - climate control AC, power seats. I can live without both. The one thing that bothers me - when I opened the trunk and lifted the floor I found NO SPARE TIRE - just a compressor and a bottle of tire sealant. This Im not happy about. The car drives well, and I dont think that theres anymore road noise than in the Caddy. Nice peppy engine, great brakes, but rather numb steering.