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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  Everything I was looking for and more!! - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Jane D. - July 5 - 1:43 am

  I wanted a car that I could haul my stuff with ease and room to spare. I test drove everything in this class, and some larger, and found nothing that compared to the Touring, especially in its generous features. My touring has solid handling, turns on a dime and delivers everything it promised. I love the sporty exterior look and the roomy interior. I am amazed that Hyundai could offer so many features for the price...sunroof, blue tooth, xm capability (3 months free), 17" nitro-fill tires and much more, . The others I tested couldnt come close. This sweet car is a keeper!

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  A True Road Warrior - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ron - July 4 - 2:20 pm

  We have been following the improving Hyundai quality and value stats for several years. When we needed a daily driver, we decided on the Sonata GLS PZEV. It is not a sprinter but in the passing range of 60 - 85 it is quite surprising! My wife puts 120K+ miles per day on the car in high speed traffic. The safety features were paramount as well as the handling and mileage. With well over 30K miles, no problems and averaging over 28 mpg at speed, we are extremely pleased. The Dealership is better than my MB group. The styling is vanilla, but that is great given the number of speed traps on her route. Bluetooth and XM rounded out the package for her. She comes home with a smile on her face

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  Hamdogan - 2013 Hyundai Equus
  By Harris Dogan - July 2 - 11:53 am

  Ive owed this car (2013 hyundai equus) for the past 3 years and are very pleased with the performance. I am ready to purchased another, a 2016 in which I have started the process.

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  And the 2nd tank is in - 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By jay357 - July 2 - 6:40 am

  As I previously reported my first tank was 28 mpg. Now I have added fuel for the 2nd time and my mileage is 37mpg combined just like the sticker said. So I dont know what the Edmunds tester problems are. I also notice my tires only had 30 psi in them, so I aired them up to 40 psi and am hoping to net another 3 mpg. Edmunds comments about quirky hybrid. I disagree, most of the time you cant tell when it shifts from gas to electric or vice versa. Occasionally you can feel it but even then it just feels like an automatic transmission shift.

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  Fun car to drive, easy to park - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By mike - July 2 - 6:36 am

  Traded in a Suburban, this car is fun to drive, somewhat noisy, so far we had 3k miles, my daughter like is very much (she is 3yrs old. my first brand new car, we have a 2001 Saab 95 that is not as noisy as this.

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  Lady Driver loves Tucson - 2009 Hyundai TUCSON
  By ladydriverca1 - July 1 - 3:48 pm

  Just a great car. At 80K miles now, with no problems whatsoever (even in scorching Arizona). Averages 22-25MPG, which I think is good compared to other 2009 SUVs. A comfortable vehicle, even on long road trips. Fun to drive, quiet, lots of interior cup holders, and the last year of this beautiful model. A perfectly not-too-big SUV that still elevates the driver. Comparable to the old (wonderful) Isuzu Rodeo.

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  Really Good Value For The Price. - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By PC757 - July 1 - 6:15 am

  The last Hyundai I owned was a 2006 Santa Fe, the old style one with the bulging fenders, Hyundai quality has certainly gone up. I owned that Santa Fe for over 10 years and 129,000 miles, and I admittedly did not really take good care of it, put gas in it, changed the oil, usually well over the recommended 7,500 mile interval. My total out of pocket cost for repairs other than routine maintenance and tires was $257.00 and that was being a neglectful owner. I wanted a car this time not an SUV, and I have been doing a lot of traveling across state back and forth so I wanted something with good gas mileage but inexpensive and had good safety ratings. I have been reading reviews on the Elantra over the past 10 months or so since it was first introduced in 2016. Looked at the safety ratings on IIHS in the US and at Europes safety testing. Test drove the Elantra , Corolla, Civic and Mazda 3. I really do not like the styling of the Toyota at all, The Civic was nice but no value for the amount of money they charge and didnt really care for the low roof line look. I liked the Mazda 3 but I was looking more for a comfortable driving car rather than a sporty car, and equipped the same the Mazda was still $1,000 more. The Elantra Value Edition, with the Hyundai incentives, pretty much put me in a well equipped, good looking, smooth riding car that gets pretty decent gas mileage and has good crash test results for the price of a used compact car. The car is pretty nice looking, the color Phantom Black, is actually like a black metallic with the windows tinted in the right shade (more black looking than gray, but not overly dark) it looks sweet. Im averaging 37 mpg. and its fast enough for me. I have not experienced any of this lag time Ive read about on here from a couple of other people, I hit the gas the car goes. I can not say that for a Chevy Cruze I rented while out of town, the Turbo lag on that car was terrible.

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  Tall-friendly and Winter Worthy! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By mushamush - June 30 - 1:19 am

  This car has been incredible so far. Im 63", 175 pounds. I fit comfortably, better yet, I can fit 3 more 6+ people with no problem. Ride quality, engine noise and road noise all exceed my expectations in a very good way. I own a 2001 Ford Focus ZX3 as well, the difference is staggering, and I love that car! The attention to detail and material quality really sets it apart from a lot of cars. Nothing feels cheap (and this is a Hyundai! Man, theyve come a long way), nothing creaks or pops going down the road. Im used to these small, 4 cylinder econoboxes being complete rattletraps. Not anymore. And it does well in snow. I couldnt be happier.

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  Very Much Approve - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Charlies Hyundai - June 29 - 2:00 am

  The only issue is I wish it had a little more horse power like the CR-V.

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  From a fun convt to a 4dr sedan - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By R Wild - June 28 - 10:36 pm

  Hated to give up my Sebring Convt bought new in 02 but after 100k it was time. (Ill miss it this summer) When I saw the Sonata on tv (Super Bowl ads, I was impressed. As follow up I looked at those on lots and at the Cleveland Auto Show. I love the looks and interior. The price was in my range so I bought the SE model. Its features are plentiful and practical. Bluetooth is great and Im glad the dealer did the connection. Not sure Ill use the "Paddle" shift. Gas mileage on 1st tank was 28.2 mpg, about 5 more than the convert, so Im glad of that. Still getting used to the features-- not sure XM is for me, but its a nice option. Hope the 18" wheels dont hurt when replaced$$$. Glad to Buy.