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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  What A Car - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By luremakerfdl - May 4 - 11:55 pm

  4 weeks ago picked up my new Elantra. Have been byuing cars since 1958. This with out a doubt is the best ever. Now have 2700 miles on it and there is nothing but smiles on my face. Took 4 adults, ea over 200 lbs, on a 330 mile road trip through the Ozark Mts. in north central Ar. averaged 35.3 actual MPG based on miles and gas used. This was abought 2 MPG less than the trip computer indicated. I traded an 07 Aveo. what a dif. Compared to the 6 Pont Bonnevilles i bought over the years this car beats all of them. Hyundais Baloon purchase with extended amortisation sure keeps the payment lower, nearly $140 less than the best i could get from Chev Dealer for a Cruz.

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  I love this car!!! - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By carvedscissors - May 4 - 1:24 pm

  I was considering several vehicles (The Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius, and the Hyundai Elantra) when I decided to go for the new Hyundai Elantra. It looks and feels like a luxury vehicle, without the price tag. It is roomy and fun to drive. =)

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  Reliable Driver - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By superlative28 - May 2 - 10:41 am

  Got this vehicle from my mother 4 years ago. Has been very reliable with no major repairs required to this point. Comfort of seats is fair and interior design on base model is bland but it gets the job done.

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  4 Years Later and 63,000 Miles - Fantastic - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By denverman - April 27 - 5:40 pm

  I bought the car new in 2007 for only $14,900 out the door. The car has been excellent, no issues at all. I had the 60K service done, regular oil changes, one new set of tires, a new battery, and a couple of sets of wiper blades. Except for the battery going out, the car has never let me down. It looks great on the inside but the outside is a little boring. I would love to step up to the 2012 Genesis but I hate to have a car payment. My car is paid for and it works great. Ive not had any issues driving in the snow. Ill probably have this car for another trouble free 4 years. Im 63 with plenty of headroom.

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  Master Cylender - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By colorado18 - April 27 - 2:00 pm

  i was having trouble getting fluid to the brakes. I had it looked at by 2 people was told its the master cylender. Dealer ship ignored me the first time i took in in and said i should get my brakes replaced. I did what they said and the issue was still there. I had to tell them again that the master cylender is not pumping fluid to the brakes. They argued with me and i got so angry with them i will never buy another hyundai again. They do not deserve my money. After they looked at the car and come to find out the master cylender was broken like i said. The worst customer service ever and i dont recomment hyundai to anyone.

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  A pretty decent car - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By ibilkut - April 26 - 1:54 pm

  For a little over $18k, its hard to beat what one gets in this car. New styling in and out takes it to a modern, jazzy level. The front seat is comfortable for my 6 foot frame, and the tilt/tele wheel enables me to drop it down low, as is my preference. While the 40 mpg is on the sticker for highway, a mix of long/short drives puts me at about 34-36mpg. Id say the car is responsive, tracks nicely on the open road, brakes quick and tight, pulls nicely into parking spots, has above average pep, and an ample trunk. Im pleased with what this car delivered as compared to Mazda 3 and Honda Civic. Theres some slight engine/road noise, but this is after all not a Lexus.

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  Amazing Car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By dog32 - April 25 - 2:03 pm

  This car is amazing, we bought it brand new and Im glad I bought it. This car has never let me down, the winters are tough around here and the car can handle it better than any other car weve ever owned, The backseat cupholder did break and the pouch in the rear seat ripped, but other than that its in pretty good conditon for being a four year old car, not even any rust! I would so buy it again, it,s AWESOME!

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  Love it for the most part. - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By laura_s - April 20 - 5:42 pm

  Ive had my 2007 Elantra for a 1 year and 8 months now. I purchased it with 55,000 mi on it for $6,900, and I feel like I got a pretty dang good deal. There are a few issues that are quite annoying, but nothing that is huge. I would definitely recommend this car. It would be best if it has a good warranty, though.

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  Perfect except for 1 - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By natr - April 19 - 3:21 pm

  This car is amazing! I always lease cars because i want to drive the latest model without having to pay a big hefty sum every month. The Elentra was not an option at first, thinking it would be as tight on the inside as a Toyota Corolla. WRONG! this car is amazing! Both my husband and I are tall, we can comfortably sit in the front and back seats without anything touch our knees. Also we have an infant with a car seat plus we carry the stroller everywhere we go. Cargo space if nicely designed to fit more items. And the GPS and bluetooth are amazing features. got it for $1900 and $246/ month for 35 months.

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  22,000+miles and still a great car - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By troy26 - April 17 - 3:43 pm

  Fun to drive and wonderful on long freeway trips. average mpg is 24. The 4.6 V8 has very good acceleration, 0 to 60 in 5.3 seconds, leaves BMWs in its dust. Very good seats and easy to get in and our of. The adaptive cruise is the one of the best features.