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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  Excellent Car - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By bigkev7 - March 10 - 9:48 pm

  I bought this car 1/2010, only had to replace regular maintenance items. Rotors, timing belt, etc. Its been a good reliable car. It had a good engine to get up to speed when you need it to. I do recommend the Hyundai Elantra.

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  Some bads aspect reviewed - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By edmunds_logon - March 10 - 9:13 pm

  I buyed my elantra 2011 3 weeks ago after carfully reading reviews and comparing different models. Im 35 y-old rep, i drove around 40 000 miles/ year and just replace my yaris manual 2006 with 160 000 miles on it. Before this, i had a Subaru WRX turbo also. I gotta say i do have my rally offroad license as im a racing enthusiasm, i race motocross and i am also aware of suspension settings and reactions. MPG was very important and thats also the major point wich is deceiving. While i was doing 360 miles per 13 gal, i now go for 280 with the Elantra in mixed City/highway conditions and a sporty driving style, at 75 mph on highway, wich i did not change from the Yaris.

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  Rear brakes burned out - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By emlod - March 10 - 3:50 pm

  The rear brakes burned out at 18K and they made me pay for it. They said the slider corroded. I said I brought the car in for regular maintenance. Why should that happen? They blamed me for not requesting it. A call to corporate did no good, so I ended up paying. The tires wore out at 36K, Michelins and they were rotated. The steel wheels all rusted and I saw the same thing on other Hyundais. The care is practical but about as bland to drive as you can get. The interior looks cheap to me with a very plastic look. Dealer service where I bought it has been poor so I go to an independant garage. The transmission lugs at 40 MPH The car vibrates at 60-65. Dont use inflate a tire

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  Excellent value for the price, amazing deal - 2011 Hyundai Equus
  By sushibricks - March 10 - 11:33 am

  Family recently purchased the car. Weve seen the previous generation Equus and saw how popular it was in Korea and decided to give this newer Equus model a try. Two words: Amazing improvement. This model cannot be compared with the previous models. The interior design improved greatly, in fact, Im actually pretty satisfied with the interior improvement. Theres even a fridge! The rear seats have plenty of space, they definitely added more space back there because the previous models were a bit uncomfortable if u were in the back seat. Car is very quiet, has plenty of power. If you need a car similar to BMW 7, Benz S Class, or Lexus at a much cheaper price, then this cars the way to go

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  Unbelievable value - 2011 Hyundai Equus
  By losyaxons - March 8 - 10:07 pm

  I have been driving BMW 7 series for the last twenty years and now have a new Equus Ultimate model and cannot imagine a better value. It has the same features as any of the available flagships for 30-40k less. As Hyundai gains market share, it will certainly appreciate in value. Opportunities like this rarely come along. I am in love with this car! Thank you, Hyundai

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  Looks great...drive great...BUT - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By jimmygimbels - March 7 - 9:03 pm

  Look great. Drive great. But, the tires are a problem. Be ready to slip and slide in heavy rain or any level of snow. Hankook Optima tires have a rep for little or no traction in snow and ice. If you live in an area where it snows, you might want to invest in a better set of tires. Hyundai traded safety for a better mileage number

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  2007 entourage 04 SANTA FE - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By bx2661bx - March 7 - 1:25 pm

  I HAVE 2 HYUNDAIS AN 04 SANTS FE W107K LX MODEL AND IT STILLS RUNS ALMOST LIKE NEW GREAT CAR. THIS IS WHY I TRIED THE 07 ENTOURAGE IT NOW HAS 95K AND STILL RUNS GREAT. I NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS W/ EITHER CAR AND IM IN THE MARKET FOR THE 11 SONOTA HYBRID. EVERYONE LAUGHED NOW WHO IS LAUGHING THEY MAKE "GREAT CARS" JUST LOOK AT THEIR LINEUP OF MODLES. AS FOR THE ENTOURAGE AS U CAN C BY THE MILAGE WE DRIVE THIS CAR. IT BEEN TO FLA 4X, HILTON HEAD5X AND VARIOUS PLACES. ON THE HIGHWAY 75MPH IS OUR AVERAGE AND WE GET 20+MPG WHICH IS GOOD W/ A FULL CAR WHICH IS 4600LBS. THERE ISNT ONE THING I WOULD CHANGE, W/THE EXCEPTION OF HAVING A SUN ROOF LIKE I HAVE ON THE SANTA FE.

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  THIS LITTLE CAR IS AMAZING - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By sanzabartrust - February 28 - 10:17 am

  Let me say it seems like ive been a car a year Im 22 and this is my 5th car (the others were $1000 buckets. Im in college so reliability was key in my decision. Saw this car at a wholesale dealer for $1800 and jumped at it after I test drove it with only 115,000 miles. Ive just got scheduled maintenance on the car and it has been very good to me. The only major (haha) repair has been a corroded flex pipe which make my little car sound like a monster truck (luckily its a $30 part and got it installed/welded for $60) The inside is clean and standard which I was going for. Upgraded all the speakers they burst when I put a new radio in. All and all good car for me as a college student.

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  Power Steering Hose Issue - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By neil2002 - February 27 - 3:32 pm

  Well, Ive been starting to have power steering fluid leaking all over the place. Took a look up under the car and the high pressure power steering hose is spitting out a lot of fluid. Judging from these reviews this is a very common problem with sonatas. Usually seems to happen around 100K (my 2002 has 105K on it). Definitely a design flaw, but dont know if it meets criteria for a class action. Would do this myself to save some $ but cant really save that much as this is a dealer part thats about $300. Ill let the techs install as Im sure theyve done plenty and the labor (although its not a 2 second job) is not the brunt of the cost.

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  WORST Ride EVER - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By bob415 - February 25 - 11:29 am

  The 2011 Hyundai Genesis is the WORST riding car I have EVER owned. It even makes smooth roads feel rough! It is no luxury to feel like youre in an airplane during extreme turbulence.