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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  Ready for another Hyundai - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jim - November 6 - 3:02 pm

  Both the car used with 15,000 mile on it for $14K and have only replaced oil at regular service times. Wife loves it. Opens the sunroof and lets the wind blow through her hair with the stereo turned up loud. Handles great even from the passengers front seat (mine). Some times I even get to drive it if I am lucky. Have a Buick Roadmaster that is going to be traded for a new Sonata maybe an 08 or 09. 30 MPG for the wife ans she has a lead foot. The new v6s have 50 plus HP so I know I will be happy with it and the interior is even nicer and roomier.

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  Great Little Starter Car - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By Liz - November 4 - 7:12 pm

  I bought this as my first new car and have loved it ever since. Gas mileage is great either highway or city (I drive stick). Have had no major repairs but am up to 200K Km now and it is in need of a windshield washer motor, new windshield, and possibly clutch problems. Still drives smoothly. A little noisy but it is a small car so to be expected. Sound system is awesome! Ive replaced the breaks once and do annual tire changes for winter/summer. Perfect car for single or young couple, doesnt fit our growing family anymore, no room to put down 60/40 seats with a carseat. Cant put carseat in middle because there is a bump. Need four doors. Headlights are not bright enough.

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  Great little car - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Norm - November 4 - 10:35 am

  Ive got almost 50,000 miles on this car. Had to do nothing so far. I average 32 mpg overall. My only complaint is the AM radio reception - it is not good. FM and CD are great. Mine is all leather, standard transmission.

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  Great economy car - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By Stew - November 2 - 4:30 pm

  I bought my 04 Accent because I needed a very fuel efficient car. I bought it with 55K miles on it and have had very little problems with it, I replaced the timing belt myself at 60K miles per the maintenance schedule, the upstream O2 sensor went bad so I replaced that myself, and have been doing regular oil/filter changes. The airbag light did go on, took it to the dealer for a diagnostic but havent had it repaired yet. Its a 5-speed and I average between 42 and 43 MPG with 75% freeway driving. I bought this car because I needed a fuel efficient commuter car to rack up a bunch of miles and its fit the bill very well.

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  Its been a ride! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By kdavis77 - November 2 - 5:50 am

  I have enjoyed every one of the 127000 miles I have driven in my Santa Fe. It is spacious and comfortable. The car has worn extremely well. The only problems I have encountered are: watch the alignment - especially the rear wheels. Heavy loads may cause them to go out and you can ruin your tires. The cruise control works great, but when you go up a hill at high speeds, it may kick out. This is where the shiftronic transmission comes in handy! Only one major repair - (power steering hose blew). Still getting close to 27mpg on the highway and 19 in the city. We plan on keeping this car until it dies .

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  After 6 Mo/ Comparing with wifes Civic - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By David - November 1 - 7:04 am

  After having the Elantra for 6 months, Im a very happy Elantra owner. I have not found one defect inside or out. This car delivers up to 41 mpg on the freeway and as low as 27 city which is a huge range but with the AC off on short trips in a rural area I average 31mph. We also purchased a new Civic Ex about the same time for my wife.I have to say that the Elantra has a much smoother and more quiet ride than the Civic EX that my wife drives. The Elantra has a slower responsive steering set up but not sure if that is bad since Im not racing the Indy 500. The interior could be nicer but for the money, this car is hard to beat.

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  Excellent longevity - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Gwen - October 31 - 7:27 pm

  My Hyundai has approximately 243xxx miles on it. All weve done is change the timing and drive belts every 100K miles, changed the oil every 3-4K miles, tune ups, brakes and tires. The only problems weve had was a leak in the driver door (covered by warranty), repeated replacement of windshield (some design flaw with the mirror embedded in the glass), and now, with its age, its leaking (not burning) about a quart of oil every 2-3 weeks. Overall I am exceptionally pleased with our purchase. Oh, the 5 speed manual is getting between 33 and 38 mpg driven mostly highway.

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  Know what your getting A VALUE CAR , but.... - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jay Cobbs aka. Justhanginon - October 31 - 3:26 pm

  I have driven and owned almost every make...Opel, ford, toyota, dodge, nissan, pontiac, saturn, and the list goes on. Having driven commerical trucks for over30 years in the California Bay Area I was very excited to find a car that was both sexy and practical, with great safety features, warranty and styling all in on package. Drove many dealership cars like subaru impressa, ford focus hathback, toyota prius 2013-2015 models Honda CR-V and yes, enen a Honda Insight. If your catching a theme here, your right...A HATCHBACK ( not listed on edmunds site so put it here) Im 59 years old now and set in my ways of safety, be a carefull driver and can hypermile even my current 2000 chevy malibu 6 cylinder full size car to 26 miles average using "PRIUS STEALT MODE" driving modes...yes Im pretty good at this for a car that the epa said was only 20 mpg. Anyway....after driving the sporty ELANTRA GT HATCHBACK...I was hooked...But there are some things you need to know first...Its not a LEXUS OR BIG CAR RIDE...Its listed as a compact but has room inside bigger than a AUDI A4, toyota matrix ( I drove two of those too) and bigger cargo space than even a CHEVY VOLT ( yes, drove that, did that) tthe pick up is great like a turbo( they use the 2.0 GDI ENGINE in thier currnt 2016 turbo models). NOW TO THE PUNCHLINE...THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW.. This is a sporty, sport tuned ride and as one review said TAUNT" in ride. BUT THE REAR SHOCKS are crap and my new car had to have them replaced before 30,000 miles because I thought the backend was falling off just taking it home about 50 miles from the HYUNDIA DEALERSHIP in MODESTO,CA. After calling them the same day I picked it up, upset and only 1 hour old..they told me to wait till thursday (picked it up on friday) due to the long weekend. I could drive it that way so went to my mecahnic Ive used for years and was told the Hynudia shocks where shot and unsafe and most any speed, not just freeway. I shelled out 300.00 the next day, after picking up the car from the dealer and it rides much better....so moral of the story...take any used car to a trusted mechcinic BEFORE YOU BUY THE CAR and pay him up to 100.00 for a Full "TUG AND PULL AND FLUID CHECK AND ROAD TEST BY A PROFESIONAL its well worth it if you plan to keep the car and all the safety features it has..but make sure its safe first, THEN TALK PRICE NOT BEFORE !!!! Yes Im seeing the dealer this week. Yes the warranty is hella long and can take it to a local dealer then drive from UNION CITY TO MODESTO HYUNDIA but "LUCY...YOU HAVE SOME SPLANIN TO DO".... Love the car and all it can do and hold, performance is great...desgn is wonderful and jazzed about finding a RUBY RED "HOT HATCH" color to boot. The 2016 Elantra gt hatchback is the last of its kind due to under 36 mpg ( which you can get with ECO on the hwy) and power, power, power...did I say power. TEST DRIVE THIS GEM and see what I mean..P.S. the 2015 GT is the same car but more simple front styling..GO GET THE SONATA-GENESIS inspired model... get practical, sexy, family hauler, outdoor gear packer, fun to drive and toss into corners 6 speed fun mobile. Just check it out completely , then pull that trigger and watch it go...Jay Cobbs Tri-cty area BAY AREA California

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  Long-Time Miata Owner Goes Veloster - 2016 Hyundai Veloster
  By Dave - October 30 - 4:27 pm

  As mentioned in the title of my review, I have owned only Mazda Miatas for the last 15 years. There is no other car in the world like it for me, and I would still be driving one if not for the fact that Im getting older now and I need more room, not to mention that its gotten increasingly difficult for me to roll into that little car day after day. Long story short, I have always liked the unique look of the Veloster, so after test driving one I was sold. I now own a gorgeous 2016 Citrus Orange Veloster and by and large, I love it! It doesnt feel monstrously large like most cars do after having been in a Miata for so long, and the seats are the most comfortable buckets Ive ever sat in. It handles fairly nimbly for a car its size and corners nearly as well as my Miata did. Excellent gas mileage in the Eco mode, mine always runs around 31-34mpg which is WAAAY better than I ever got in the Miata (21-24 tops). The ride is firm but not objectionable to me (again, compared to a Miata which is a SPORTS CAR) and the car feels solid and well-built to me. The amount of tech that came on this car is amazing and fun as hell (backup cam, infotainment center, paddle shifter, etc.) as Im not used to anything more complicated than an aftermarket stereo in my Miatas. My ONLY nit pick about this car is the transmission. The engine is not the most powerful thing in the world to start with, but the automatic transmission is strange. It seems to not want to engage when I step on the accelerator hard... like someone in a stick-shift revving the car in neutral... it just doesnt move sometimes! I have two very close friends who also purchased new Hyundai automobiles at the same time as I did (a Tuscon and another Veloster) and they report the same sort of hesitation in their transmissions that I am experiencing. That leads me to believe that the problem is not unique to my car or model, but may be a bug in the overall design of Hyundai automatic transmissions. It makes me have to be more aware when turning into traffic from a dead stop, which is probably a good thing. Overall, Im loving the car still at 7k miles!

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  Please Think Twice Before Buying - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By RW - October 27 - 1:56 pm

  I have had the 09 Elantra for a year, Have problems with the XM radio. Dealership will have to replace the whole radio. Have a big problem with the switch. It wont turn when key is inserted. No problem with the key itself. Dealer cant locate the part. Haven t driven the car in 2 weeks. Having to rent a car while we wait. Never buying another Hyundai, NEVER, EVER.