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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  Issues with our 2007 Azera - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By daveb2323 - September 9 - 8:17 pm

  We bought a our 2007 Azera new, and have had several issues with the car. I will list only those that I consider more than nuisance value. Cracked dashboard, much like all the other customers. Sound barrier/shroud bolts under car came off like others, dragging from front to back. Latest issue is a failed rear winshield screen motor, which the dealer says has been impossible for him to fix... Car also gives off a tremendous amount of heat under the car on both sides and the rear. Overall, the car has been nice to drive but has so many what seems to be design flaws that its now clear to me why hyundai does not advertise it or give it showroom floor space.

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  If buying for Gas mileage, dont do it!! - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By shanebro - September 5 - 3:30 pm

  Purchased the car in April of 2011, and I now have 11,000 miles on it. I have driven the car embarrasingly conservative (I have Smart cars and Pruises passing me like I am standing still... No joke) This car will NOT get 30-40 as advertized. I drive partial thruway and partial city, so I would say mixed driving. I get 26-29 mpg. I did get 35 mpg on the highway once, but I never went over 65 and I slowed up going up hills... You know the drill.) Would love to know who they paid to get the rating that they received. So in my opinion the only reason that you would buy this car would be for the warranty, it certainty is not "fun to drive" that for sure.

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  Its OK!?!?!?! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By altima2 - September 4 - 7:48 pm

  I purchased my elantra on 9-3-11. My first impression was the car looked sharp and the price was reasonable. I test drove the elantra and it it seemed ok especially with the high gas mileage. However, after driving it for a long drive, the seats are uncomfortable and there is a lot of road noise. The mpg is 35 which seems to be accurate. If I could do it again, I would not have purchased the elantra. If anyone is looking to buy mine let me know!

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  yay i bought a car... - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By carchris07 - August 27 - 11:37 pm

  Got my Sonota because of consumer reviews saying how much they all loved there car. Not the case with me. Took it off the lot and cerpintene belt immediatley started squiling, something not right with ignition(car hesitates),speakers started ratelling and check engine light came on. Repaired the cerpentine belt twice only for the d*mn thing to start squeling again. Decided to deal with it till driving to work one morning and com sensor went (took hyundai 3 days to figure out). 29 day mark of ownership, had the car taken to the dealership. oh ya, was very comfortable to drive, an only 60,000 miles.

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  Hyundai Elantra GLS - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By iamnovice - August 7 - 4:35 pm

  I purchase an Elantra on June 2. When I bought it, I had three criteria. I wanted really good gas mileage. I wanted a car that was drivable. And I wanted some cargo capacity. I had a 2008 Honda Fit. The Fit got 32 miles to the gallon overall and had a lot of cargo capacity as a hatchback. The Elantra is very drivable and can accelerate better than the Fit and doesnt have the problems maintaining highway speed. And the Elantra has really good EPA mpg ratings. So I thought I could forego the cargo capacity. Unfortunately the Elantra gets just over 30 mpg on gas with no ethanol. So I only got one of my three requirements. I wish I had not purchased the Elantra.

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  Tough Couple of Years - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By mike334 - July 31 - 9:26 am

  I bought this car late 2008 with 31K miles, thinking it was worth not spending the extra 4 grand for an Accord. Issues with interior pieces, rattles, ignition lock, etc. Issues with rear brakes and suspension noises. Junction (fuse) box shorted out. Noise from failing timing chain tensioner that will eventually fail. Hyundai parts are very costly, and local repair shops in my corner of the world are mystified by Hyundais. These cars are probably fine for someone who drives 10,000 miles per year, but the components just dont hold up for someone like myself who uses the car for business at 2.5 times that mileage. FYI, all the required maintenance was done, and promptly, to no avail.

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  Dont Buy!!! Spun Rod Bearing after 6000 miles !!! - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By johnrichards - June 24 - 2:59 pm

  I wish i could write a good review, and would have if i hadnt been stranded on the highway yesterday. Engine started rattling violently out of nowhere and lost all power. I was almost rear ended trying to get to the shoulder. Dealer diagnosed a spun rod bearing !!! They offered to replace the short block but not the entire engine. I dont feel safe driving this vehicle any longer ... i guess im selling it at a loss. Ill go back to my beaters that have never left me stranded! (the car was never abused and i never went above 4k rpm). I guess some things are too good to be true.

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  Not happy at the moment - 2012 Hyundai Accent
  By winvid33 - June 20 - 8:12 pm

  I bought my car because I couldnt come close price wise with the american car dealers. Within 3 days of purchasing my car, the Transmission had to be replaced. I would have rather got the manual transmission but they are like a needle in a haystack. That is what the low price represents. You end up paying way more with the automatic. I called Hyundai to try to get a new vehicle since the brand new one I bought lost a tranny in the first week. No way! I just put in gas and got 31.5 MPG on exactly half highway driving and using the Active Eco Mode. I dont expect I will ever get the 30 city that they say they get.

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  I wish it got better gas mileage! - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By keylacat - June 20 - 12:12 am

  I have had a Hyundai Elantra Limited since February. It currently has 5000 miles on it. It is a very attractive car , but like many other posts I would agree that it does not get near the gas mileage that it purports to. I average 28 mpg per tank. I do a mix of city and highway driving. Often just in town, I am getting 24 mpg.

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  General electrical system problems. - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By hardrock46 - June 12 - 10:32 am

  We have owned 2 Hyundas previously and were very pleased with with both cars. Excelent reliability and performance. Then we bought this 2009 elantra (brand new) and have been very disappointed. While the car always starts fine, runs great and gets great gas mileage it is plagued with bull crap electrical problems. 1. Check engine light keeps coming on. Had it in for this several times. Dealer cant or wont fix it. 2. Tire pressure light kept coming on. They seemed to fix that, so far. 3. The theft alarm keeps randomly coming on. Just did it again this morning. Multiple trips to dealer, no fix. 4. Winshield washer quit. Tank full, pump runs, no water. Will take it back in again.