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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  Terrible Car / Forgettable experience - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Sandy - December 2 - 2:00 am

  After almost decades of owning premium / luxury cars, I made the regrettable decision to buy a Hyundai. All my friends and family were skeptical. I have spent the past several months working with dealers and HMA Consumer Affairs to address the problems. Every time they tell me they DO NOT see the problems. Is anyone else having these problems? The whole experience has been extremely disappointing. 1. Rattling / grinding sound when driving at lower gears 2. Jerky transmission shifts 3. Squeaking / cranking sound from the rear seat when driving 4. Loud rumbling noise when starting the car 5. Vibrations while driving 6. Tires worn out at 25k miles 7. Cruise control does not work

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  A lot of Car for the Money - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By Mr T. - December 2 - 2:00 am

  Ive had the car for 3 months(2200 miles) now and I am impressed. My wife has a 2005 BMW545i(6 speed manual) and she told me she likes my car so much , she wants to get rid of the beamer and get her a Genesis too.We have the logic 7 in the BMW and the Lexicon system sounds even better. I dont know what the people who said negative things about this car were talking about( perhaps they work for the competition).If you are in the market for a sport/luxury car,do yourself a favor and check this car out.

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  Great car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Kevin - November 30 - 2:00 am

  My wife bought this car used in 2006 after her 1999 Elantra was totaled. It had about 35,000 miles on it and we put another 85,000 on it. I put new brake pads on it one time, new plugs twice, changed the oil every 3 to 5000 miles, and we went through 1 and a half sets of tires. This car was super reliable and I would still be driving it at 120,000 miles if it had not been totaled recently. I have no doubt that this car would have made it to 200,000 or more miles. Was hit twice at high speed on a rainy day on HWY 210 and I walked away with no major injuries.

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  Great value and excellent performance - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Jayz - November 30 - 2:00 am

  After owning 4 LS series Lexuss I decided on a change due to the Lexus lackluster styling and high price. Toyota/Lexus was having all the recall problems at the time and upon reading the various automotive reviews I took a Genesis for a test drive. What a pleasant surprise. After 3000 miles I can say that the car handles beautifully in all driving conditions, has excellent acceleration and a virtually sound proof cabin. I would highly recommend this car to anyone interested in a high quality luxury sedan like ride at a very affordable price.

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  Great little car with poor resale value - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By tpayne - November 28 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car in January 2007, paying cash. Needed to get larger car and went to trade it in Nov. 2010. All the dealers including Hyundai wont give us more than 6,000. for the car. It was in excellent condition with 55,000 miles. We were unhappy with the value dropping $11,000 in 3 years. That is insane. We never had any trouble with the car and the features were great for the price. Whoever rates car resale values needs to rethink Hyundai models. Bottom line great car for the money, if you plan on keeping it till the wheels fall off.

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  Great car even with problems - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Genesis - November 28 - 2:00 am

  I bought mine used w/ 18,000 miles on it. Its the 3.8 w/ all options and now has 25,000 miles on it. It has been flawless with one exception - an electrical problem that effected the stereo. After replacing all components (some twice), Hyundai had over $18,000 in parts at retail price back into it. I was also without it for at least a month. Also, I hadnt had the car for a week when the a stone hit the condenser and I was hit with a $530 bill to fix it. Overall, I havent been pleased with they responses from Hyundai, but the dealership tried hard to make my happy. All of that aside, I still love the car.

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  Most overlooked car in the US market - 2011 Hyundai Azera
  By Bob - November 22 - 2:00 am

  I had never heard of the Azera until a friend of mine with a Genesis let me drive it. I was impressed and went to the dealer to check them out, but the one thing I didnt like was RWD--thus a test drive of the Azera. It was the last of seven cars I test-drove and turned out to be just what I wanted & thousands of dollars less than I was willing to pay. All the cars I drove were either German or Japanese. My second choice was the Avalon, but didnt think it met my needs like the Azera. My Azera now has over 1000 miles on it & am truly amazed at the quality for the price. Its not often the least expensive is my favorite. It is a far superior car to the Buick I used to drive.

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  Fun car to drive and worth the money. - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By hectorartm - November 21 - 2:00 am

  We got the Sonata at the beginning of 2010. I purchased the car with 68k miles on it and have put over 20k on it. Let me tell you something, these cars are reliable...maybe more so than Toyota, Nissan or Honda. I have not had a single problem. Oil changes are a breeze, since the oil filter is on top of the engine and driving it is fun and the car is very comfortable. Interior room shouldnt be a problem for anyone unless your name is Shaq. Treat her well and it will treat you well. BTW, for all those complaining about knock on start, thats normal for a top oil filtered car. Just give the car 10-15 seconds to cycle the oil.

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  Solid Car - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By Previous Acura Owner - November 20 - 2:00 am

  The Genesis is a solid well built car that now makes Hyundai the leader in quality. The fit and finish of this car is second to none. The engine is outstanding and the ZF transmission is very smooth. The cabin is super quiet at 80 mph. If you are looking for a luxury sedan, dont pass up a test drive of a Genesis 4.6 sedan.

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  Trouble - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By matt - November 19 - 2:00 am

  Fuel pump has failed 3xs sense ownership at 50k. The water pump went out at 100,000 which destroyed the pistons, brand new timing belt and the heads. Now I have a brand new Hyundai (joy). The car looks brand new after having the hubcap and door handles painted. Ride and comfort is fine but overall not impressed