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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  Reliable commuter! - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By newenglandaccent - November 12 - 2:00 am

  I have had mine for over four years now. I bought this to replace my Jeep Liberty due to the rising gas prices and my daily commute on the highway. Immediately we went from an average of 16MPG with the previous car to over 32 MPG with this car, cutting our costs in half. Typical in town driving sees about 28MPG and on the highway we get 34+ MPG. I do not drive slow so I am sure that we could squeeze more out of it if necessary. It fits one car seat, a 10 year old and a booster seat in the back and has big enough trunk space for a weekend trip with a stroller. Overall this is a great car.

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  My best car ever! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By connie - November 11 - 2:00 am

  I have had many cars over the years, and this is by far the best car I have ever had! I bought it when it was 2 years old and had about 20,000 miles on it. Today is the first time I have had to replace anything, back brakes, and it has 95,000 miles on it! Otherwise I have only had oil changes and new tires. I plan to drive it for 2 more years and then give it to my daughter when they turn 16 - it will be a great first car for her. When I get another car for me, I will definitely get another hyundai! (And the hatchbback is wonderful - its like having a SUV)

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  "bouncy-bouncy" - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By mtnbyker76 - November 10 - 2:00 am

  I started out dealing for the GLS, but move up to theSE because of the ESC. I didnt test drive the SE because I thought it would be just like the GLS, and they were cutting me a great deal. Got it home and then, drove it to work. It was very stiff and extremely bouncy. Sometimes it seems to level out, but once it starts bouncing, it bounces. Dealer says its because of the larger wheels and tire, I dont know. Its a great deal turned sour. Does get very good mpg.

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  Only had to change oil every 3,000 miles - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By ecd - November 9 - 2:00 am

  Only had to change oil every 3,000 miles and just changed plugs water pump and all belts at 108,000 miles, the most reliable car I have had

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  Are we all driving the same car? - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By GrampaL - November 9 - 2:00 am

  I swear some of the reviews are on different vehicles. My carpet fits, radio works, the engine runs well, the car handles well, and its relatively quiet at all speeds, gets 34 mpg on Xway (28-29 in town) as advertised. I have had no problems whatever with only routine maintenance. The OEM tires arent great in snow, but heres a tip folks - its the tires.. not the car. I had this problem in spades on a Maxima years ago. Buy some others if you aint happy. Youd be amazed at the difference tires can make. Not sure what people expect, but this car meets or beats the competition at a lower price. Its comfortable, roomy and comes with a superior warranty. What more can you expect?

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  I love this car! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By David - November 9 - 2:00 am

  An incredible car, period. A real bargain for this kind of $s. Excellent comfort in front seat, good in back for 2 adults. Interior has best ergonomics of any car. Reach for a cup holder, the wipers, cruise control, etc., everything is exactly where you expect. Reliability is awesome, 0 defects, 0 problems. Car is so quiet seems the engine is off, all you hear is the awesome radio. Engine runs beautifully, smooth as silk. Suspension smooths out the potholes great. Stable ride, acceleration, and steering. Its easy to get up to 80 MPH without noticing, the suspension/steering is so steady & the engine so smooth. My MPG is less than advertised 24 MPG suburban mixed, 29-31 on open highway.

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  Great car - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Phil - November 8 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car for the money. My last two cars were supercharged GM products. This car has more pickup and more comfort then both. So far Im getting 26 + miles per gallon with all that power. It has 60,000 miles on it but runs like new. Can not even tell that the engine is running. I love this car.

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  Excellent in Crash - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Julie - November 8 - 2:00 am

  We bought our Sonata used almost 2 years ago. This past weekend, we were hit from behind, with the other person going around 70 mph. My Sonata flipped end over end, landing on the top. My daughter I both got out alive, and I believe my Sonata is the reason for this. It was a very sturdy car, and I dont think we would have fared as well in another car its size.

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  Best Ive owned - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By happy owner - November 7 - 1:00 am

  With 5 years and 50,000 mi on my Sonata LX, I couldnt be happier. Only repair has been a sensor, under warranty. Good performance, good handling for a family-type sedan, comfortable. No problem with mileage - 19 around town, 27 highway.

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  Decent - 1998 Hyundai Elantra
  By Lindsay - November 6 - 2:00 am

  Well up to a couple of months ago I would rant and rave about this car. Ive had it for 7 years and for 6.5 of those years I also put no money into it, just the usual tires, brakes, battery, etc. I loved it so much and found it was so reliable I even named it. However the past few months have not been great, had to replace the spark plug kit and then last week the transmission completely stopped functioning (automatic transmission). 115,000 miles on it, but too expensive to fix so its getting sold for parts :(