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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  Good but no cigar better options out there - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By Steve - December 28 - 6:07 pm

  Hyundai is trying to build a luxury brand, but, I think maybe they are 5 - 10 years away. I have had several major problems with my vehicle and Hyundai seems to like stating owner problem can not be duplicated and leave it at that. I had problems with the dash lights flickering from night time brightness to daytime brightness and Hyundai could not duplicate. I also had problems with the power windows and locks been driving vehicles with this equipment since the 1990s with not problems. The service experience needs to be addressed if this is truly a luxury vehicle should I be in the same service line as an Accent? All of my service has been done by the dealer, very expensive and my car had been returned with greasy hand prints on the interior, come on Hyundai up your game. Every time something needs to be repaired the parts are never on-hand and must be ordered. The vehicle rides like a truck the ride is harsh and punishing. The high points of the vehicle is the engine is very powerful for a V6 gas mileage is OK but not great, the A/C is powerful, the trunk is large but no fold down rear seats. The low points besides the harsh ride, there is a lag in acceleration which is dangerous and annoying, the vehicle at times can seem like the power steering is not there, the warranty assistance from Hyundai, I called their Corporate Headquarters to deal with my problems the person I spoke with was less then helpful and surly . The resale value sucks, you save on the purchase end but boom get stomped on the resale value. Would I purchase another Genesis no, I will part company with Hyundai and go with a more main stream brand

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  SWEEET SWEEET RIDE - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By Anthony Pewonski - December 28 - 12:59 pm

  Everything and more than more expensive cars. Looks good going down the road of parked and the interior is nice. All wheel drive is tops on my list.

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  3.8 Economy disappointed - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By Steve Barlow - December 25 - 2:36 pm

  I have read reviews that say 30MPG on highway, most I have had is 22.4 Should I have it checked? I have had MBZ 500s and the Genesis is a lot more car, I probably will not go back. There IS a surprise, if you are second owner the warranty is only 5 yrs 50,000 miles NOT 10 Year. after 5 years you are on your own. I didnt find this out until I had purchased the car. This was the only negative think I would say. I can find no reason for the big drop in pricing for 3 years..if you are thinking of buying one DO IT you will not be disappointed!!!

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  My 2004 sonataa - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Leanna norris - December 24 - 4:26 pm

  I bought my 2004 sonata used for only 4500! It now has 212,000 miles on it and runs awesome and has never left me stranded. The only thing ive had to do to it is a tune up, oil changes, changing of head lights and tail lights. I had to buy new tires after 2 years and a starter for it but thats it. It may sound like a lot but it was just regular maintenance that it needed. Never had any other problem with it. It just started making a creaking noise and i think its my cv axles that need replaced but i wouldnt trade this car for a new one because the space in the car is amazing i think and the new cars have to much technology in them and are compact cars that look big and bulky. Ill keep my 2004 hyundai sonata till it wont drive anymore! Hope this helps.

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  Great car overall, but associated costs can be... - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Michael L. - December 22 - 5:10 pm

  The Hyundai Genesis Sedan 3.8L 2010 has been a good car overall, after 105000 miles. What you should be aware of is repair or replacement costs on some of this car. The headlights (which are very good? require full replacement, not just a $40 bulb. One headlight will run you $320 installed. Similar story for the required snow tires. This rear wheel drive car is not usable in any snow conditions unless one installs snow tires. With snows on it handles exceptionally well. Snow tires for this car cost $250 each. Such costs are similar to costs of a BMW or a Mercedes, as quality is matched but so are maintenance costs. I hesitate to consider a new replacement Genesis for my new car, despite loving my current one.

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  I didnt want this car. But Im glad I have it. - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By James - December 22 - 1:00 pm

  I bought an Audi S4 from a Hyundai dealership and literally 5 days later it blew up. Long story short, I bought where is as is (car had 100K on it, and a new motor - so I didnt really care and I was willing to take my chances) After a bit of a fight, the dealership - they said "hey, if you buy this, well take the paperweight S4 in as a trade. I obliged. Im a brand snob, Ill say it - BMW and VW/Audi have been my jam since I was in my early 20s. (TT, Jetta, 318i, M3 sedan, S4....) Well, I bit the bullet and swallowed my pride and took on this "cheap" korean wannabe luxobarge. My complaint: The car isnt ugly, it just doesnt have an identity - its not unique or special in any way - until you drive it. The car is fantastic. 27 MPG on the interstate a low of 17 when driving around crowded Kansas City streets.... but who cares, the car has the most FANTASTIC stereo Ive ever heard ANYWHERE. Car, house, boat... anywhere. There isnt much else to say - dont let your brand loyalty sway you from this car. It rules.

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  2011 Hyundai Accent at 90k miles, happy so far! - 2011 Hyundai Accent
  By Matthew Gamboa - December 17 - 2:30 pm

  I was sad to read the latest review just prior to mine, in which the owner had several problems early on that sounds like a rare lemon for this brand. I bought my Accent in 2012 from a dealer at that time it had 35k miles on it. The fuel efficiency has been great! It feels rather roomy for having such a small footprint, which I have been thankful for as I live in the SF bay area and parking spots are quite small. Im 62" and have had at least on one occasion traveled with three other people in the car who are roughly my same size they all said that they were comfortable. The only maintenance issue Ive had were the power coils going out. The first coils that went out were covered under the 60k warranty. The remaining coils went out around 8k later, otherwise it has been a trooper. The downsides have been mentioned before. Acceleration is not the best, particularly with highway merges. Also the interior feels a bit cheap and gets dirty fairly easily, but then again this is a cheap car. It is a bit noisy driving on the highway, but that might also be a common issue with subcompacts. If youre on a budget and want a car that is a dream to park in cities, then this is the car to get!

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  Switched from a BMW to a Genesis - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By Phil Carlson - December 11 - 9:20 am

  Ive had 5 BMWs: 2 740s, 2 135 convertibles and an X3. I guess you could say that I enjoy BMWs driving performance. But, I recently went on a long trip and I got tired of the BMWs rough ride. Sure, you feel the road, but you also feel all the bumps. So, I decided to look around. I found what I was looking for in the Genesis. Its much, much smoother than the BMW. Much more comfortable. The BMW jumps off the start faster, but the Genesis starts smoothly and then picks up. Their 0-60 specs are very similar. I went with the 5.0 to get the extra horsepower. The V-8 does accelerate well when you want it to. I test drove a BMW 535 for comparison. The Genesis is much better equipped. I really like the Lane Assist, which I didnt see on the BMW. The Lane Assist nudges you back into your lane by itself. That makes it very relaxing to drive. I also like the Adaptive Cruise control. I had one of those in a 2006 Infiniti, but it very jerky and only used it on long trips. This cruise control works in city driving. Again, its very smooth. So, between the Lane Assist and the Adaptive Cruise control its very comfortable. The Auto Hold feature is nice. With it on, when you stop you dont have to keep your foot on the brake. Very nice. I only wish I could set a default to have it on all the time. Overall, Im thrilled with the car. Of course, I also like the price. I saved money and bought more car.

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  Hyundai Accent - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By Marianne - December 9 - 10:19 pm

  It is a great little car to get around.

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  Stay Away from this hunk of Crap! - 2015 Hyundai Elantra
  By Nik - December 9 - 6:51 pm

  Chief complaint: the freaking (and I dont mean freaking) trunk goes thru spells where it just pops up whenever it wants. Seriously, I stood in the parking garage at work for 45 freaking minutes closing my trunk because it pops open every 3 minutes! I took it to the dealership and the guy from the service department told me that he was familiar with the problem because it happened to him when he drove a loaner vehicle, however, the techs werent going to be able to diagnose and fix it unless they actually saw the trunk popping up with their own eyes! Are you freaking kidding me! Now Im standing guard at my trunk because it keeps popping open and I live in a freaking apt complex! Next complaint: the alignment or something is off... You cant hold the damn car straight in one lane. No matter how straight and steady you hold the steering wheel, you still end up swerving and veering into someone elses lane. Additional complaint: the worst acceleration that Ive ever experienced in a vehicle... good luck pulling a heel. Haha! You can mash the gas to the floor and youll literally be going 10mph, but give it about 2-3 minutes itll respond to you pushing the accelerator. Last complaint: Idk why, but the windows fog up like crazy! Myself and a coworker who has this same car discussed this... you literally need the defroster year-round...the windows just fog up... no talking or singing with the radio --the windows just fog up. This was a horrible purchase and Im counting the days until I can trade it in. I purchased this car in March 2015 with 4 miles on it. Today it has 4,500 Miles exactly...and the freaking trunk wont close! Im seriously considering speaking with an attorney re: our local Lemon Law. No way a brand spanking new car should have these issues! Why am I outside, in the dark, closing my trunk every 3 minutes... at this very moment...