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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  2007 Hyundai Elantra - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By scott.stevens40@yahoo.com - December 5 - 8:06 pm

  I bought a 2007 Hyundai Elantra my car before that was a 1995 Isuzu Rodeo, so getting a bit old. The Hyundai so far in 2 months has been very reliable, great fuel economy as well. The tech is a little behind the current times, but it was made in 2007 so I wont be so critical on that aspect.

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  2008 Hyundai Sonata SE V6 - 3.3L - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bob Rubel - December 4 - 12:48 pm

  I bought this car brand new in 2008 from the dealer. I have a 10 year - 100k Warranty. I see people saying seat belts, door handles etc. are falling off. Have never had any of this happen. Im 62" and have no discomfort. The car is quick as hell, shell jump up to 100-120 easily. The car is about 8 years old now and I have only done basic maintenance and put tires and new headlights in due to the wax formation. Everything works. Sound system sounds great, and I love that the unit holds 6 cds. If I could buy this car again when I need a new car I would. Drove to north Carolina, Flordia (separate trip), tenesee (separate trip) and would NOT be afraid to drive to California from rhode island. The car has 161,000 miles on it so I expect problems soon due to use and age. I do not see poor quality in material. I love the car and think that door handles falling off in one guys review is total B.S.

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  Great car, but same lock problem - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By Steve O - December 4 - 12:40 pm

  Just like many, I absolutely love the car and was thinking about getting a 5-series before I decided on it. Feel like I got as good or better (my wife has a BMW) car for $15-$20K less. I am having exactly the same lock problem as the person I just read. Better not be $500.

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  Love It * (all except paying for remote start) - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By Artback - November 29 - 7:09 am

  Great value in a luxury sedan. Happy Hyundai just announced its launching distinct Genesis dealerships in the US, which will do nothing to enhance the driving experience, yet much to boost the prestige of driving one of the better luxury cars on the market. My 3.8 AWD is fully loaded, and short of a true remote start and auto park (offered by FAR lesser cars), I cant ask for any more features. My only gripe is that remote start is not available EXCEPT through an expensive upgrade to BlueLink, and it has to be the right BlueLink package. Seriously Hyundai? My mid-level 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited has the feature on the key FOB. For my $52K Genesis, I have to log into an APP, and work my way through several screens JUST to start the car remotely? Oh, and I have to pay for that experience....renewed annually.

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  what a bargain! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By mik mastrian - November 28 - 11:47 pm

  great buy for 14000

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  Reliable Car and Great Value! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Benjamin - November 27 - 7:27 pm

  I have had this 2007 Sonata SE V6 since June 2011 (4 years) and it has been a wonderful car to own. I used to live in Texas so the paint has some minor wear thanks the the flaming sun but other than that most people dont seem to notice. I have received many compliments on this car to the point that many people thought is was a brand new car! This car used to be a rental car and Im impressed how well it has held up since I took ownership! I got this car around 97k miles and it is currently at the 152k mark and it is a trooper. I drove it from the West Texas area to Austin,TX (8 hours of driving) and I had a quarter of a tank of gas left! It gets really good gas mileage on the highway as long as you are in the 60-70 mph range. It gets terrible gas mileage in the city but thats a given for most cars anyway. During my undergraduate degree I drove six hours (one trip, 12 for round trip) from my hometown to my college and I havent had any major mechanical problems with my Sonata. Im currently attending Graduate school in Ohio and I have made 2 round trips of 2,224 miles from Texas to Northwest Ohio and I still havent had any mechanical problems. It still runs and sounds great! It has good acceleration, braking, a quiet cabin and is smooth on the highway. Im not a big fan of the body roll and the steering but I have dealt with worse. I have had regular maintenance and some major maintenance due to the age of the car. I had to fix the rear axle for the major maintenance but I havent had any problems with my engine and transmission. My passenger window motor went out probably due to my car transitioning from Texas to Ohio weather and from people opening it all time -_- I have had some problems with the brake lights but the manufacturer recall quickly resolved that issue. If you baby this car and drive non-aggressively it will return the favor. Im really happy with this car and I hope it continues to thrive!

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  Disappoints - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dan Yodet - November 27 - 3:07 pm

  Bought the elantra 6 months ago. Car noise is significant. My chevy cobalt was much quieter. Have the rough idling when I come to a stop. This is a common issue. On the plus side I get good gas mileage and enjoy heated front seats. I will never purchase a Hyundai vehicle again.

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  PISSED! - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ronald - November 27 - 12:38 am

  I bought the 2011 Elantra new. Hyundai avertized 39mpg on the road, the best was 34mpg. I fought with the deal about one year. Then it appears they were taken to court for that, and now each year I take it in to slow them my miles I have, and then I get a gift card for $80-100. Next the car started locking in gear, the towed it in and fixed that problem. This was followed by having transmission problems, that finally they put another TRANS (79, 000 miles) in it (only after a number of trips back to the dealer. After that I had to take it in for something on a recall. Then around 95,000 it started having difficulty shifting into third gear. This problem came and went. It ALWAYS seemed to improve as I was about to take it into the shop. This time it continue non stop for about a week so I took it in. Well they said I need the SECOND NEW TRANS. But now I was over bought warranties. They said the original warranty is for 100,000 and Im at 104,000, so Im over that, and the warrenty for the replacement TRANS that I got a 79,000, is only good for 12,000. So that means I 4,000 over origin warrenty, and 25,000 over warrenty for the second TRANS. Now they want me to pay $2,900 for the second TRANS! Well, I was told this the day before thanksgiving, Ive had time to calm down, so I go back tomorrow I speak with someone else. I guess if they dont cover the cost, then I begin a campaign of writing on these forums/blogs, etc. Letting people know of my experiences. This is my 5th Hyundai, and if they dont do the right thing and put a new TRANS in at NO COST to me...it will be the last HYUNDAI I EVER PURCHASE! I also have concerns about the paint chipping and the floor mats wearing out! If anyone can help please respond here, [contact info removed].

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  Who actually sets out to buy this car. - 2015 Hyundai Accent
  By Roland Kelly - November 26 - 2:34 am

  My 2013 Jetta was damaged in an accident, while being repaired the other partys insurance was kind enough to add insult to ingury by inflicting this car on me as a rental. This car accelerates at the speed of smell. Any and all road noise is heard and felt. The car rides like an unbalance washing machine. It didnt fit my dog comfortability let alone my small children. And to top it all off comes without a spare tire.

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  Oh, the things they dont tell you! - 2015 Hyundai Elantra
  By John - November 25 - 2:28 pm

  Ive had this car for about 6 months and its ok, but there are a few things that will make it the last Hyundai Ill buy. First, the gas mileage. I do a lot of highway driving for work and so far the best Ive gotten is 33.2 mpg. I drive around 70 in a 65 (any closer to 65 and Id get run off the road) and Ive found that in order for me to get better gas mileage I have to drive closer to 80. I dont get it. There seems to be something wrong with the gearing for this to occur, or maybe electronics, but this makes no sense. Secondly, this so called "10 year, 100,000 mile warranty" that Hyundai pushes was attempted to be added by the salesman or sales manager to my contract. I was told it came with the car, but what I wasnt told was it was going to cast me an additional $6K!! This was after they told me the honor Truecar estimates and then tried to add $5K to the price of the car. (They said it had extras not on the estimate until I showed them the VIN number on the estimate was the same as the car on the contract.) After 2+ hours of getting a tad hot under the collar I got the price without the bogus warranty. Then I got home and found out there was no spare. Just a repair kit that you cant use since the majority of tire failures happen on the freeway which pretty much destroys the tire. After finding out the ungodly amount of money Hyundai wanted for what should have been in the car (or at least I should have been told wasnt in the car) I found everything on Ebay for less than half. As for form fit and function, the cars not bad. Its quiet and comfortable. I have the sport and popular packages so it has the sunroof, fog lights, etc.. Throttle reponse is weak, though, and sometimes the transmission jerks on acceleration as if the car doesnt know what gear it should be in. The suspension is weak. Real weak. The Hancook tire are also garbage. When I encounter a rough patch on a curve I have to be ready because this thing will jump all over the place. Also the "slip angle" of the tires on turns is terrible. Theres 2 more things to buy. The sound system is ok. The volume capability is less than half of what it should be. To have any decent volume just to listen to talk radio it needs to be just short of full blast. And no I dont have any hearing problems. Also the controls are designed to cause accidents. If you want to say lower the bass, park first because youll be tapping the screen controls that are badly placed and too small for driving just to get to the small, badly placed buttons to make the adjustments. This will be corrected with a small amplified equalizer in the center console compartment-one with knobs so you dont have to take your eyes off the road. Yet something else to pay for that shouldnt be an issue. Anyway, for me this car is a swing and a miss. With the other quality cars out there that granted cost a bit more, Hyundai comes up lacking. Best warranty in the business? Maybe, but they need to make it clear that it will cost you dearly. Not inform the buyer theres no spare, because Ive yet to meet anyone that asks if there is one? Major issue. How many husbands would like to find out while out with the family or from your wife because shes on the freeway with a shredded blow out? Change the station and you want to lower the blasting bass? Dont even think about it if your driving. Hit a bump on the freeway? Hang on brother or you could be modifying the body style real quick. Sorry Hyundai. As long as these types of things exist in your sales staff and vehicles, Ill be driving Hondas. Again.