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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  Engine replaced at 4YO 35K Miles - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jennifer - January 24 - 10:21 am

  Was very excited to have the heated seats and ipod cable for my first car, when I was 25 yrs old female. It has been downhill ever since. Noticeably different handling and seat comfort after 3 years and new tires didnt really help. Most maintenance has been covered by warranty, but this does not seem realistic for Chicago road/highway driving: replaced rear shock absorber after 2 years, cleaned fuel injectors ($200 out of pocket) due to some additive required for this elantra engine (?), and now engine replaced after 4 years (only 35K miles!). Happy that Hyundai is replacing the engine (currently in-progress, so not sure if just the short engine, or full engine with header) however had to wait a week for dealership to confirm the issue (was inconsistent grinding on start/shaking at idle approx. 10% of the time over the last 6 mos). Having a rental car in the city of Chicago for that long - worried about damaging the rental car with street parking in the middle of winter. Will be another 1-2weeks for engine to ship from LA by truck, and then install. Dealership has been great, we both win with this finding, however would have loved to avoid altogether in the first place. The hassle and nuisance are not worth the additional skin-deep features. Also there is still not an ipod cable compatible with Lightning. The Apple lightning cable has been out for years now, and Hyundai still sees no reason to manufacture usb > lightning so I can charge and listen to music through the console electronic system. Maybe should have purchased a sonata - for better build? Now looking to avoid Hyundai completely and will offload this car around 5 years 40K mi, too worried about future problems not worth it impacting my commute.

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  Amazing Car. Tons of cool upgrades! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Da-Mi-An - January 7 - 12:45 pm

  I drive a 2001 Hyundai Elantra GLS. The car is fantastic on gas mileage and is rather cheap to fill up! I love how easy the steering is along with how fun it is to drive. My brakes work great. The interior is rather ugly as is in most Elantras the good part about that is they come with so many cool options for seats and dash kits that you can purchase to really make the car feel like your own. It is a great buy and I would recommend all of my friends and family to purchase one just so they can see how comfortable and smooth driving the elantra gls really is. I do plan on purchasing a newer one this year and turning mine into a rally car. So if you wanna race lets be in touch haha.

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  Fun and Smooth, but beware of snow! - 2013 Hyundai Genesis
  By Brian - January 4 - 7:00 am

  I purchased this car about 2 weeks ago, and so far Im relatively happy with it. The cabin is quiet, and the car is very powerful, making it very fun to drive. However, we recently saw our first glimpse of snow which resulted in a light dusting. Somehow, this incredible car was completely immobilized in a parking lot by a dusting of snow! I was nervous about purchasing a RWD vehicle because of this exact thing, but my fears were assuaged by the salesman and online reviews, all of which suggested that RWD vehicles have come a long way and are no longer a complete liability in bad weather. I still really enjoy driving this vehicle, but wouldnt recommend it for anyone who wants to use it as their primary vehicle where you may see even a little snow or ice.

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  Very Dissapointed! Wanted a Reliable Beautiful car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Linda Goodwin - December 31 - 12:32 am

  Fell in love with my 2006 Sonata. Beautiful metal-flake Cherry Coke color with beige interior and wood trim on dash. Looks very elegant. To date both front doors are peeling like crazy for NO reason....and any black paint ie: windshield wipers, posts between windows has faded dreadfully... looks terrible! Have had several issues with the check engine light coming on. Have replaced modules, timing chain, tensioners, you name it. This car has been driven less than any vehicle I have owned and has been the worse for wear. When new you couldnt hear the car idle at all and now it just knocks all the time. Dealer is of little help..even told me all the re-call work had been done when I knew it had not. Will not purchase another Hyundai....

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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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  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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  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.

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  Not an Avalon - 2014 Hyundai Azera
  By ed - November 4 - 5:37 pm

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  Fun to drive, high maintenance costs - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jason Williams - October 26 - 7:50 am

  Purchased used with 60k this year. Unfortunately 60k is the cut-off for 2nd owner warranty so dont purchase without warranty. So far this car has cost more in repairs than my two other cars (03 Toyota matrix and 06 Dodge Stratus) combined. So far two bad wheel bearings, ac compressor making loud noises, replaced battery, alternator is starting to fail (lights are flickering at idle) has intermittent rough idle, and the power seat controls work intermittently. No complaints on gas mileage gets about the same as my matrix (average around 33-35 mixed driving) . The car is fun to drive but a little noisy. Bluetooth system keeps trying to pair phone when not active.

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  Not good - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By Percy - October 12 - 1:30 pm

  Steering wheel has to be replace, tires developed a bump on the side, now engine it is leaking oil.