Americans are a forgiving sort, and redemption from sin is just the right gesture away. Well, that applies more to politicians and celebrities than to car companies. It can be a little more challenging to overcome the damage from a poor quality car, especially if you’re the brand new kid on the block. Just ask Yugo; they quickly walked away. As did Peugeot, Alfa, Fiat and countless other imports, even though they had been around for decades. But the Koreans are a tough and determined folk, and when they got their less-than Excellent head handed to them on a platter, they dug in their heels and figured out what it would take to be given a second chance.
Hyundai Motors itself got its start in 1967, building licensed Ford Cortinas. The next big leap forward came in 1975, when the Pony appeared (above). Technically, the Pony was developed by Hyundai too, but with a lot of hired help. George Turnbull, former Managing Director of Austin-Morris at British Leyland quit in 1972, and as a parting gift (to himself?), took two Austin Marinas with him. Turnbull and the Marinas turned up at Hyundai, along with some other ex-BL designers and engineers. The resulting RWD Pony certainly reflects its origins, although Giorgetto Giugiaro was hired to do the final styling. At least the Marina’s ancient BMC engine was abandoned, in favor of Mitsubishi units in 1.2, 1.4, and 1.6 L size. The full story on Hyundai’s early days is here.
Hyundai’s exports began with the Pony, including Europe, and Canada from 1983 on. The Canadians took a particular shine to it, and the Pony was a big hit up north, selling over 50k units annually. When I was in Korea in 1980, traffic was a sea of these Ponys, including pickup versions. Every taxi ride reinforced the image of what it was: the developing world appliance-mobile; simple, rough riding, noisy, but rugged in that old-school RWD way.
Since it wouldn’t meet US standards, we were spared its pleasures on our home turf, although I doubt it would have compared all that poorly to the similar RWD Datsun 210s and Corollas of the times; maybe a bit less refined. After a ten year run, Hyundai was ready to take the plunge into the FWD world; a tricky transition that had tripped up more than one major manufacturer.
The Excel was mechanically heavily based on the Mitsubishi Colt, and Giugiaro styled the body again. And with their new baby, Hyundai launched a massive assault on the US in 1986. Powered by a very attractive $4,995 ($10k adjusted) starting price, the Excel arrived at an auspicious time, given that the Voluntary Import Restrictions caused shortages of Japanese cars, rapidly rising prices, dealer markups, and waiting lists.
The infamous Yugo (I’m still hoping to find one for CC) had appeared just the year before, priced at a rock-bottom $3990. But there were serious doubts about the Yugo’s provenance and durability from the beginning, and they quickly proved to be all-too true. For a grand more, the Hyundai looked very appealing, even if the Made-In-Korea stamp back then had the the equivalent image of Made-In-China in more recent times.
Putting quality issues aside, the Excel was a steal compared to the barely warmed-over tiny ex-Fiat Yugo. The Excel looked handsome enough for the times, was fairly roomy, and its driving dynamics were adequately competitive with the lowest-end Japanese imports, while undercutting them by several thousand dollars.
The result was explosive, with Hyundai selling 126k Excels in the US that first year. That was the biggest first year sales performance of a newly introduced import brand ever. But it quickly unraveled.
The Excel was Hyundai’s GM X-Body (Citation, etc.), its builder having underestimated the challenges of a completely new FWD car with all-new engines and transaxles. Quality and reliability issues surfaced very quickly, and Hyundai was tainted with the same bad rep that killed the Yugo. I don’t know exactly what the early Excel’s greatest weaknesses were, but American import drivers had been spoiled by the Japanese cars’ well honed reliability by then, and were not about to embrace anything retrograde in that department.
And what were they like to drive? It was a highly unmemorable experience. I drove one once, fairly briefly, and my only now-dim impressions were of it being a reasonably functional appliance. It didn’t inspire in any regard, but neither did it engender loathing. The 1.5 L engine teamed with the three-speed automatic was feebler than average, certainly more so than a Sentra and Civics of the times I had experience with.
Hyundai limped along in the US, having made dubious history with its explosive introduction followed by its nearly immediate implosion. But time and continued steady progress in resolving the Excel’s issues healed some of the wounds. Whether Hyundai purposely waited some ten years before it got aggressive with its ten-year 100k mile warranty and a massive product expansion is unclear. But Hyundai is a text book case of how to redeem oneself with the demanding American consumer: hang around long enough and keep putting your face out there, and pretty soon all is forgiven. Image Rehab: an American specialty; available to Koreans too.
I’d have to say it was Hyundai’s deadly sin – they disappeared from the US market for several years, didn’t they, before licking their wounds and returning with offerings that actually worked?
The GM X cars morphed into the Celebrity and clones – all was forgiven…well…not by me, but that’s another story.
The didn’t disappear; they just hung in there, with lower sales. There was the first little Accent, and then they started adding other lines.
Ha ha! I could have sworn they disappeared, as I never noticed any until the Tiburon raised its head and I saw my first one after moving to Ohio 20 years ago. A new friend drove one…
I bought a 2000 Accent because of the warranty. It was only a little more expensive than a GEO Metro and the base came well equipped with power steering, power brakes, AM/FM cassette. I added air conditioning. I owned that car for 9 years and 125,000 miles, usually 34 mpg around town and over 40 mpg on long trips. Every sensor had to be replaced at 100,000 miles and beyond that it was only maintenance that was required on the car. Was it as smooth as a Honda? No, but it was 40% cheaper than a Civic. I knew I was rolling the dice when I bought it, and was overjoyed when it turned out to be so reliable.
My nephew still drives the car – it now has 150,000 miles on it, and until the used car market goes down I suspect he will keep it (he graduates from college on Tuesday!)
Pfft! You guys in the US had it easy, you didn’t get the Pony or the Stellar.
One of us should do a Pony CC, can’t recall the last time I saw one though. As a testament to early Hyundai quality the Mitsubishi running gear was very reliable but the rest of the car was horrid. I once went to the wreckers with a friend to get a signal switch. Although they must have had a half acre of Ponies stacked 3 high we could not find one with an unbroken switch. We eventually found one that was broken a different way and made one good switch out of two bad ones.
Here is your Pony CC
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/the-hyundai-origin-myth-revealed-theres-a-ford-in-your-pony/
I was going to say the Ponys around here certainly seemed to out last the Excels. But of course rust isn’t as big a deal here as it is in other (Eastern) parts of Canada. The Excels seemed to be blowing blue smoke after just a few years.
The Stellars were always rare – I owned one for a short time and it was actually a pleasant car as long as you had low expectations.
Shoot, I did a search for a Pony CC but thought that one was for the Ford Escort Pony.
Caught with inadequate research again..
I had a roommate in college with one of these. The best thing I can say about it was (after a quick brake bleeding) it stopped on a dime. I never drove it, only rode in it as a passenger, but it didn’t seem to be much worse than some of the Sentras and Corollas I had ridden in during high school. A little flimsier perhaps, but that Excel ran pretty well and was immaculately clean for what he paid.
I’d have to disagree with the statement that the first generation Excel was fully developed by Hyundia it was just a licensed version of the Mitsubishi/Dodge Colt/Plymouth Champ with an Italian designed body. The basic engine was the same 1.5L even though it had the Hyundai specific Minuki thermo-wax choked carburetor to better meet the newer emissions standards. Even it’s “5 sp” was just the old twin stick 4sp with a fancy shifter that put the trans back in 4th and activated a switch that told a vacuum operated shifter to switch from “power” to “economy” when moved to the “5th” position. Struts and other suspension parts are also fully interchangeable too.
Good point; that line does overstate the reality a bit, eh? I’ll change it.
I had a ball with my Colt twin stick. If you like throwing levers while you drive, you got two of them instead of one! I guess Hyundai programmed its version to drive it the way I always did, but with a single stick.
I’ve always wanted to drive a twin-stick Colt/Mirage… never seen one, of course – except in classified ads on the other side of the country.
I’m currently driving a 2011 Hyundai Genesis… trust me, anyone who drives a Genesis is NOT thinking about an Excel (unless it is to think: is that really the same company!?)
My Dad thought he was the smartest shopper in 1986 when he got HIS Excel GLS. Loaded with a five-speed stick. Drove decently – wouldn’t win any races and he’d pull upper 30′s in mileage. However, at about 25K, the engine started to have some serious. maladies and by 36K, the valve guides were totally shot and the head warped. Most of this was covered under the basic/extended warranty, but rather than fix it, the Phoenix area dealer gave him a generous trade-in allowance on a 1989 Sonata – which actually was a pretty good car – a poor man’s Acura – 2.4 big Mitsubishi four. About 1996, my Dad wanted a big car again, but NOBODY wanted it on trade as Hyundai’s reputation was in the toilet. Fate intervened when a drunk driver rear ended the car at a stoplight. Thankfully, no serious injuries to Mom and Pop – suspected drunk sped off. He ended up with a ’96 Dodge Grand Caravan and it too was totaled by another hit and run driver. All the first gen Excels I encountered were pretty well used up within five years’ time.
I had a phase like that in the late ’80s,
my ’64 and ’65 Caddys were totalled one after the other just months apart by drunks who hit me.
Really spooked me, and then I bought a ’67 Caddy which turned out to be a total lemon.
Gave up on Caddys then, though I loved them and except for the ’67 did get really great service from them. I still think it’s hard to go wrong with the pre-65 models, they were awesome cars.
Right after that I went from the fat to the fire with my ’70 and ’67 Tbirds. Now I tend to prefer basic pickup trucks and mid-line inconspicuous sedans, mainly because I’m broke and reliability/utility are paramount.
My only experience with the Excel was televised: Rodney King drove one. The LAPD said he was doing 120, which did wonders for their credibility, I’m sure.
Who’s the LAPD, Rodney or the Excel?
Lol, Eric. While I have no doubt that you, personally, could juice an Excel to go that fast, at the time it seemed like just one more dubious detail in the official story about the incident.
I had a ’90 Excel notchback sedan, loaded except had the 4 sp stick, in black with the chrome wheels, A/C, and sunroof. It was quite a pleasant little car actually, and gave good service. Didn’t have the handling of my previous Rabbits (Golf Mk I), but it beat the crap of the Chevette I once owned…
Maybe they had them well-sorted by ’90, or perhaps I was just lucky…
Wow, its been a while since I have seen a 1st gen Excel on the road. Carboard Cars is what I had nicknamed all early Hyundais, they had the cheap feeling, though more than a few were snookerd, the temping low price and the hey, Korea is close to Japan right? So its gotta be pretty good?
The thing with these was that they werent all bad, some ran way past 100K and some couldnt even make it to 40K, my friends parents fell for the “scam” that was shown in one of they Hyundai adds shown above(the 2 Hyundais for the price of one regular car)They bought a 5 speed 5 door and and automatic 4door, the automatic barely made i to 70K before consuming its transmisson for lunch and the 5 speed made it to almost 140K._
Great site, guys! I’ve been a reader for over a year, but have never commented, until now. Here goes: My family had a 1987 Excel GLS in royal blue for about 7 years and 75,000 miles. Brand new, the Hyundai was handsome (as Paul also mentioned), and didn’t handle terribly, but it was dog slow. My parents initially loved it, but the honeymoon didn’t last long. It started falling apart after the first year or so. The dealer installed a/c compressor had to be replaced, and the replacement never went more than a year or so without needing a recharge. It ate through brakes on a yearly basis. By the time it was 5 years old, it was filled with paint blisters, which rendered it no longer handsome. By it’s 6th year, it needed a clutch replacement, and the engine mounts were sagging, which made the handling unpredictable. Shortly after those issues were fixed, I inherited the car to commute to grad school. The first week I owned it, the car died as I attempted to complete a left lane merge onto a busy roadway. Before we had a chance to push the disabled car off the highway, we were rear ended by an older model Nissan Z. The Hyundai crumpled. Luckily my passengers and I escaped with only minor injuries. Needless to say, a Hyundai wasn’t on my shopping list when I looked for a car to replace it.
I remember the first generation excel as being worse than this. One difference is that I remember the first toyotas too. I was somewhat surprised by Hyundai because after being overseas I associated the name with big cranes, big trucks, ships etc. I figured like Isuzu and Kawasaki they would be rugged and dependable if nothing else. I was wrong.
As I say, I remember the first Toyotas too. I think my nephew had a 62 model. Whatever it was, he eventually parked it behind his garage because he was sick and tired of fixing it repeatedly.
I would buy a hyundai today. They should be importing a pickup. I expect they have them in Korea but it has been years since I was there.
The biggest single specific problem with these cars was their carburetor. In the repair industry it was known as “the Minuki nightmare” they used a unusual thermo-wax choke set up that was not adjustable nor really repairable. When they failed with was not uncommon an aftermarket rebuilt unit was around $500 wholesale so on a number of them I wired the choke open so people could limp it along after instructing them on the way to get the thing started since it no longer had a functioning choke. The other bit problem was that Mitsubishi engine that suffered the same problem as many Mitsu engines of that era valve guides that failed. So lots of them burnt a lot of oil and the people who owned them weren’t to good about checking the level on a regular basis so the often ran them out of oil and killed the engine, often well before 100K. The electrics weren’t all that good either and the engine cooling fan system would often crap out which combined with someone who didn’t know what that funny gauge with the C and H on it was meant a bunch of the engines met their fate due to overheating. The “used engines imported from Japan” places often had waiting lists for engines for Excels and when they did have the old Colt engines available it usually wasn’t a winning proposition as the price of the engine and instalation was usually more than one in good condition was worth.
It is truly amazing that Hyundai somehow managed to recover, shed the Mitsubishi baggage and earn an acceptable and eventually decent reputation in the US.
I never had one of these but have always liked their basic, simple looks, especially the hatchbacks.
In 1992, I was looking to replace my ’78 Ford Fairmont and had set a budget of $3K to buy another car, yes, used obviously and one of the cars I saw in the newspaper was for an ’87 black I think hatchback, manual transmission, AM/FM cassette deck, AC. The AC system had been recently repaired. I thought about going to look at it as its price was with within my budget, believe it or not, but my Dad talked me out of it due to their reputation and their lack of reliability still at that time – which I knew about.
I never rode in one either, though I have test driven the Yugo and actually liked it for what it was, a very, very unique – and cheap car, even though it was basically a warmed over Fiat, which I had, still have even now a warm spot for.
I ended up with a 1983 Honda Civic hatchback, which was what I was looking for anyway, based on my personal and my parent’s experiences with Hondas. Drove that Civic 6 years and put some 70K+ miles on it. In the end, that poor Civic due to age, being a city car, parked on the street and driven a lot in town showed its scars with dings, minor dents and was rear ended down by Sea-Tac Airport as I followed my best friend to where he was dropping off their Minivan for his wife to pickup at a rent it lot after her trip to Kansas to visit her parents as I stopped at the light didn’t help matters at all and it had begun to fall apart in places at 180K+ miles on the clock.
Back in the day when customers asked about buying a new Hyundai I used to tell them they were better off with a used car, just about any used car, that cost about the same. I never would have thought that years later I’d say that they were better off buying a Hyundai than many new cars.
My grandfather had the most basic Hyundai Excel you could possibly get, not sure what year exactly – but it was a late 80s model. I thought it was pretty neat at the time, mostly because it was one of the only cars I had seen with a manual transmission at that point, and also it was the smallest car I had ever been inside of up until then. I remember some of my parent’s friends had bought Yugos as “a station car” and they always intrigued me*, but I never got a ride in one, sadly. The one extravagance on the Hyundai was it’s flashy red paint, which was pretty sweet… I don’t recall seeing many in that color.
*=Any “station car” that costs north of $1,000 – especially in 1986 dollars – is preposterous.
I dunno if all the problems with these can really be blamed on Hyundai. It’s been my experience that Mitsubishi’s are fairly big pieces of crap too. Since Mitsu pretty much built the entire driveline, and people usually don’t give up immediately on a brand over chintzy plastic and poor shutlines (see: any American auto manufacturer) I’m inclined to say these failed more because of Hyundai’s reliance on the worst Japanese automaker than their own shortcomings.
Thankfully no one needs to shed a tear for Hyundai these days – they’re a great rags to riches story. Even the Excel was an excel-lent idea at the time, and they were doing some interesting things in those years no one was paying attention. The Sonata was the first bargain basement car that really came decked out with a ton of “standard options”, which kinda set the tone for where the industry has gone since the early 90s and where Hyundai has made their money.
AFAIK, gramps’ little red Excel served him well until he passed away. Maybe it’s still kickin’ around out there somewhere. I actually DO see these every once in awhile – not often, but still a steady stream, which is a small miracle considering how incredibly disposable they became.
Around here the ticket me red was probably the most popular color.
The Mitsu engines and their propensity to wear out valve guides in short order certainly caused a lot of the problems with their reputation. However it was the carb that was more expensive to replace than the car was worth and the fact that when they started going bad they wouldn’t pass emissions tests was what soured many people on the Excel in particular and Hyundai in general.
That awful wax choke is also fitted to some Corollas yet the Mitsu Mirage the Excell is built from uses a water temp carb , was the wax version cheaper? Im amazed at how many of these old Excels are still on the road here I see em on a regular basis.
I highly doubt the thermo-wax choke was cheaper than a bi-metallic, particularly a water heated bi-metallic. It certainly wasn’t cheaper to replace and it was far less reliable. It certainly did get them off the road and into the wrecking yard sooner than a bi-metallic would have.
Never seen a US spec Corolla with a thermo-wax choke.
It is strange that you see so many Excells on the road down there as they pretty much evaporated from the roads around here years ago.
The reason is the 3rd gen car was still called an Excel here instead of an Accent, and they were of course a lot better so sold very well. For one thing they were half or 3/4 a size larger than other cars of the same price.
I can’t remember the last time I saw and Excel of this generation, or the next for that matter.
Having made that comment, I saw a 2nd gen Excel yesterday – broken down & abandoned on the side of the road!
As you readers might know, my wife bought a brand new one just before we got married. In short, it sucked. But I did definitely help it along the path to death.
The one thing I will say about this car is that it was built with incredibly thick sheet metal as opposed to most other imported cars of that era. A coworker had one of these and I couldn’t believe how heavy the hood was on it.
Come to think of it, I know another friend who also had one of these, up until just a few years ago and it was still running!
Very interesting article. Here in Australia, I do not recall these Hyundais ever having a really bad reputation, must have something to do with where the steering wheel is placed
They were popular from their introduction all the way through to the next more rounded shape. I think the importer was one the first out here to offer a three year 100,000 kilometer warranty, so maybe that is why their reputation didn’t suffer as much here. There were heaps of the on the road in the 90′s and into the 00′s. I can vouch for its Mitsubishi based heritage. My friend’s blue one ended up with an Lancer Evo engine bolted into it. We took it on a Tarmac Rally, that was interesting, torque steer city. Shortly thereafter it fell off a cliff. Fortunately it was the world’s most structurally sound Hyundai Excel, with a 16 point weld in roll cage. Along with the race belts, it is the only reason he is still with us today.
> …hang around long enough and keep putting your face out there, and pretty soon all is forgiven.
Tell that to Kaiser, AMC, Studebaker, Packard, Tucker, and many others. I say you just need pockets deep enough to last till you have a winning product. Hyundai has the (very) deep pockets propped up by the South Korean Government, and finally has excellent (if not class-leading) products. The Genesis sedan, especially, is more American than most American makes. Can’t say the same about their smaller stuff, of which I have first hand experience. Their design still leaves too much to be desired. If buyers here were not surrounded by ugly cars, Hyundai would have a hard time selling, considering they are at price parity with Honda/Toyota/Suzuki/Chevrolet here.
Don’t forget that the Chairman of Hyundai/KIA was released from PRISON (embezzlement and bribery no less) because he and the company were too important to the Korean economy.
http://jalopnik.com/394768/
Are Americans totally oblivious to foreign companies affairs? It isn’t like these cars are so cheap anymore where selling your soul for a few bucks makes sense. If this happened to Mullally at Ford he’d of been roasted, tared and feathered by public opinion.
How much for a copy of the Popular Science review of this? I have it.
I drove a 84 Chrysler E-Class with the 2.6 Mitsu engine w/ thermowax choke. What a nightmare that was! I replaced the carb once and never again. After five years the engine was a piece of junk in a severely neglected car. I drove it to a local Honda dealer and bought a Camry wagon there. I’ve gone back to Chrysler products last year and am now driving a PT Cruiser and loving it!
No thermowax choke on those but they were a problematic 3 barrel to feed the jet valve, Mitsu’s version of the stratified charge engine the more famously known version was of course the Honda CVCC.
I hate these cars so much that even after all these years I still flat out refuse to look at ANYTHING with Hyundai stamped on it. To me Hyundai is South Korean for “junk”.
That said, I remember a commercial for these little bombs where a guy is driving two home at the same to illustrate that for the cost of most other cars you could get two Hyundai’s. He’d drive one like 50 feet, stop, get out and run down the block and get into the other one and drive it up close to the first car.
Great ads. To bad the cars weren’t.
My cousin bought one of these nightmares in 1987. She had electrical problems from the day she took it home. The clutch went at 45,000 miles – I know because I was a passenger when it happened! There were baseball sized rust spots all over it after 3 years. She could never rely on that car 100%.
As far as Mitsubishi is concerned, I worked for a Mitsu dealer for 8 years. Their cars were very reliable. It was the Chrysler influenced ones that were total junk – especially the late 90′s Eclipses.
When I worked as a mechanic at a used car lot in the early to mid 90′s saw two of these with broken crankshafts, and they were not worth fixing,even then.
I test drove one of these at a Hyundai dealership on National City Mile-of-Cars in San Diego shortly after they came out. Acceleration was really poor, the door panels were tinny and the damn thing cut off during the test drive – twice. Later my roommate and his bitch of a girlfriend got a GLS hatchback 5-door, as loaded as an Excel could be back then. Someone was able to break into it using a nail, of all things. Hyundai has clearly grown by leaps and bounds since then, but clearly, this car is one of their more memorable ones – for all the wrong reasons.
I had a 1986 Excel GLS and like NoChryslers had mentioned earlier that the car was very easy to get into, if fact I forgot my keys in the ignition and I did not need a shim to get into the car all I needed was a Popsicle stick. I replaced some of the engine seals however a year later they were all shot, The car left a blue cloud behind me were ever I went. However, that was not the worst car I’ve had, that would be a 1992 Cavalier, but that’s another story…
I had an Excel. I hated it.
There was nothing specific about it that engendered that, either. It went along well enough, held my wife, kids and stuff well enough, and got not-bad fuel mileage. So why the hate?
Uphill in 5th was not an option with the AC on. Forget it. Some hills, 4th was out of the question, too.
CV joints, if available in bulk, were a good thing to keep around. I replaced more CV joints on that car than on all the other cars with which I have ever been associated in my entire life.
The battery somehow managed to burn a hole through the hood.
In its favor, the luggage compartment cover (under the hatchback) was, if you released its raising tethers, a perfect platform for diaper changing. A highly specific convenience, but at the time it was pretty darned important and nothing else on the market came even close.
I finally traded it for a Caravan, which is a whole ‘nother story.