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:

• 

  NEVER AGAIN!!! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By robnvic - November 28 - 10:00 am

  We havent had this vehicle for very long and we have had to bring it to the shop 3 times for mechanical problems. This is by far the worst vehicle we have ever owned, and my family used to own a Ford L.T.D. The center console has broken on us twice, both sun visors had to be replaced, and the mirror fell off. Wed have been better off buying a used Yugo. At least we would have known what to expect. No wonder the C.E.O. jumped to his death from twelve stories.

• 

  Looks cute, but its a special needs car - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By asherave - November 24 - 10:30 am

  If I had eschewed the last three repairs (at least $6,000 ago), I could have afforded a more reliable used car by now.

• 

  WALK AWAY FROM THE HYUNDAI!! - 2013 Hyundai Veloster
  By TexasDriver - November 13 - 6:03 pm

  I was excited that I would love this car but if I could give anyone any advice in this world, it would be to WALK AWAY FROM HYUNDAI. The moment I saw it on a lot, it was love at first sight. But let me assure you, this is a one-sided relationship with a very unreliable partner. I bought mine brand new and within the first month of ownership began to have major problems, experiencing a complete power shut down leaving me stranded on the interstate in the middle of nowhere on a road trip. After several hours of waiting for a tow to the nearest dealership, I was informed they had no resolve, as they drove it right off the toe truck. I still live in fear that this could happen again unexpectedly at any time. How scary would this be if it happened again in the middle of a major intersection? In addition to this, I dont have enough fingers and thumbs to count the amount of times I have taken it in to have my buzzing speakers repair. Essentially, the dealerships have told me that they "use a very poor grade adhesive to glue the cones on", thus, resulting in the repeated malfunctions. Yet, each repair session, they continue to use the same adhesive. And they cannot provide me a better material. Stay mindful that it includes low profile tires - I live in Dallas, TX which is riddled with countless potholes. Lesson learned, this is my fault for not considering this factor. Each wheel scraped along entire circumference after the first few months of ownership...Just a heads up. Perhaps, the most frustrating are the many concerning sounds coming from underneath the car. The sound started as a light metallic rattle, squad and chirps. Then evolved into what I know of an old rusty truck climbing up a rocky hill. Of course, a little 3 door hatch should NOT sound like this. On a recent trip to Eastern Tennessee, the elevation caused this sound to turn into a deep Whoofing sound. I have to admit, not only did my passengers and I notice it, but I attracted some strange looks from several pedestrians during that trip. I immediately took it to a series of dealerships to investigate and correct, however after each appointment, each service manager assured me they couldnt hear anything unusual. And all but one dealership treated me with such disrespect, the service from the brand alone has convinced me to create detractors at any opportunity I have from now on. However, they returned my Veloster back to me, only to continue to hear the same combinations of sounds. I am almost at 60k miles, which will apparently use up all I have left for my initial warranty. I assure you, I plan to trade this in before this year ends. In conclusion, I chose this car because it was cute, had a good listing of MPGs, and was comfortable to sit in the drivers seat and had that phenomenal 100k drive train warranty. But since leaving the sales lot, I have increasingly learned to LOATHE this vehicle. And the warranty is a joke. They cannot resolve any problems Ive experienced and will NEVER consider Hyundai again. I feel sorry for whoever decides to give me money for it when I trade it in. This is as honest a review can get guys. Take it from me, go buy a Honda or Toyota. Warranty or no warranty, a Hyundai is STILL that crappy Hyundai we used to know. Save yourself the crappy trade in value and the HEADACHE.

• 

  Dont waste your money - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By JustMe - November 11 - 3:56 pm

  I bought this car brand new, and thank goodness it had a warranty! I have had this car in the shop about once every 4-6 months. Practically everything on this car has broken! And the paintjob is supposed to be covered under the warranty, but good luck with that! There is virtually no clear coat on the car, and what is there is chipping off and the paint is wearing off. The dealership will not honor the warranty on the paint, and I got nowhere when I contacted Hyundai corporate! I will never again buy another hyundai. Poor quality car, and even worse customer service!

• 

  Hyundai doesnt honor its warranty - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By theiowan - November 5 - 10:00 am

  I just found out that Hyundais "best warranty in America" is bogus. They claim a faulty power window is an "adjustment item". The fact is it is not functional because of faulty design.

• 

  Too Good to be True - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Disgruntled - October 22 - 2:40 pm

  I bought my Elantra in 2003 with just 38,000 miles on it. I thought I was getting a steal at just $5,000 for a 3 year old car...man it was a steal...stealing my money. In the five years I owned my elantra, I had to replace the engine (due to a bad thermostat), 3 different water pumps, power steering pump, alternator, and I had 3 of the power windows stop working. I fixed the drivers side door for a nice $500 chunk of change. I decided the rest werent worth it. Gas mileage steadily declined from a nice 34 to around 20

• 

  safety hazard - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By roger khan - October 13 - 11:24 am

  I bought used, while driving I would smell gas, so I popped the hood on inspection I saw that the fuel line that run to the fuel rail was leaking gas, I went to the junk yard to get one but the car I inspected had the same problem. I then had to pay $110 for a new line which is a foot long, the pully separated, paint fades on the hood, trunk and roof and front Windows are broken also inside the trunk were the spare tire goes is all roten out. Just like all the people who has had problem with this car I Wonder how do these cars past inspection. I called hyundia and informed of the problem "I am just glad the car did not blow up on me"so to all those who is thinking buying a Hyundai dont.

• 

  Thought it was a good buy... think again. - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By jostintson3 - October 13 - 3:57 am

  I thought I was getting a great deal on my 2012 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Limited that I purchased in late November. During the past few months the car has had numerous problems, complete lemon. Has issues accelerating, leaks when it rains, gauges randomly shut off while I am driving, and it pulls to the left so horribly by arm begins to hurt after my 20 minute drive to work. Ive brought it to Hyundai regarding the issues, and they fixed none of them. Blamed me for them all. Horrible customer service. I will never buy a Hyundai product again.

• 

  A big time lemon!!! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By John N - October 12 - 10:25 am

  This car gave me problems practically from the get go. The air conditioner went out literally 8 times in the 5 years I owned it!!! The first 6 were covered under warranty, but after the warranty expired, the dealership refused to stand by their work and fix it for free. Also, both cv joints went, and the cooler system needed major repairs. All of this before 80,000 miles, and I was meticulous with the maintenance. I never missed anything. I will never buy a Hyundai again.

• 

  close to perfection - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By the joo - October 9 - 10:00 am

  i went in to buy a 2001 tiburon and fell in love with this beauty... everywhere i go i get looks and compliments on the car... its great but a few things bother me... the back seats are horrible.. and the gas mileage from such a small car is disappointing... overall... i love the cars looks, power, ride, and comfort