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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  More Than I Expected - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Shadow - July 1 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I could not believe the number of options that were standard on our Santa Fe. The LX trim line really comes loaded to the point that you feel that you are in a luxury vehicle. Top that off with better than average performance and a very comfortable ride and you cant help but fall in love with the Santa Fe.

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  Santa Fe regrets... - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By garbal - July 1 - 9:50 am

  Until recently I loved the Santa Fe, great gas mileage, great looking, good performance... until last year... things started failing, the axles broke... yes broke, within the axle boot, something let go, vehicle wouldnt move. 1 month later, the wheel bearing went, most recently the engine failed... everything within the engine, there wasnt much left of the engine, the service guy said it "grenaded". This left us stranded in the middle of nowhere without a warning. No strange noises, no tell tale warning signs of impending failure... nothing. Shut it off normally then went out to start it and nothing... this thing was seized up, the engine would not turn at all... Now it sits in the shop..

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  Not quite there yet, but almost - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Big Ed - July 1 - 3:56 am

  Very good value when compared to Nissan and Toyota, with/without the rebate, and excellent value vs. Accord with Hyundai rebate. The 2.4 has good power, but performance of the 5 speed automatic leaves a bit to be desired. Hyundai engineers failed in "coordinating" the transmission gearing and/or final drive and/or cruise control sensor. Climbing any incline over a couple of degrees at 60 mph or so will surely result in downshift from 5th to 4th (an increase of 900 rpm) when some downshifting is not at all necessary, or only a 5th gear "shift" to clutch/slippage (an increase of only 300-400 rpm) in 5th gear would be sufficient -- though still busy. Otherwise, Im glad to own one.

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  Wonderful SUV - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Big Red - July 1 - 12:56 am

  We love our Santa Fe. You will love it too.

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  The worse decision Ive made - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Worst Mistake - June 30 - 9:40 pm

  I bought my 2009 Sonata new and I have had it for a year and half and have had to take it to the dealer 7 times in addition to it regular maintenance. The upholstery of the driver seat was coming off within the first 3 months of having the car (3 trips total for that because the dealer did not have the part and then installed it incorrectly). Then, the side view mirror became loose without any reason (no dent or damage) resulting in 2-3 trips to the dealer. Lastly, a whistling noise was coming from the engine and clicking sound was noted from the shift gear box. The whistling sound ended up being the catalytic converter which had to be replaced.

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  Love it, love it, love it! - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By C. Cook - June 30 - 11:46 am

  Great looking SUV and runs, drives and handles even better. Ride is a little firm on rough roads, but excellent on a good highway. The 3.3 V6 performs much better than the 2.7 with the same highway MPG rating. We LOVE the great looking beige premium cloth interior as well as the other upgrades that come with the SE package. The Limited package is nice, but we just dont like leather seats and one summer in Alabama will enlighten you as to why!

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  Almost a 10 - 2012 Hyundai Veloster
  By j_denny - June 30 - 3:44 am

  I bought the Turbo, it is quick, handles well, has all the features I was looking for and is fun to drive. The seats are comfortable, even after driving for hours. I tend to drive fast and this car still gives me good gas mileage even when exceeding the speed limit for long stretches. Ive had it to 120 a couple of times, still plenty of throttle to go. Ive had it for a few months now and have put 6,000 miles on it, The car is cold natured - it doesnt perform well until the motor is warm. And getting it into 1st gear sometimes is a battle. Shifting up or down is easy - except for 1st gear.

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  Great Value Car! - 1997 Hyundai Accent
  By nevadahorn - June 30 - 2:00 am

  Plain and Simple. This is a point A to point B car. No frills... but its reliability has been tremendous. I have put 76K miles on my Hyundai in 6 years - and I have never had one mechanical problem with the car yet (knock on wood.) While friends have struggled at times with pricier and nicer cars, my Accent just goes and goes. And when you factor in that I paid 8K for it, its been a great value.

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  Loved it, but worried now - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By cirrus - June 30 - 2:00 am

  This was my 1st new car. I loved it. I never had a single problem until I had the 30000 mile service done. 2 days later the transmission starting sticking in 2nd. They replaced an automatic device that had burned out, I had it back in 2 hours but it still makes a noise or hesitates about once every 3 days, and is in the shop again. Im really upset about this because I love this car, there isnt another one I want. I think the newer Elantras are ugly. Mine came w/michelin tires & they are still good at 30000 miles. This car has great pick up but mpg is average. I get lower 20s city/30 highway. I drive my moms toyota camry often & I much prefer my elantra!

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  15,000 Mile Review - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By colonel12 - June 29 - 9:07 pm

  Ive had this car for about 8 months, 15,000 miles, and not a single problem. It is very comfortable, theres minimal road noise, and highway fuel economy is great. Its been very reliable thus far, only needing routine maintenance. We also have a 2015 Toyota Camry in the family, and this vehicle trounces the Camry in nearly every way. The interior materials are better, the ride is better, MUCH less road noise, etc. The push button start, proximity key, automatic climate control, heated seats, etc. in a sub $25,000 car is a phenomenal value. Im still enjoying my Sonata as much as I did the day I drove it home. Go check it out!