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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  Hyundai 2008 Entourage Limited - 2008 Hyundai Entourage
  By Southern Comfort - June 5 - 4:47 pm

  Overall we have found the van acceptable. Having traded a Pontiac ssei sedan for the van beacuse of medical reasons weve found many of the amenities of the sedan lacking in the van and not available as an option. However, for the task of carrying medical equipment it is acceptable. The large amount of room is pleasing. Gas mileage isnt great, especially for a 250 hp engine. The sedan got 19 mpg in town, 23 mpg on the highway and was a 3.8l, turbocharged 276 hp engine.

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  paint issues - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By bob nolan - June 5 - 3:03 pm

  well,I have 18,000 miles on my limeted 4cly,and have no major huge issues,we drove from Wisconsin to South of tucson this feb and avg 27.9 mpg,nice ride and love the handling and no blind spots,rotated tires as factory pressure settigs wear middle of tires out.I am concerned about the paint and feel its thin and cheaply done,chips easy and wife had luggae slip out of hads and the paint Rolled off trunk bunmber area,black molded plastic.No dealer help,I think dealers lie and warranty means crap to them as a whole,I plan on having this car along time ,so we shall see.gps was hard to get used to but love it,like heated seats and sun roof,I think it is owrth what I paid $22,000.not penny more

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  Dependable Car! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Trish - June 5 - 12:55 pm

  I have had one repair in 20 months of ownership! I have 75000 miles on this car and my only complaint is that It just wont break down and give me an excuse to buy a luxury car! LOL I get 26 miles per gallon even without cruise control.

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  Love it for the most part - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By suvlover21 - June 4 - 9:31 pm

  I love the car for the most part, I go commute to and from school as well as work and outings with family and friends. In mixed driving the computer shows an average ranging from 24.5 to 27.0 MPG with the AWD turbo. Not sure how accurate that is given what the dealer said it should be getting HWY, plus the car always states about 330 miles until empty with a full tank. Took a 300 mile trip and only used half a tank, not complaining though. Only issue is servicing the vehicle, Hyundai service always has something else to blame. I installed HIDs and a SUB 3 months ago, 2 days ago an Engine Control System warning comes on, Hyundai blames the after market parts, says its an electrical spike.

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  Elantra - an excellent compact car option. - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By Larry Wickstrom - June 2 - 1:34 pm

  Sits too low to the ground for easy entry and exit for older people. Auto door locking feature can be an irritation. Overall, a very reliable, efficient and economical car to own.

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  Not Bad at all - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Elizabeth - June 2 - 9:53 am

  As a newly licensed teen with not a lot of money I needed something reliable and safe. But at the same time I couldnt afford a big SUV with high gas-mileage or a newer car. Also, I wanted something cute, but most older cars look blocky and ugly. I got it all in my trusty 2000 Elantra for a low price. I just love my car and my parents actually like it too, so win- win. Ive had it since July and havent had any problems except I had to have the spark plugs and wiring replaced and a routine oil change. Its been a great car though.

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  2009 Azera Limited - 2009 Hyundai Azera
  By Steve P. - June 1 - 12:37 pm

  Just got the 2009 Azera Limited two days ago, thus far I am pleased with my decision. Being an old mechanic I had a hard time making the decision to buy a Hyundai. I always told my customers to buy Toyota, Honda, or Nissan, but after doing some research and driving the car I will add Hyundai to my list of cars I recommend. I was considering the Toyota Avalon Limited, but for about $6,000.00 less I got a comparably equipped Hyundai. The only difference I noticed was the Avalon had a quieter ride, but not enough so to justify the price difference.

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  25,000 miles then expect to pay. - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By mikeyave - May 31 - 6:31 pm

  After 25,000 miles I brought my 2011 Sonata in for service as the engine light was on. At this time I was told I needed new front brakes and tires. I called Hyundai customer service on this and explained to them that I have leased cars for many years and have never had the brakes or tires needing replacement and that one of the reasons I lease every 3 years is so I dont have to deal with the high cost of these kind of repairs. I was told by Hyundai customer service that these repairs were necessary due to " normal wear and tear" my response to them was that I felt this was ridiculous, that if I drive my Sonata normal, after 25,000 miles expect to spend $600 to $700 for brakes and tires.

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  Excellent upgrade over previous model - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By twhouston - May 30 - 6:33 pm

  I traded in a 2010 Santa Fe Limited FWD which was fully loaded for the 2013 GLS AWD. The car is a serious upgrade in every way. The external styling is much improved. The internal styling is also lovely, with much improved materials, backup camera and navigation system. The biggest improvement is in the overall ride and quietness. The previous model was quite noisy and you felt every imperfection in the road. This model is as quiet as a luxury sedan and goes over bumps very smoothly. Also, the previous model exhibited serious understeer when accelerating. This one does not, probably due to the AWD. So far, Im getting better than advertised gas mileage.

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  A shadow in the night - 2009 Hyundai Azera
  By HTEXAS70 - May 30 - 3:30 pm

  Have you ever been outside on a hot July summer night. The street is warm, and the wind is at a stand-still. Then all of the sudden a car whisp by and you dont even see it. That is what happpens when the new Hyundai azera comes through. People dont know what happened. The design is one of a kind. It has a 3.8 liter, or 3.3 liter. Enough hps to throw your head back. The leather is smooth. Really if it had a Honda or Toyota tag, the dealership could not get enough models in stock. So I recommend this car. You shoul go drive drive.