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:

• 

  Best Value for $ - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By trever - March 5 - 12:30 pm

  Owned me Santa FE Limited V6 AWD for 7 months now and love it more than when I bought it. Gets great reviews from all that see or ride in it. Its smooth quiet ride amazes me. Everything about it is smooth and quiet. Gas mileage at 20.5 for a V6 AWD is excellant as far as Im concerned. One trip thru upstate New York got me 24mpg with cruise at 74. Yes leather seats could be a bit longer, softer, and lower, but with every car out there no matter the price there has to be trade offs. Quality and workmanship appear at this time to be above average, especially compared to my Ford Escape traded in. Did compare the Santa Fe to Nisson Murano, Mazada CX7 & CX9, Ford Edge Sel Plus.

• 

  Excellent car! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Sunny - March 5 - 6:08 am

  This my 4th Hyundai Elantra. I bought 4 new Elantras so far. The only reason I bought a new Elantra was scratches on body here and there. This never disappointed me. Overall aspects of this cars performance is just excellent!

• 

  VERMONT SANTA FE - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ZIPPODUDE - March 5 - 2:00 am

  OVERALL A GREAT VEHICLE! FUN TO DRIVE, HANDLES WELL. LEATHER SEATS ARE VERY COMFY. SEAT HEATER IS A PLUS. I PUT 4 STUDDED TIRES ON MINE AND IT CAN GO ANYWHERE MY OLD MONTERO WOULD. THE TRACTION CONTROL IS ONE OF THE BEST FEATURES. IT COMPARES WITH THE AUDI. THE ONLY COMPAINTS I HAVE IS THE GAS MILEAGE IS DISAPPOINTING, THE CUP HOLDERS ARE NOT WELL POSITIONED, AND THE SPEAKERS BUZZ AT HIGHER VOLUME. I HAVE 30,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE WITH OUT A PROBLEM. ACCELERATION IS GOOD OFF THE LINE BUT LAGS A LITTLE AROUND 35 MPH,THEN TAKES OFF AGAIN. THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS LITTLE ROUGH AT TIMES. OVERALL I AM EXTREMELY PLEASED WITH THE VEHICLE.

• 

  Our Tuscon is a Lemon! - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Cathy S - March 4 - 1:27 pm

  Purchased the 2016 Tuscon Limited with all the bells and whistles of a luxurious car. Had a 2013 we traded and loved that car! Daughter has a Hyundai as well. We have never taken a vehicle in except for routine maintenance until this car. There was the delay with the double clutch but there was something more. At 5000 miles, called the dealer for the routine maintenance and told them about this new stalling that had began. Had probably happened 2-3 times at that point. It would act like I was pushing a clutch (that wasnt there) and the accelerator at the same time so the vehicle would start to stop/stall. This wasnt the delay but a complete stall. On March 11, it stalled going across 4 lanes of traffic and I was happy to get to the other side once the transmission started working again. At that point, started feeling like the car was unsafe. Was only a mile from home and the car stalled several times before I could get home. Ended up calling Hyundai Roadside Service and having the car towed because it was not drivable. Was put in a rental car for less than a week and was told it was a recall. Was thrilled to hear this because we really loved the car and was hopeful this was the issue. Never got the car home, which was about 25 miles, before the stalls were worse than before. Took the car back that night and got the rental back. Dealer called March 15 and it was the control actuary assembly for the transmission and the part wouldnt be in for about 12 more days but I had the good ole rental! I asked (after consulting with a professional with credentials as in a crew chief for NASCAR) for a new transmission because it could have caused damage to the other parts of the transmission like the clutches, etc and they never listened to me of course. Got the car back on March 26th and on March 30, called about more issues. the wiper in the back wouldnt turn off when the front were on, then the car started stalling again and this time with a loud noise. Each and every time it happened, I thought I had been hit by another car. I have been completely stopped on the interstate as well as other roads. Called the dealer and here I go in again. Got me another rental and they couldnt duplicate the issue so I had to come and get my unsafe car. On my next commute to work I decided to turn my video on my phone on. The car stalled and you could hear the noise so I have the tape. Took the car in with the audio and they had no idea. 4/18/2016 Was called back to the dealer to put a monitor on my car so I could push a button when this happened and it would record a minute before and a minute after. Within 4 days, I had MULTIPLE recordings. 4/21/2016 On my way to the dealer on the interstate the car stalled and this was yet a different stall. This time I was accelerating and the RPMs was stuck and the car wouldnt go over 50mph unless I floored it all the way. Called the dealer in tears and was given a loaner car that evening for ONE day. The following day with the monitor in hand, received a call from dealer stating it would be the following Tuesday before the engineer from Hyundai would know what was wrong and I needed to come and get my UNSAFE car. I refused and told them I didnt want the UNSAFE vehicle and they could have their loaner. On my lunch break while I was away, they came with my car (I didnt know they were coming)to my job to trade vehicles with me and put me back in the UNSAFE car. Since I wasnt at my office, they had to go back to the dealer and while on their way back, the car stalled and did its thing twice (5 miles away). They called and said I could now get ANOTHER rental since they had heard and felt what was going on in my car. REALLY HYUNDAI????? TALKING ABOUT ADDING INSULT TO INJURY??????? BTW, at this point the computers have went out twice and been reset as well so been driving with no radio, media, phone, phone chargers, bluetooth, navigation, etc. I had been to the dealer 4 times in one week!!!! Yesterday I got a call from the dealer and got the same call from supposed to be the engineer about their next move and that is to replace the transmission and the complete computer on the dash. Its April 27th, and the parts will be in May 19th. Really????????? My car qualifies as a lemon under the lemon law and Ive asked for another car. Who would put their family in this car at this point? Im scared to get in it and have 2 daughters who drive that I will never allow to drive the car. I have also been hit by another vehicle because the car stalled. Hyundai do you have anything to say for yourself? Help me understand why you would put the safety of my family in jeopardy for weeks knowing there were transmission issues with the vehicle I have purchased from you. UPDATE: Transmission and computer replaced but its still not always engaging in a gear. It was towed back to the dealer again tonight. I have a case with Hyundai and engineer coming Thursday

• 

  Veloster speed - 2012 Hyundai Veloster
  By bkj50 - March 4 - 9:38 am

  I bougth this car to save gas(mainly) ... however, id like to address the issue of acceleration. This vehicle is not the fastest out of the blocks but not a creeper when driven correctly. Its pretty fast once that second gear is achieved. When driving the autoshift its even faster, dont be afraid to step on the gas while going up hill in auto transmission but one should downshift a bit when attempting to gain more power when using the very smooth auto shift clutch. I luv this car, it a lot if fun to drive. This is a fun and semi powerful car for its class when driven correctly.

• 

  Hyundai Sonata Hybrid... Deceptive Advertisement - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By James - March 3 - 9:54 pm

  Im another victim of Hyundais deceptive advertising practices. Their advertised mileage was so far from from the truth and actual mileage (city & highway) that Im embarrassed to own one. However, Im happy to inform others of how unhappy I am with my so called economical hybrid to prevent them from buying a LIE. My car looks nice, but thats the only nice comment I have about it... the transmission shifts very hard and the engine is extremely slow to accelerate, especially when you need that little boost of power to enter a highway. Steering is too sensitive and you feel every little bump in the road. Please learn from my mistake and keep searching for your next vehicle. I thought that I had done my homework, but I was mislead by the far fetched mileage advertised on the new car window sticker... I will NEVER buy another vehicle from this auto manufacturer.

• 

  Watch out Camry!!!! - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Charlie G - March 3 - 9:23 pm

  Purchased a 4cyl 09 limited in June. On my 2nd tank and averaging 25mpg locally. Build quality excellent. Previously owned 2 Toyotas, both Avalons but the price point on this car was exceptional. Would recommend highly!

• 

  Did my homework! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By hwjoe - March 3 - 9:00 am

  I love my new 2012 Elantra Touring! It has more cargo rom than a Nissan Murano at 1/2 the price! Good gas mileage, comfortable ride, and room for my small family make it the perfect crossover alternative. The GLS with the preferred package is a great compromise between the bas emodel and the more expensive SE model! Many of the same features for a lower price. The competition cant touch this car. Matrix seems shoddily built, Focus HB is much more expensive, Mazda 3 HB has much less room and price is higher. I recommend this car whole heartedly

• 

  Im cheap and this was worth it! - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By ntsapjr - March 3 - 2:00 am

  I think $ for $, it’s the best car I’ve ever owned. I wasnt eager to spend $19k, but 34k miles later I’m relieved to have a great, fully loaded GLS V-6. The car has plenty of room (Im 59" 290lbs at heaviest). I’ve been able to squeeze out 24/32mpg – thats not always, but I can bet on at least 21/29mpg in every tank. The only problem I’ve had is with the drivers side auto window. But that 10yr/100k warranty got me a smile, a new regulator, and NO BILL! Routine maintenance has only cost about $400. It may not race like a mustang, but it will do 75 with little noise and lots of comfort.

• 

  Very Surprised - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By theboxer5 - March 3 - 2:00 am

  2001 Sonata gls,xlnt value,no major problems,comfortable,gobs of power,negative: front end is very low to ground and received numerous road chips in paint,so buy a bra. Had to buy a new battery at 20 months.