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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  Brake problems plague Sonata - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Marie - January 20 - 2:00 am

  I thought the sonata would be a great investment - I thought more bang for the buck. I was wrong. I am having consistent problems with the brakes on this car. The brake pedal locks up and renders brakes unusable. After numerous visits to the dealership - it is still not fixed. This car is not reliable, defective and unsafe. Engine is noisy overall, as well. My advice? Get a Toyota!

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  TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By derrick - January 19 - 8:43 am

  The transmission stinks... period. Going from first to second gear is whatever you want to call it, a slip, hesitation, pause, delay but it is not normal and Hyundai knows about and continues to put a vehicle on the market with this transmission. It ruins the entire driving experience because when its cold, the hesitation is horrible from first to second gear and continues, at a milder rate, even when its warms up. Shame on you Hyundai this is a lemon law issue.

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  SpeedRules rates - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By SpeedRules2 - January 19 - 6:13 am

  The Elantra is a fantastic value for the money. There are other cars in this category that will do some things better. None of them offer the value or warranty that the Elantra offers. It has a spirited powertrain. The suspension could be geared more for sport and less for comfort.

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  No Hassles, Great Value, Happy Customer - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By djh10 - January 19 - 2:00 am

  I needed a reliable car that can haul a lot of bulky stuff. This thing is probably the best purchase decision I have ever made. This thing has been awesome. My only complaint is that the factory (Kumho)tires gave out pretty soon. I got every option possible and nothing has broken yet. (26700 mi.) Mileage has been a little disappointing in the city, but I make a lot of 0-2 mile trips with A/C on in Phoenix weather. Highway = 33-34 mpg. City 22- 24 mpg.

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  Tucson 2010 - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By RJ - January 18 - 1:10 pm

  IÂ’m really impressed with the Tucson 2010, before I decided for this car I test drove all the small SUVs out there, and I did not find anything that was close to the new Tucson, it makes the other brands looks like they are ripping you off, I has a nice look, the interior design is superb, the handling is awesome, extras only seen in a more expensive models, 5 year warranty, and a fair price, JUST GREAT! Give it a try, nothing is better for the price, I have had it for 6 months now and itÂ’s a pleasure to drive, so far not a single problem.

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  Bring Duct Tape - 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By SEZ - January 18 - 9:53 am

  Dont be misled by the appearance of the comfort of this vehicle. The 2012 Santa Fe, while performing well, is loaded with subpar craftsmanship and design. After not even 3 1/2 years I have had pieces literally fly off the car, constant recalls and a myriad of simple things being replaced -- from light switches to a sun roof that leaked. Handling is OK, but there is more than comfortable body sway on corners. Winter driving is OK, but if youre in heavy snow areas, winter tires are highly recommended. The Blue Tooth set-up is second rate as is the navigation. In fact, the navigation is so whacked out, that even the dealer I bought the car from did not how to use it. Adjustments for things like auto door locks are non existent and the appointments, such as switches and controls and second rate -- at best. Quite honestly, if Toyotas Rav-4 did not have the goofy side-opening rear door (which they have since done away with) I would have gone with that car, or maybe the Chevy Equinox. I generally keep my cars for an extended period of time, but this will not be the case with the Santa Fe. As soon as its paid off, or hits 50k miles -- its gone.

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  From a true owner - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By 07TucsonGLS - January 17 - 10:00 pm

  I honestly love driving my Tucson, Its a fun car to drive especially when your using the Shift/Tronic Shifter in it... It can be a blast... Car can be very comfortable especially for long road trips... Awesome gas mileage, and even with a 4 Cyl engine my car off the line takes off pretty quick and is def. not scared to go fast.. I would recommend this car to anyone who enjoys keeping a nice car, the car is very easy to keep clean, The Tucson now has approx. 9,100 Miles and still runs like it was from the showroom floor. I had some complications with the dealership upon buying the car, and am still a little un-satisfied with them.. But can not bring myself the trade the car in and get a new 1

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  Dont judge a book by its cover - 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By tirbid - January 17 - 1:26 pm

  A beautiful and comfortable ride ruined by terrible transmission and waste gate design. Shes quick, relatively inexpensive, comfortable to ride in but she has a fatal flaw. She sounds like a bucket of bolts after three thousand miles. My friends think theres something broke but there isnt. The waste gate rattles loudly and the transmission grinds. Hyundai claims this is normal and wont do anything about it, essentially their build quality lacks.

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  Love my Santa Fe - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Charlie Mulcahy - January 17 - 7:26 am

  I got my Santa Fe just two days before having to make a road trip of over 300 miles and WOW what can I say, I was very comfortable the whole way. It got really decent gas mileage (about 26 mpg) and look out for the pick up when you hit the gas. Ive rented SUVs before and some are really big and bulky with less interior room than what I have in the Santa Fe. Two thumbs up to Hyundai

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  LOVE MY VERACRUZ - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By JR SACTOWN - January 16 - 11:40 pm

  Purchased a Veracruz Limited AWD on Mothers Day in Sacramento. The ride is very nice overall, some jolting over potholes. Very secure feeling, and great look over the road. Great overall size, not as cramped as Santa Fe, but not as sporty as Santa Fe.Difficult decision deciding on VC or SF, both have great features. The front end is not my favorite feature, so I purchased a mask, looks great.I also purchased the gold package on emblems, looks great on Natural Khaki color.