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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  Great Value - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By cfgroff - October 12 - 10:00 am

  I was first conserned about buying a Hyundai because of there reputation of being a poorly built auto. However my conserns are know none existent because my Sante Fe has ran beautifully for three straight years. I do alot of traveling on the weekends and I have always had room for all my luggage or whatever else I may carrying in the rear. I would encourage people to give Hyundia a try well at least the Sante Fe.

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  Great car for the money - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Keith3939 - October 12 - 10:00 am

  Have had this car 2 weeks ...26 mpg Excellent fun to drive car... Good economy and pickup .. Poor radio reception.. Paint wore off in 2 spots ...

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  Now this is what Im talking about - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Howard - October 12 - 9:23 am

  My wife and I have a history with Hyundai. My wife currently has a 2003 Santa Fe and I have had a 2002 Santa Fe prior to getting this car. I say that because we think enough of the company and their product to continue buying from them. I am very happy with my car. I purchased a GLS auto with xm radio, moonroof and 17in. wheels instead of the 16 in. standard. I have read reviews that have stated the car has average pickup in highway traffic. Let me tell you that sometimes I have to ease up on the peddle, if you know what I mean, an have no problems getting in and out of traffic. I look forward to a continued great relationship with Hyundai!

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  Neat SUV - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Oz & Mary - October 11 - 7:06 pm

  Weve only had the Tucson for a few weeks but really like the way it drives. The interior is roomy enough and the seats are comfortable. Mileage is decent in comparison to larger vehicles. Recommend it to others!

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  Best compact SUV for the $$$ - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Greg - October 11 - 9:26 am

  I have been researching compact SUVs for a year and finally my wife decided it was time to get rid of the 99 Lumina and the Tucson was the front runner by far. All other compact SUVs lack either the HP (CRV & RAV4) or bells and whistles that the Tucson had, and at $2,000 to $3,000 more; if I wanted to spend that much more money I would buy a Mazda CX7. My back doesnt hurt putting my kid into the vehicle anymore. Make sure that you get a V6 engine though.

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  Still adapting - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By Miko - October 11 - 9:08 am

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  better out there - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By maxbald - October 11 - 7:13 am

  Now have 4500 miles on car and buyers remorse has hit hard. Edmunds and Consumer Reports got it all wrong with this car. And people that give it favorable reviews are not very car savvy. The car rides horrible..like it has broken shocks. The 4 cylinder only returns 18 mpg tops. Been back to the shop 3xs for problems. The car has a cheap feel to it and little annoyances such as the passenger side seat belt that always clangs against the pillar. Service rep said to duct tape it nothing else can be done. Would not recommend a Hyundai to anyone and I was forewarned. Its junk. You get what u pay for sometimes less. Its crap thats why it loses over 60% of its value in a short time.

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  Amazing Car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Shaibaz Gadhwala - October 11 - 6:50 am

  We had been looking around for a mid- size sedan for quite sometime till we came across this beauty. It has everything that one could possibly imagine at a price that will not break the bank. Score a pretty good deal on a GLS model with a popular package. I have been driving around for just a couple of days but I think build quality wise this car should not give any trouble for a long time to come. Please take a test drive on this one before you buy any comparable car from other companies such as Accord, Camry, Mazda6, Malibu etc.

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  Hyundai, the new peoples car - 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Mike - October 11 - 2:03 am

  I drove my 2012 Hyundai 6cyl SE for 3.5 years and 90,000 miles. No glitches. I changed from Subaru when my 13th displayed multiple flaws in quality, reliability and design. Hyundai is what Subaru used to be but with better styling. Its affordable, reliable and fun to drive. I recently traded it in on a 2016 Santa Fe 6 seat with 6cyl. and am pleased with the evolution to the new design.

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  Mixed Experience - 1990 Hyundai Sonata
  By wnc - October 11 - 2:00 am

  This was my parents car. It only has 89000 miles on it. I use it to commute ~90 mostly highway miles daily. It makes an OK commuter car. It had a defective torque converter that was replaced under warrenty. It has a problem with the ignition switch. Installed a push button to bypass the ignition switch. It is hesitant to start. The air vents are cheesy and they have fallen part. The air conditioner still works but the outside air vent is now jammed open. A water leak has rusted the AC blower fan. Put some oil in it to quiet it down for now. On humid days the windows can fog up easily. DO NOT BUY UNLESS YOU KNOW THE CARS COMPLETE HISTORY.