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:

• 

  2013 Elantra GT - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By Wayne - September 5 - 4:25 am

  Great car. Just traded in for a 2017 on a three year lease. Very few complaints. A good value car. The Pearl blue finish was quite attractive. Its not a Ferrari, and I think people expect a bit too much in terms of acceleration, etc. A competent car that never let me down.

• 

  This is my 4th Hyundai - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By rickb - September 5 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle has the most comfortable ride of the four Hyundais Ive owned (88 Excel, 90 Sonata, 94 Elantra, 99 Sonata). Ive had to return it to the dealer a couple of times (02 sensors((4 of them on the 2.5L!))and a recall, that I read about in "Consumers Report". I currently have a problem with the paint peeling off the passenger outside mirror mount. Very solid and quiet vehicle. In five years, Hyundai will be the benchmark of the Asian automotive industry in the U.S.

• 

  What a GREAT driving/owning experience! - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By EvB - September 4 - 3:46 am

  We originally owned an 03 Tiburon and 02 Jetta. We wanted to downsize to 1 car, so it had to be reliable, high-quality, and with great performance. Our 03 Tib had been awesome, but we initially felt like trying something new. We test drove 7 other 07 cars including Acura TSX, Eclipse GT, and Lexus is250. To our surprise, none of them could match Tiburons combo of reliability, quality, performance, warranty, and features we wanted --- except the Lexus for $11,000 more! So, we bought the 07 SE (6-cyl manual). LOVE this car. A joy to drive, beautiful inside and out. Trust us: the back seat is fine for 2 adults for around town; front seat has as much headroom as the Jetta. 100% satisfied!

• 

  I love my 2003 Sonata! - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By BelleJarr - September 4 - 2:00 am

  I just graduated from college and was thrilled to be purchasing a new car (I drove a 1988 Celica with 200,000 miles on it thoughout college). A friend bought a Sonata just before we graudated, I fell in love with it, it reminded me of a Jag or Mercedes. I was certain that it would be out of my price range, I was shocked on how affordable it was! I purchased a 2003 black 5-speed with standard features for around $15,000(I prefer to drive a manual, its just more fun). My Mom and Dad saw it and thought it was a Mercedes and my husband (hes a mechanic)loves the warranty and loves to drive it too. The standard features are great for the price!

• 

  Better than you think - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By Taurus2 - September 4 - 2:00 am

  After a few PCM bugs where worked out I am more than pleased with the quality and performance of the XG. Before I purchased the XG I owned a 86 XJ6. I did not expect it to handle like the jag but it fine for normal uses. [City & highway] The vehicle is very quiet and gives me a feeling of luxury despite the inexpensive tag. Resale is some what disappointing but that has a lot to do with non-recognition of itÂ’s worth. This should change as the news gets out. There are so many bells and whistles that are standard. That are options on other compatible cars. As Hyundai refines this vehicle the other manufacturers will start to hurt or keep up.

• 

  What a GREAT car! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Jodes9381 - September 4 - 2:00 am

  I got a great deal on this car, "previously enjoyed". This car is affordable, and sporty as hell! The speakers (though not the Infinity) bump, and the sound is great. Its about as fast as I figured.... slower than most sport coupes, but if you arent looking for extreme pickup and speed, is more than adequate. Its definitely cute, but not for the large driver! Im 52", small frame, and its perfect for me. I love this car!

• 

  Great Hybrid and excellent value - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By cleveland_bob - September 4 - 1:36 am

  Appearance - striking lines and contours produced completments from friends and family. Ride - The suspension absorbs bumps and pot holes well while maintaining good control. Braking is in dry and wet conditions is very good without pulling to either side. The regenerative braking system does not compromise function. In one emergency braking situation (deer) the car braked quickly. I missed the deer and did not swerve to either side. Interior - very well appointed with switches where they should be. Bluetooth is great and enables hands free phone use. FueL economy - 40-42 mpg in city and 45+ on the highway. The car will cruise using the electric motor up to about 60 mph. Great car!!!!

• 

  Only Superlatives - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By kaixwing - September 2 - 4:06 am

  I own a Santa Fe so i knew the quality that Hyundai offers for the money. The Sonata is an exceptional value compared to the Accord and Camry costing 6-7K more. The fit and finish rival that of Lexus. Despite reviews to the contrary, the car is actually fun to drive and quite peppy even with the 4cyl. The night display is phenomenal with the blue and white lights. The surprise bonus - high gas mileage. I actually got more than 35 miles per gallon on the highway but going little over 60 and keeping a steady foot.

• 

  Still happy with my 2016 Tucson - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Kate - September 1 - 7:58 pm

  I have now owned my 2016 Tucson for 7 months, and its going strong. We have had an unusual winter here in Vermont this year. We have not received much if any snow, and had a lot of slush and ice. I wasnt sure how the Tucson would handle and its been great. I live on a dirt road, and find that dirt roads are especially challenging with ice mud and snow. Mud season has come early in Vermont, and a few times when navigating thru the mud, I felt the Tucson wasnt handling well, I turned on the 4 wheel drive and it did great. My gas mileage didnt go down too much during the winter months, that too was a nice surprise. I still get compliments on what a great looking car it is, and often people dont know what it is.

• 

  A Major Defect - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By taciturn - September 1 - 7:56 pm

  My Sonata is 3 months old. This review is exclusively to warn all potential buyers of a major defect that Hyundai is aware of, yet is doing nothing about. Namely; the steering wheel locks up when you turn the car off. This was supposedly an anti-theft device the company came up with. However, when the steering wheel inadvertently locks up, the driver must furiously shake the steering wheel back and forth to disengage the locking device. Naturally, my family and I learned this the hard way. Getting stuck, being unable to get the device to disengage. 2 Hyundai dealers now tell me that the company is aware of this problem. Wow, thats impressive !