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:

• 

  Drive to believe! 04 Santa Fe is great! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Vanessa G. - KY - June 8 - 6:50 am

  I have owned may cars including BMW, Audi, Land Rover and more. The 04 Santa Fe has exceeded my expectations with quality and comfort. Its reliable and eye catching. I get lots of compliments from people who think my car is brand new. No mechanical, exterior or interior problems. Gas mileage isnt great, but most SUVs arent. Get the larger 3.5L engine for the the best experience.

• 

  Peppy car - 1996 Hyundai Accent
  By Claystin - June 8 - 2:00 am

  Good car that was purchased used with 33K on the odometer. Reliable and dependable on have changed oil, tires, and brakes, regular maintainance.

• 

  BEWARE - TRANSMISSION NIGHTMARES - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By pap811 - June 8 - 12:26 am

  I bought my Tucson Limited in February 2016. This was my 3rd Hyundai and I never had issues before. The car was not right from the beginning..,,,the ride was uneven and the transmission was jumpy..I had it in 3 times in the first month for the rough ride and they ended up replacing all 4 tires. Things were ok until a few weeks ago when the transmission started really acting up. I was in traffic and stopped at a light and when i stepped on the gas to go, the rpms went up but the car would not move. It happened 5 times that day. I took it to service and they told me there was "no known issue" and they said they could not replicate it so there was nothing they could do. One week later I went to make a turn and the car would not move. I almost got hit. I called service again and this time they said they did a "software update" and it was fixed. That lasted one week and it happened again last Friday on my way to work. Its in the shop now. They have given me a rental. As soon as I get this car back I am trading it in. I know i will lose a lot of money but I am so scared to drive it again. I have submitted cases to Hyundai Consumer Affairs and the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration. This car is dangerous. Does someone have to get injured or die before they do a recall? It will happen if they let this go.

• 

  Best Luxury Sedan available - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Rich - June 7 - 8:46 pm

  The Genesis is actually the best stereo you can buy that that delivers you to your destination in fine luxury and comfort. The balance between comfort and being close to sporty is outstanding. Car & Driver and Road & Track can gig the car for Sportiness - not all of us like the taut, firm ride of the BMWS and Audis. The gas mileage is better than expected, especially cruising at 75. As mentioned by many, dealer support for a luxury car needs to be better. Hyundai does stand by there warranty. Our dealer gave us 2 years worth of oil changes and car washes, and has a very good reputation. I would advise finding a good dealer when buying. The value of this Luxury car is outstanding.

• 

  Great SUV - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By justfawcett - June 7 - 6:06 pm

  This has been a great car. It got about 26/27 mpg on highway and about 22/23 combined since I do mostly local driving. It is comfortable, quiet, and fun to drive.

• 

  Love it but some problems - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By ashlex - June 7 - 3:30 am

  We bought our sonata less than 2 weeks ago. And honestly we love the car .... but some problems that come standard on some sonatas. Center console makes rattlling noise. Bad shocks on the rear suspension. Also the mode button on the weel was getting stuck. All those parts are going to be replaised by the dealer. But other than that we love the car. And i just wanted to say all that for the people that a going to buy one of those cars. The onlything i didnt like so far is that the car tends to slide from stop on snow but thats why there is the stabiliy control. The red colour ROCKS. Didnt score perfect only because no car is perfect.

• 

  nice car for great price - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By nate - June 7 - 12:30 am

  this car is an awesome buy. it has great accelleration and controls and handles beautifully. its sleek design is comperable to others in its class. when this puppy is put to the floor she can give you some nice speeds. had her up to 125 the other day without even thinking. quiet and comfortable ride makes this car even more intruiging. you have to test drive this thing.

• 

  Surprised Convert - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Dave - June 6 - 9:10 am

  I started out looking at the Ford Edge, the Honda CRV and the Mazda CX-7. The Tucson wasnt even on my radar. The need for premium gas nixed the Mazda and $34,000 plus change for an Edge with the sunroof gave me pause, but I was ready to buy. The warranty and standard saftey features of the Tucson made me take a look. I expected to be underwhelmed during the test drive, but was pleasantly surprised. After driving a Jeep Wrangler for 11 yrs, the Tucson had the soft, quiet ride I was looking for. The Limited offered a lot of bang for the buck and I bought one for $24,650 OTD. The $10,000 dollar savings sealed the deal. Very pleased after 1,100 miles. Still in love.

• 

  Disappointing... - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kristy-) - June 6 - 2:00 am

  Careful when considering the purchase of a Hyundia. Read the warranty restriction very accutely. At 60,000 miles be prepared to pay upto $1500 in basic service maintenance to keep the 100,000 miles powertrain warranty effective. (Timing belt must be replaced every 60K!) I have owned 3 hyundias Tiberon, Sonata, and an old Excel. It might be a great value up front but carefully calculate longterm operation costs and depreciation.

• 

  Great Value!!! Nice ride! - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Kandue - June 5 - 10:03 am

  Have owned the Veracruz for 3 weeks now and am thoroughly pleased with my choice. Previously owned a 2004 Kia Sorento EX which was a good vehicle but wanted a smoother ride. Was considering the Santa Fe when the Veracruz caught my eye. After the test drive it was a done deal. The Veracruz is very luxurious and has a very quiet and smooth ride. Performance and handling is very good considering engine size and weight. The best part is the value...a lot of car for a small price.