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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  Tiburon V6 in Oz - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Ron Mason - December 24 - 7:16 am

  Value for money, fit for purpose, fun to drive. If you enjoy tearing up $ bills so you can convince friends and relatives you earn more money than they do (sometimes not true), you wont enjoy the Tiburon. Its not perfect (or rather not perfectly balanced - bit too heavy, and a bit too much torque steer), but its a car that really does try to deliver what you want of it.

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  At 79 thousand no important complaints! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By Bradley Wood - December 22 - 11:04 pm

  Ive seen that some people have gotten lemons, but most buyers are satisfied. I drive over 90 miles a day very aggressively. Appreciate the gas mileage rebate, but the way I drive I wouldnt ever expect anything near 40 mpg.. The interior is noisy and lacks a cushion-like feel, but the sound system with nav. is great. At 70 thousand I needed new tires,wipers and brakes. I exceeded recommendations and had to buy rotors, but that was my fault. I change the oil about every 4500 miles because all my miles are on the highway. No mechanical issues that I can fairly complain about. Had the dealer replace the serpentine belt at 75 thousand just to be safe.

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  Great overall, lousy in snow - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By alfagirl - December 21 - 10:14 am

  This is my 2nd Elantra, first being a 99 wagon pleased with both, but one consistent problem: both are horrendous in snow. I think the tires are just too wide, and they float. Ive driven in snow all my life - Italian sports cars to trucks these are the first cars Ive ever been seriously uncomfortable in. Snows all around help, but narrower rubber would be the best. Overall, great car, 5- spd gets 34 mpg consistently - on my 8 mile commute and highway (at 80 mph last time). Just replaced rotors all around - I dont normally go through brakes, but..??? Would recommend to anyone - great package for the price!!

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  Good Value - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By HandyDan - December 20 - 10:43 pm

  Bought in 04/07, had some problems with knocking in front end early on, was some bushings which dealer fixed. Mileage has been around 16 in mixed c/h with 22/23 hw going about 75mph. First tried Toy/Honda but similar quality with this and this has better warr. Nice inside and out. Great standard CD/Stereo sound system. Very good power in engine/transmission with smooth ride, low noise. Heated seats/dual power drs are really nice, wish I had bought the pw rear dr. Im 62", 250lb and have plenty of room in all rows of seats. More color options would be nice. Havent had any of problems encountered by some other listed here. Wife and I and 2 kids have been happy.

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  Respectable - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Mark - December 20 - 2:47 pm

  Really a very pleasant car. Very easy to drive, well made, quiet at cruising, nice touches throughout the car despite its very reasonable price. Good on gas at averaging 28-33mpg. Decent sound system with Mp3 capability. Acceleration a bit course but not unbearable. Steering is very light and took some getting used to. Would recommend to anyone who wants a problem free car thats very relaxing to drive. Certainly feels as if its made to last in the way its screwed together and performs.

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  Great Value...suspect build quality - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By ryster - December 20 - 6:00 am

  My 2011 Sonata GLS w/PEP2 is now 1-year old. From a value for the money perspective, the car is outstanding. High level of standard features that cost way more in the competition. The build quality of the car, however, is very questionable. After only 1-year and 14,300 miles, my Sonata is full of rattles. Door panels, dash, rear parcel shelf, center console...rattles everywhere. The dealer said they would need to remove the entire dash to "attempt" to fix the dash rattle. I normally keep cars 3-4 years, however the Sonata will be traded much sooner than that. Just need to find a suitable replacement.

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  Not comfortable to drive - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Virginia Driver - December 18 - 7:26 pm

  I cannot get comfortable in the drivers seat. I love everything about it except driving it! Have had to replace tires too soon because of an alignment problem. Noticed the new tires wearing and checked the alignment and it was out just a tiny bit, dont know why my tires are wearing on the inside. There is a clunking noise under the front. I feel like something is going to fall off. Im thinking of trading it for a Forester. It has 65k miles on it and hasnt given me any real problems and it was great in the snow. Average 22 mpg, maybe 25 on interstate. I hate climbing in this vehicle. I just cannot get the seat adjusted to fit the steering wheel comfortably. It has great brakes and radio.

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  Works great in the snow - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By tef - December 18 - 1:10 am

  This Santa Fe handles snow conditions great. I deliver papers on gravel roads and use this on snowy days. I have zero worries about getting stuck in the snow. Only once have I been stuck. I drove into a 3 foot high drift and drifted toward the roadside. I got wedged against the road bank. If you need a SUV for the winter conditions, this is it. Other than in severe conditions I prefer my V6 Camry.

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  Best bang for your buck - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By EPowers - December 16 - 10:06 pm

  This is my second car, my first being a 1996 Saab 900SE Convert. I got the Accent because though the Saab was great in the snow and on gas, the cost to repair it was crazy so was the time it took. The Accent doesnt have these problems at all! Still good in snow and on gas! It doesnt have the turbo the saab did but it still has plenty of punch being almost 1000 lbs lighter. Best $4000 I ever spent (yep, thats right, 4K).

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  Great Value, needs some fixes - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Craig - December 15 - 5:33 am

  Overall, a great buy. Comfortable ride, roomy, adequate performance, quiet. Gas mileage avg 20MPG. A few little quirks: 1) Seats heaters only slightly warm, can hardly feel through your coat. 2) Seats have no lateral support, more like a bench feel than a bucket. Seat bottom way too short to support your legs on longer drives. 3) Radio too high and far away. No matter where you sit, you have to lean forward out of your seat to reach the channel knob and some buttons. 4) Brake pedal soft, spongy and fade under high demand. 5) When cold, squeaks and rattles. 6) XM sound quality awful; cd/mp3/fm sound is fantastic. 7) Steering wheel should tilt, not just raise and lower. Angle is like a bus.