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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  A Great SUV - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By billssuv - November 24 - 8:02 am

  I bought my 2005 Santa Fe with 23 miles on it. I have driven it down to Texas and Mississippi and had great gas mileage. I now have 86K miles on it and have only put new tires on it at 79K as well as new brakes for the first time. I also have done my normal maintenance on it including new timing belt. I have had ZERO issues with my SUV and plan on driving it hopefully another 100K before deciding on a new one. It is the most comfortable vehicle I have ever owned and driven.

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  I hope mine is Not a lemon! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Guy T. Neff - November 24 - 6:10 am

  I purchased the car on 4/2/06. I drove it to Florida on 4/7. Enroute,the "ESC OFF" and the ABS warning lights came on,and the brake lights stopped working. I took the car to a Hyundai dealership in Gainesville. They replaced the brake lamp switch,and reassured me that it was the cause of the trouble. While on the way back home, I dicovered that not only does the "ESC OFF" light still come on, but the brake lights stay on, the cruise control wont set, and the Check Engine light is on! The car is now at the dealership that sold it to me,awaiting proper repairs. I hope that they will be able to correct the problems,or I will seek relief under the NYS Lemon Law.

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  Noise - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By joystick1 - November 23 - 8:14 pm

  Shortly after receiving my Sonata, I noticed a burning smell in my garage. Then I looked under the car and it was undercoated. I sent a letter certified to the CEO noting the undercoating and I stated the only reason a car is undercoated in this day and age is to either reduce noise or eliminate vibration. Since I vever received a response, I sent a copy via regular mail. Shortly thereafter, I received a call from a women but she had no clue of what I was trying to convey. (The sonata supposed to have 14 anti coression emersions, more protection than a M-Benz) She said that she would have to contact engineering and would get back to me. She never did.

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  Black, Curvy, and Sporty! - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By Stephanie - November 23 - 8:06 am

  I know your initial thought: am I talking about Serena Williams? No, but you can bet it was not hard to name my new 2016 black and beautiful Hyundai Elantra after the worlds best womens tennis player of all time. I bought my car fully loaded from Rick Case Hyundai in Duluth and I could not be more happier! I came in pre-approved so I was pretty much shopping for what I wanted. I sealed the deal in the same day with minor tit-for-tat negotiating and walked away with my new baby! Salesman, Blessing Iyere blessed me with the vehicle of my liking and I could not be more satisfied. Truly grateful!

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  Drive before you buy! - 2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By spark1952 - November 23 - 8:05 am

  This auto performs and handles excellant. The problem is the ride ( of course it is a sports car) and the road noise. I own a 1968 RS/SS Camero that rides better. I drove this vehicle 400 miles on interstate and wasnt impress with the quality of ride and road noise. I bought new drove 400 miles and 3 days. In contacting the dealer. He would take it back if I tok a $10,000.00 hit on it. Not a very good deal. Wouldnt recommend. Stick to American sports car.

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  Pleasantly surprised - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By bigal11 - November 23 - 3:42 am

  This brand has come a long way. Great commuter. Not as refined in suspension as my 12 Jetta TDI but very good. MPG on 2 tanks: 38 and 41, better than the Jetta diesel. Easy 6sp to train newbies. Interior, Bluetooth, infotainment jacks, also surprises me. Nice to know my kid wont be tempted into texting at the wheel. I bought it for my daughter to finish High school and go to University. 100K waranty makes me feel much better about that. I simply cant think of a better choice for my purpose.

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  Great buy!!!! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By bigleo - November 23 - 2:00 am

  I would say a great truck to own.I had no problems with this truck.Great features for the money.

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  Previous Toyota and Honda owner - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By albad - November 23 - 2:00 am

  Overall, this is a very good car. Good acceleration although a little slow to start. Very smooth and comfortable. Generally quiet. Looks great. Ive owned a Toyota Camry and a Honda Prelude in the past. As far as I can tell, this car is about as good as those cars but $5000 less. I refuse to pay extra for the Honda and Toyota name even though I was happy with those cars. I did a lot of research and its true that Hyundai are much better cars now. Very few regrets so far. The way I look at it, Hyundais are a steal right now because theyre reliable but because they havent caught on with the public yet, their prices arent ridiculous.

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  Excellent vehicle - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Oliver Perea - November 22 - 4:10 pm

  We like the handling of the vehicle, the MPH with mixed driving is anywhere from 22 mph to 26.7 mph, it drives through heavy snow very well. We love the third seat (we have a seven year old and friends). The heated seats are excellent, better than our Lexus! Storage for this and that is great.

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  Turbo Terror - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By norman grajek - November 22 - 12:16 pm

  I recently leased a Tucson Limited. --This SUV looks nice from a stand still view. However the TURBO -CHARGER is a terror. When I try to get on a busy hi-speed highway and merge into traffic . the TURBO Charger -/engine all but stops. and I get left sitting in a hi-speed lane with NO POWER. This has happened several times both to MY WIFE and I. It has been back at the dealer for several days . no fix yet. Stay away from this vehicle