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 SUV - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By tmcgee - April 10 - 2:00 am

  I have been shopping for about 3 months as my lease was comming due on my old car. My initial experience with this SUV is excellent, great detailing inside and out. I really think this SUV is built better than my wifes Mercedes ML 320 and they are about the same size.

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  MOSTLY SATISFIED WITH A FEW MINOR ISSUES - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By JS - April 9 - 11:30 pm

  I drove the RSX-S, WRX, and Scion TC before purchasing my Tib. Those 4- bangers just can compare to the power and torque of the V6 this car has. Stylish exterior with a high-quality interior...great sound system. So far so good but Ive had to have it aligned and the clutch is shuddering at only 6K miles which makes me a little concerned about the long-term reliability of this vehicle. My only truly major complaint is the choppy, cheap suspension which is just garbage compared to other vehicles in this class. Does not take bumps well at all but handles okay otherwise. Vague clutch. A very smooth and comfortable highway car though. Loaded with options...a real value for the money.

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  good decision - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Jesse - April 9 - 4:03 pm

  Great car, reliable and fun to drive.

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  Awesome car at a great price - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jon - April 9 - 6:58 am

  Performance: I have the sport model which lets you change the way the car shifts into the next gear. On Eco mode it is a bit more slow to peak going UP a ramp to merge onto the highway. But I can just turn that off for 3 seconds and I am good to go. I can have 4 grown men (minimum of 175 lbs to a max of 225 lbs each) in the car and it still responds decently for the horsepower it has. Fuel Economy: So I have been able to eek out 53 MPG by going 50 MPH in this car. otherwise by going 75 mph daily and still hitting city for 8 miles of my total 22 mile drive per day I still retain an impressive 35 MPG. I do not romp on the car nor do I aggressively brake or accelerate. This model was made to be comfortable and provide some tech and have a decent amount of power with the price tag that it had. I have no idea why anyone would think it is supposed to blast off the line like a 300 hp car. It looks good, drives great, has LOTS of room. the head room is phenomenal. I tried out a 2017 lincoln mkz recently and it had no head room for a 5 9" guy. I was against the ceiling! The 15 sonata has at least 3.5 inches yet above my head in the front alone. also I have two 6 friends that have plenty of leg room in the back when I have the seat pushed all the way back. This car is friendly in button layout and design as well. Everything is sorta of one color for buttons with only a couple that are different ( like defroster LED and windshield LED). I can find everything I need to and there arent multiple colors shooting at me with buttons that are too squeezed together. I feel that as long as you can get the car for $21,000 and under you will have a awesome car that comes with lots of tech, great layout, great design, lots of room for family and groceries, and provide decent performance for what it is. If you want more horsepower then get the turbo. ALL cars that have turbos are more maintenance so dont think any brand is less work than the other. If you want even more performance then pay for it and take care of it. If you cannot do that, then dont buy more car than you need.

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  Be prepared for frequent check engine! - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Michael - April 8 - 6:20 pm

  I bought this car a year and half ago as a second user. It had only 75K miles on it and it looked in a great condition. 5 Months after, and the check engine was on. It took me days and trial and error at the mechanic to troubleshot the issue. it wasnt the mechanic fault, it was how complicated the issue was, and the code tells more than 8 different possibilities! Now the engine light is back on again but this time is for transmission! it has only 100K miles, and the transmission specialist told me it would be at least $1800 to get it fixed! That was very unreliable for a car that is only 6 years old with 100K miles exactly on it. I wish I bought a Camry.

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  Overall Great Car but.... - 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Russ Chambers - April 7 - 8:21 pm

  I went from a 2011 Buick Enclave to the Santa Fe. Its the perfect size for us. I like the looks, comfort, overall performance and economy. Road noise somewhat greater and road comfort not up to the Enclave. However the real annoyance is the front passenger seat is not height adjustable , this is a real problem for my wife. In fact had she ridden in the car before leasing it, we would not have leased it. Ive ridden in the seat also and agree with her, its annoying and neither of us are short people. She sits on a cushion when we travel....cant understand the design not including height adjustment. The other shortfall is the nav. system....we loved the OnStar system in the Buick. This one is OK, but not nearly as user friendly as the OnStar.

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  60,000 miles and now my engine just shuts off - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By jmartin99 - April 7 - 3:42 pm

  I love my Tucson, and I have not had any issues until I brought it in back in August for its 60,000 mile warranty check up, and Now randomly my engine just shuts off while driving, this is scary. I have read up on many forrums that this is a problem that occurs in the 2005 Tucson. Shouldnt there be a recall???? This is dangerous!

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  Love my Santa Fe - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Travers - April 7 - 11:26 am

  I bought the CUV this June and love the way that it drives compared to my 10 year old Dodge Durango. More zip, much better mileage, with more HP (242 vs 230). I love the XM radio feature. Good A/C chills quick, Aluminum engine warms up much quicker than my old 5.2 V8.

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  Very Disappointing! Does not accelerate - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Jason - April 7 - 6:20 am

  The 2006 Tucson is a very nice looking vehicle, however, there is little power. This vehicle does not accelerate. My wifes Toyota Rav 4 has much more get-up-an go then the Tucson, and is much more quiet. The motor of the Tucson is very loud. If I had a chance to do it again, I wouldnt buy a Tucson.

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  It is All That - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By 2x10 - April 6 - 8:29 pm

  Was drawn by the new design, & stopped by dealership for test drive! Wow, my wife and I love this vehicle! Great power from the turbo, the features and extras make us not want to get out! I had the chance to drive on a very windy day on a major highway @ 70mph. 18 wheelers swaying, leaves blowing, but the Santa Fe was smooth and stable. Handles nice, braking is smooth, not spongy, and cockpit is stylish, and not cheap looking. Leather heated seats w/ 3 temps, Bluetooth & bluelink awesome, cup holder in nice position, an eyeglass compartment that actually holds my sunglasses - big plus! Gas mileage on Eco, I was able to hit 26. Nothing but love for this ride