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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  Ooops ... - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By stekicar - March 18 - 2:54 am

  This model of Sonata is miserable failure. I do not know from where to start. Before I purchased it, I drove it three times just to make sure it does not have that pull to the left issue. Unfortunately, after 10k miles I have front tires uneven wear. Dealer states that nothing is wrong with tires although even 1st grader would see difference between even and uneven tire wear. Contacted Hyundai and they refused any responsibility. Rest assured - they will make sure you dont get solution to tire (?) problem. I did not notice it before but steering wheel is not placed centered to the drivers seat. It is at about 1 inch offset to the left. Radiator leaked at 10k miles. Fixed under warranty.

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  2005 XG350L - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By jimk1947 - March 17 - 9:26 pm

  Great value, comfortable,smooth ride. Hard to beat for the price.

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  Great Value for an SUV - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Billy - March 17 - 3:03 pm

  Just finished a 1000 mile vacation trip to northern New Mexico. The 2005 Santa Fe 2.7 GLS FWD was outstanding on the interstate as well as the twisting mountain highways near Santa Fe and Taos. Smooth ride, plenty of room for four adults and luggage, and adequate power from the 2.7 for steep grades indicates that Hyundai has a well- thought-out platform for years to come. The Santa Fe is a solid perfomer and a great value--thousands less than competitors.

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  Hard to believe its a Hyundai - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By New2Diesel - March 17 - 11:06 am

  What a great vehicle. Styling is great, comfort great. MPG per tank has been no less than 23.5. Road trip of 250 miles saw over 27 mpg at 68 mph with a/c. The 2.7 is gutless when passing on a hill but fuel efficient. Otherwise engine is sufficient and quiet. Interior is very comfortable and quiet. I love driving to work everyday now! This vehicle hands down trumps the competition. I drove everything !

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  ALMOST HAPPY - 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By baddog6 - March 16 - 2:30 am

  Traded my Town And Country in July and in agreement with most of the positive reviews but very unhappy with a rapid jerking on acceleration from lower speed.Does not feel like shifting or transittion from gas to elect. and does not do it all the time. Took to dealer and it ran fine and was told no reports of any problems then found edumonds review on line so don"t know what to think.Have bought over 20 cars and not had this problem and dont want it now.

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  Best Bang for the BUCK - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mazzda - March 15 - 5:03 pm

  4th Hyundai for the family, My wifes father has a 04, Loved his so we bought one for ourselves. 2.7L V6 pulls well for small pop-up campers and small trailers. Great power. And has the best fuel millege for its size and class.... Highly reccommended!

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  The GT is a great little car - 2016 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By brundagefamily@comcast.net - March 15 - 4:22 pm

  Currently our family leases four Hyundais (Sonata Turbo, 2 Elantras and an Elantra GT) with the GT being the newest edition to the stable. We were a bit concerned that the GT would be too small (especially in the cargo area) but have been pleasantly surprised at the cars versatility. With slightly more horsepower than the standard Elantras, the GT is quite peppy around town and on the highway. The driver visibility is great and everyone in the family has enjoyed their turn putting the car through its paces. The fuel economy, as expected, is slightly less than a standard Elantra. Other than that we would certainly give the vehicle high marks for the first month that we have had it.

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  Luv the 2008 Santa Fe - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Blazinjoe - March 15 - 1:23 pm

  Car is so quiet and smooth. Luv the bigger V-6, almost unnoticeable when it shifts. SE has very nice interior. Very comfortable. Great mileage...21 local...24 highway. Better mileage than 2003 which had small V-6. Had 2003 Santa Fe 5 years..enjoyed it so much there was no question when we went to look for a new car. No mechanical probs on the 2003 & after Id wash it it looked like new car even after 5 years. When u consider the price & warranty, my 2008 Santa Fee is a "no-brainer"!

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  Is it just my car that has gone bad? - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Ex-Hyundai Lover - March 15 - 9:06 am

  First when i got it, it was great. but as time goes on it began. Had my Sunroof Fixed 4 times in 1 year (same problem occuring over and over again). also my clutch had to be replaced when the car had less than 19000 miles. Believe me I dont drive like maniac. one more thing, almost 2 year into my Tiburon, my car lock system broke, so had to get it repaired. My 2 years of driving Hyundai, I had gone to dearlership for service more than 7 times. I didnt buy the brand new car to get it serviced every 3 month...Other than that it was fun to drive.

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  A waste of time please listen to me please! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bmack - March 15 - 6:59 am

  I purchased this car last year with about 68 thousand miles after I had a big problem with Kia Motors. From a good dealership ( Im going to let there name be nameless. So I get the car man I was in love with this car but I was 10 grand upside down so I say what the heck go for it.... So I did and yall ( you have to excuse me Im from Texas... Lol) when I tell you this car is crap from the start for my relationship. When I first purchased the car I had the motor mounts and the front wheel assembly replaced ball bearings and struts and shock all in a 35 thousand miles I had the car... But wait you have not heard the bad part so 9/10/2015 my car engine starts to knock and falls dead at this point Im thinking bad gas oh no I take the car home and guess what there is a letter in the mailbox stating that my Sonata is safety hazard and they may have to change out the entire engine and car could stall at any time so okay no big deal right? Call Hyundai report what happened to the car no big deal... Wrong so Hyundai sets me Up a appointment with the local Hyundai dealer. Ok well since than time I had my mechanic look at the car and he told me that it is metal shavings in my intake and if Hyundai is replacing the motor that I might want to give them a call to make sure that I will have a loaner while me call is being serviced with the recalls.. Nope Hyundai says no and that basically Im stuck driving this safety hazard till they figure out whats going on. This car is my only transportation to and from work and to get my self to my doctors appointments I have lupus so I have to have a car... Im so upset that Hyundai will not help me?????