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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  Santa Fe - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By TFWoj - February 20 - 12:30 pm

  This is my favorite vehicle that I have owned and I am 62. I have had no mechanical problem of any kind. The leather interior is nice and the radio sound is excellent. Only concern would be the transmission is a little jerky.

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  What a gem! - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Kalun47 - February 19 - 10:10 pm

  I had considered the 09 Outback and Honda FIT before i eventually came upon the ET SE A/T. The legroom for the backseat is amazing, and the cargo room is unmatched when the seats are folded down. As far as safety features go, the ET is top-notch. It was airbags all around, ABS, ESC, and maximum braking when the pedal is suddenly depressed. The Honda FIT is roughly the same price, and doesnt come with ESC. This car has more passenger room than some of the compact and midsized SUVs on the market. The suspension is spring quite hard, so you can feel every imperfection on the road.

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  A Really Nice Ride - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By FiddleStix - February 18 - 11:20 pm

  Really great car after 4 months of driving. I think this is a sharp looking car inside and out with loads of standard features. Great acceleration. Behaves very well on the highway even at passing speeds. Mileage is better than my Taurus. The car had some sway in hard turns and some tire noise but when I put on a quality set of tires both were solved. I consider this the nicest car I have ever owned, new or used, in 36 years of driving and the least expensive to buy. I was able to see the previous owners maintenance records and the car has never had a problem.

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  Santa Fe awesome again - 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jacob Chojnacki - February 18 - 10:37 am

  i owned a 2011 Santa Fe limited awd and traded for this same model 2015. Its incredible. Everything is laid out really well. I enjoyed the captains chairs for the second row and the third row. I really think the panoramic sunroof is a great feature. However, the most important aspect is the drivability. I would say that the ride is a little stiffer than the previous Santa Fe, but it is miles of an improvement in terms of overall ride quality and luxury feel of the vehicle. I would highly recommend the Santa Fe.

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  Traded it! - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dj_jonns - February 17 - 11:23 pm

  After 4000 miles on a Honda CRV. The Santa Fe was the absolute worse vehicle I have ever owned and Hyundai is the worse car company I ever dealt with. Transmission was defective and they would not recognize its problems or fix it. Bad design and quality problems. They may allege to have the best warranty in the business but that is because they wont fix any problems and keep saying that is the way the vehicle was made to operate. Never buy a Hyundai again ......ever!

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  My 2nd Elantra and still loving it - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By Doug N. - February 17 - 5:42 pm

  I bought my first Elantra back in 2013. The GT hatchback automatic. After 3 years and 80K miles I thought Id trade it in while still under warranty to get a better deal. And I certainly did. My new SE with Popular Equip Pkg listed for $20, 550. I paid $16, 885. WOW! They allowed me $8350 for my GT and threw in a spare tire kit and mud guards too. It was so cheap I paid cash...lol. No payments. Yippee! Its silver with grey cloth and has the auto dimming mirror with homelink and compass. The only thing I miss is no heated seats which the GT had. The gas mileage is averaging 36.5 with mostly highway driving in heavy rush hr traffic. Acceleration is decent. The Hankook tires are great. Sure glad I got the 16 because the new 17 is kinda boring looking and many of the great standard features are gone unless you really add on pkg after pkg.

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  My Mid-Life Crisis Car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By ALM - February 16 - 7:50 pm

  Im a busy Mom with 3 kids who didnt want to get another minivan, but really needed the space a van offers. Along comes Hyundai to the rescue with the 2011 Sonata! Looks like a sports car (got the SE) and has the space to haul hockey gear, coffin case guitar and leg room for growing boys. Fast pick-up, quiet ride & awesome safety ratings (a big concern for a Mom who anticipates all 3 kids will learn to drive on this).

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  Poor mileage, many small problems - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jack Carmody - February 16 - 5:56 am

  Poor gas mileage, sticker showed 19/25. I am getting 17/19. No interior light in drivers compartment. Battery dead if i let it set for 3 days. Drivers wiper fell off in snow storm on Interstate 95.I have to take it in this week to have it aligned, all four tire worn. (18000 miles on it.I have to pay for this myself, it is not covered under warranty. Dealer has been nice. This is a real DAH DUH vehicle. I have called Hyundai and could not get any satisfaction. Check 5 year 100000 mile warranty before you buy.

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  GT is the way to go - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Cryscokid - February 15 - 10:00 am

  This is an excellent car for little money! The best part is that all the features I love are STANDARD Equipped. Try and find that in a Honda or Toyota. Big bang for the buck and it will get you around in style. Paid under edmunds price even after my trade! Solid Gold!

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  Nice car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By jayman02 - February 15 - 10:00 am

  I bought the 2003 Elantra GlS with a moonroof, keyless, and an alarm, msrp of over $15,000 for less than $13,000 out the door. Definately a good price for the car. It is comfortable too. The only thing I do not like is the interior cloth. It is way too ugly.