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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  Not Very Happy with the Santa Fe - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Robyn - December 29 - 10:00 am

  From Day one with this vehicle,I have had problems, the drive is horrible, the brakes already gave out, and the interior is falling apart

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  Fantastic little wagon :) - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By happycat - December 28 - 10:40 pm

  Have had the Touring for a few months now and am very happy with it. Fuel efficiency with 60/40 hwy/city miles sits on 29.9 mpg. On 2-3 hr. trips the average has bumped up to about 31 mpg. I have never cleared it completely out to measure efficiency on only a long trip. The back is huge, both in terms of seating room and storage. Loading and unloading is a breeze as the cargo area is wide, flat, and at a good height. The hatch door is not too tall to reach when I need to close it and I am short (52"). Visibility is amazing out the front and the rear is okay--the d-pillars create a bit of a blind spot, but it is well compensated for with the mirrors. Lots of cubbies. Comfortable.

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  My ownership - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By G. Forshay - December 28 - 8:53 pm

  I love my new car. Its performance and gas millage have exceeded expectations. I have had many people come up to me at stores gas stations and neighbors compliment me on the look of my new Tuscon. It rides so smoothly and steers like a dream. No complaints in that department.

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  Love it! - 2013 Hyundai Veloster
  By A Mccloud - December 26 - 8:31 am

  Almost a year in and I am still smiling behind the wheel. Im 64 and totally comfortable in this car. Great gas mileage too! So happy with it and hyundai service.

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  Worst car Ive ever owned - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By Mike - December 26 - 4:47 am

  Fit and finish Terrible. Handling poor. Bad weather Handling DEADLY. It is so bad in snow and ice I just left it home. Brakes were bad from DAY 1. Dealers response was they couldnt find anything wrong. I eventually had to do an entire brake job. New pads and rotors. Dealer put an inspection sticker on it even with bad brakes and worn tires. Corporate Hyundai is a total waste. They are uninterested in anything but M O N E Y!!! You get subtle threats when trying to resolve an issue. I could go on and on but there isnt enough space here. But something else this company vehicles are a waste of time.

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  Re-Review 2011 Sonata Hybrid "Premium" - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By marnold4 - December 26 - 12:27 am

  We have about 3500 miles on the car and are pleased. Plenty of pickup to get on the highway or pass, excellent fuel economy. We are able to consistently get the advertised mileage but to do so you need to modify how you drive a bit. If we hammer it like we used to do with our V6 Accord the mileage drops. (Average real-world mileage, for us, calculated at fill ups in mixed driving is 36) The interior design is outstanding. Its nice to have a transmission that actually shifts. The Blue-Tooth works great with our smart phones and the i-Pod touch works perfectly as well. No transmissions leaks or steering, or shift problems. The car has more of a luxury feel than a sporty handler for driving.

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  Quality car! - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By Dean Deangelis - December 25 - 11:21 pm

  great car, attractive, comfortable, decent power, quality materials, reliable!

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  Nice Surprise -- I am Impressed - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Nashville - December 24 - 5:33 pm

  I drove and looked at the Altima and Camry before deciding on the Sonata (I have owned Hondas for years and wanted something different). Seemed to me that the other brands are resting on their name and are letting quality and value slip. Hyundai really seems to be trying and has put some very nice features into their base model that you have to pay a lot more for in the other brands. I only have about 400 miles so far but I am impressed with the car. Quality seems great. If the car can make it to 200K with no major repairs I will say they have arrived. Cant beat a price that is $4K to $6K less than the others and a 5yr/60K bumper to bumper with 100K powertrain warranty. Im impressed!

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  Drisgruntled Owner - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Ron - December 24 - 11:00 am

  Had to replace the clutch 3 times already and only have 45k miles on it. Warrenty did not cover the second two after a year or 15 thousand miles because hyundai knows how terrible the clutch is in their vehicle. Their great warrenty covers everything but the clutch after a year. Already a major lawsuit being raised up against hyundai in the United States for the clutch in thousands of owners cars.

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  Awesome! - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Niki - December 24 - 4:16 am

  I love my Tiburon! Its fabulous. A great guy car or girl car.