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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  Just what I have learned to expect from Hyundai - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By deking - December 23 - 11:41 pm

  This is the 4th Hyundai I have owned and again they did not disappoint me. I have never owned a Hyundai that gave me any problems so this was no surprise. The new sonata outdoes them all. The car feels and drives like I spent at least double what I did when I traded in my 2008 Sonata. This is just an amazing car, quiet as an empty church , stable and sure on country roads and highways. As with all of my other Hyundais, not a hint of a squeak or a rattle anywhere. No wonder they are selling so many cars.

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  buy it - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By bobbyg - December 23 - 6:56 pm

  great suv fun to drive,decent mpg,easy to maintain.very roomy and great design on the folddown seats.buy one,you wont find a better value in a suv.

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  Great car so far - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Brent - December 21 - 7:30 pm

  Only have 1500 miles on it and owned for two months, but still quiet, smooth engine and no transmission issues or shift delays as others have mentioned. I have not driven it hard yet to break in engine as I am waiting about 3000 miles to put it to a real test. Rated 5 on reliability only b/c I dont know yet. Great car so far with little if any complaints about the vehicle itself. The cloth does seem to stain easier than some of my previous cars. A few cheaper plastic parts, but all cars have flaws. Gas mileage for me has been 18-20 on mostly highways, but seems to be getting better as I drive. And does much better if you keep it around 55 or 60 on freeways. Warranty was a major factor.

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  Love it - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mark - December 21 - 5:36 pm

  Almost at 1000 miles and loving every minute of it. We just had a bad snow storm here and this car didnt slip once while driving.

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  Lots for the $$ - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Yorkie Girl - December 21 - 11:06 am

  Was set to buy an Avalon and was just browsing through the Hyundai parking lot when I ran across a gentleman driving a Lexus whose brother had just bought an Azera. Both men felt the Azera was just as nice as the Lexus but thousands cheaper. So I decided to drive one before finalizing my Avalon purchase. I am so glad I did. I have had my car a month now and love it. It rides so smooth. It is the most comfortable car I have ever had. The trunk is very spacious, fold down seats (which the Avalon does not have) come in handy. This is the first car I have bought in 26 years that is not a Honda or Toyota so it was quite a leap for me to buy a Hyundai. Time will tell regarding reliability.

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  Great car! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Lnix - December 21 - 10:00 am

  I have had my car for over 7 years now. At 128k miles I can honestly say its been a great car. This was my first new car to own and havent had many problems. I had to get new tires at about 70k miles. I changed the battery once and only had to get regular maintenance work done to the brakes because of the wear and tear. Havent had to put much money into it. I just wish I had gotten AWD because it doesnt handle all that great in bad snow.

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  Clutch Failure - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sheryl Gordon - December 21 - 10:00 am

  BEWARE!!! Clutch failed at 41,000 miles, 3 years of normal use. No towing of anything. Dealer where purchased out of business, new dealer not at all helpful. Charge was $160 to eyeball, another $500 if I wanted parts removed for inspection. Cannot buy aftermarket parts. Replacement parts $1,000, throw in another $1500 if new flywheel is needed. Cannot be resurfaced, dual mass. This dealer sees no problem with a $2,500 to $4,000 charge for fix. I DO!! If thinking about stick shift of any newer Hyundai vehicle in your "FUTURE" especially if in the East Bay of northern California, best to think again.

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  Champagne taste on a beer budget - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By a driver - December 20 - 4:46 am

  Being a car nut I could nit pick the car to pieces, but Id be comparing it to much more expensive automobiles. The only downside is the fuel mileage; if you drive it easy and use the cruise @ 72mph or less, it good to great. "Race car" it and youll be hard pressed to more than 350 mi/tankful. Now the good stuff: great acceleration, very comfortable, all the features youd want plus; except, NAV and Onstar. Excellent handling. Sound system rivals some of the best factory systems out there, PERIOD! Best thing is the car looks like a $375,000 Maybach 57 and nobody knows what youre driving; they just know they like it and you look like a genius for all the money you saved.

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  Nicest used car Ive purchased.. - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By ciera223 - December 19 - 1:00 pm

  Ive only had my 2012 sonata for a few wks now, I purchased it used with 5k miles on it. For being used it isnt too bad, brakes are already bad, had to replace cabin air filter and the mpg they advertise is a lie, but its still better than my suv.The alternative starter in the middle console also dont work, so Im taking it in next week for that. I also agree on Hyundai customer service, its horrible, they dont care about their customers and they constantly lie. So with that said take your factory warranty and go elsewhere to get service done to it. Yes they will tell you you cant, but you can. I get mine serviced at A ford dealership where they listen and actually fix your car!

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  Love This Car, Perplexed By Other Reviews - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By J Wend - December 17 - 11:02 pm

  I guess each car is different, which is why I made sure I did a nice long test drive on my specific Sport Model Tucson with the Turbo engine. My CUV decision was down to the Mazda CX-5 Touring and the Tucson Sport. I wanted the Sport/Touring models because both have the blind spot lane detection systems as well as the backup camera with rear cross traffic warning (like when you back up in a parking lot and someone is coming perpendicular to you). I had ruled out the Nissan Rogue and Honda CR-V based on rides, options and/or price. The Tucson was hands down the best LOOKING CUV, but I was not going to allow that to be my decider. I took the reviews into consideration, and even discussed them at the dealership. None of the salespeople had heard about the lurching issue, and several suggested premium gas really wasnt needed to assist "turbo lag". Maybe my Tucson had this "firmware" fix some other poster had mentioned. At a stop, I will concede that when I lift the brake, the car will start to move, but it is not a lurch, it is a very slow creep and it is temporary. My old Nissan Murano would creep when I let off the brake. Our 2014 Rogue does the same. Maybe people have different perceptions, I dont know. I have fortunately not seen it. I also have had no issues at all with Turbo lag, but will admit that one model I did test drive (I think it was the Limited, but it was the same turbo engine I have) did have a tiny stutter on a few occasions. Mine --- none at all! I have had the car about 3+ weeks now, and close to 1k miles. I love it, It is a very pleasant ride. Smooth, quiet, crisp. The layout and controls are very nice on the interior, and I love the XM Satellite option. I wish there were reviews written about any and all CUVs in terms of AWD. I am from Ohio, and AWD is important to me. No one seemed to comment if this car or any other performs well in snow. but it has been a mild winter. I am hoping it performs, but I really cant say. I do love the 19" wheels and alloy rims. Very sporty This car has really been a pleasant purchase from my experience. I really feel I made a great decision, and I will admit I was feeling a bit leery reading some Edmunds.com comments. But I just dont (thankfully) have anything but positive things to say about this CUV so far. Maybe that will change over time, but I do like the 10 year 100,000 mile warranty and roadside assistance, Both nice, Just to show my impartiality, I do have one disappointment so far. Oddly the option I told my wife I was least interested in has become a favorite of mine. The sport and higher models come with front and passenger heated seats. I was kind of like "meh, what a wimpy option" - just seemed like something else that could break over time......well, my only beef with the Tucson has been that it take a long time for the engine to warm and move the thermo needle off cold. I find myself about a good 8 minutes into a drive at least before it moves. So, those heated seats have been a darn nice option these last few days keeping my AZZ and back warm waiting for the heat to crank. Wish it warmed faster, but now I just start it a few minutes in my garage before I leave........but thats my one complaint. I love the comfort of this car, I love the look of the car, And it does indeed glide, quiet as can be at high speed on the highway. My advice? Test, test, test yourself. Test the exact car you are going to buy; maybe there are subtle differences from engine to engine. I think I got the best bang for my buck with this car!