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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  A lot of car for not a lot of money. - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By eric39 - August 2 - 9:36 pm

  If you told me two years ago that I would buy a Hyundai I would have laughed out loud. I bought a Hyundai Sonata LX loaded and I love it. It drives great, it looks great and the stereo sounds great. The car really handles has great pick up and incredible brakes. The design is beautiful and the interior controls are well thought out and easy to use. My overall experience with this vehicle is very positive.

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  Buy for price, keep it for quality! - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By HJones - August 2 - 1:21 pm

  The Azera Limited, in Ultimate trim, is more comfortable than my previous Avalon and cost $7k less. Quiet, smooth, and powerful with maximum safety equipment - cant beat for anything but resale value.

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  Good commuter car! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By BJ Pace - August 1 - 1:51 pm

  I bought my car new in October 2004. The only repair that it has needed was when my driver side window rubber folded over and the window didnt operated properly. That repair was covered under warranty. This car is economical, easy to park, and handles well. A plus is the leather is holding up. The moon roof slide and tilt are nice to use on a evening drive. I would recommend buying this car used because most 05s will still be under the manufacturers warranty.

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  Could have been so much better! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Disappointed in PA - August 1 - 10:50 am

  Let me start by saying that we liked our car(bought it new). It was a good deal, but gave us too much trouble-we just traded it in on an 07 Mazda3. It is a MUCH better vehicle for a few thousand more. Also-Hyundais dont retain their value well. A week after taking delivery a hose clamp fell off-car lost all its antifreeze. It was towed & fixed however that was merely the tip of the iceberg: -Driver seatbelt fell off into wifes lap! -Various trim fell off in 5 different places -Ongoing transmission problems -Climate control broke -Emergency brake "broke" & ruined the rear rotors -radio, clock, visor clip all broke All this is not acceptable in just 4 years and 39,500 miles!

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  One Year Later... - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Joe - August 1 - 10:36 am

  First, I gave the performance a 5 because a stock GS can hardly get out of its own way but for less than a GT costs you can upgrade performance parts that will not void the warranty and make it faster than a GT or SE. With that said. The car is way under priced! Exterior design is somewhat exotic and the interior, even after a year, is still not boring. Since owning the car Ive had to replace my interior carpet because a hole wore in just below the gas pedal. That can be blamed on the dealer because they never gave me floor mats. Overall this is an awesome car but if you can afford it go with the GT or SE.

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  Traded in a Lexus, very pleased - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By DrImage - August 1 - 2:00 am

  We sold our 94 Lexus ES-300 and replaced it with this vehicle. I was not expecting the quality that we have with this vehicle and I am overall very pleased and at about 1/3 the price of a new Lexus ES-300.

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  great car for the price - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By MILDOC - July 30 - 10:00 am

  So far I really enjoyed the car. I have so many people ask me what kind of car and that it is nice sporty car. Back seat space is very limited especially if you are tall.

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  Great Value for an SUV - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jerseyan - July 29 - 11:02 pm

  I have the 2009 GLS 2.7L AWD. I went from a 4wd Silverado to the SUV with no regrets. My major construction days are done, and driving around paying a fortune for fuel with an empty truck bed 94% of the time seemed like a good reason to let it go. I wanted a new vehicle, without breaking the bank. I opted for the GLS vs. the upscale version not because of affordability, but it had all I needed, why pay more for the more expensive model? It came with the hands free Bluetooth and I added a trailer hitch for those occasional trips to the home centers. The roof racks and crossbars came with the vehicle, but if I had to purchase them, how often do you travel with items on the roof? The 3.3L engine to me wasn’t worth the added cost. The 2.7L has more than enough power, and with the AWD and autoshift, it is excellent in the snow. I have averaged on the highway anywhere from 18 to almost 24mpg. For a vehicle this size I feel it is pretty good. The newer models claim to get 28. Some reviews have said the cabin noise is loud with the windows down. I think most cars at 70mph with the windows down have a lot of cabin noise. Adding air deflectors / vent visors around the windows helps keep the air noise to a minimum when the windows are open. Financing all those add on items over time adds up. When you buy a vehicle you are paying a ton in interest for the mud flaps, fog lights, cargo cover, etc. being somewhat handy, I buy the aftermarket items as I can afford them, or get them on e-bay at a reduced price. As far as resale, after five years it’s a moot point after that, and if you plan on keeping a vehicle 7 to 10 years, who really cares about resale? At 26,000 miles, I have had no major problems, and have not been back to the dealer for any repairs. Changing the oil, filters, rotating tires at regular intervals for any vehicle, along with regular maintenance is key to longevity of any vehicle. If you’re looking for more power, heavy towing, or going from 0 to 60 in 30 seconds, this isn’t the vehicle for you. The Santa Fe is a great all around vehicle, quiet, comfortable, elegant and has plenty of storage, with the seats down it is more than adequate. It handles bad weather like a walk in the park. Hyundai is underrated, and is a very versatile all-around vehicle. This SUV is very capable of handling rough, gravel, dirt, muddy and off the beaten path roads. It will hold your camping gear, ski’s, golf clubs, kids, soccer gear, and is able to tow your ski doodles, motorcycles or trailerable items such as moving furniture for your kids. If you are looking to cross over 12” streams, boulders, tow a 40 foot Chris Craft, and drive across the Appalachian Trail, go purchase a Jeep or adequately equipped pickup. Or if you want to be gone in 60 seconds the minute the light changes green why are you looking at a Santa Fe?

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  Car is as good as you take care of it - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By Chris B. - July 28 - 7:18 pm

  I bought this car 4 years ago. I use it to go to and from work. Ive had 1 problem (sensor) in 4 years, 50K miles. The person who owned it before me regularly seviced the vehicle, I have done the same. I did not expect a lot out of this car given its history. I cant believe its still around. Sensors go in any car w/age. You can buy this car now for <$3K. If you know the car has been maintained, Id give it a try. I took the risk and still have it several years later.

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  My bad: its NOT all that - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By honestbroker1 - July 28 - 11:08 am

  I was very enamored in the first month, but its not so great after-all. Two warranty repairs needed in under 9000 miles taking 5 trips to the dealer to fix them. Dealer lacked parts for both repairs, even though there was a TSB on the second one. Dealer did not go the extra mile for me when I needed them to, resulting in additional time living with a broken rear sunshade stuck in the up position (and a dangerous, distraction while driving since the car always tried to lower the sunshade, then raise the sunshade when shifting into R and then D...a LOUD horrible noise). I am going back to Toyota (no warranty repairs, not even in 110k miles) or Mazda (no warranty repairs in 45k miles).