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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  Love it! - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Christina - October 1 - 7:00 pm

  I am in love with this car! I was actually in the market for a new Santa Fe, but I wanted to keep my payment low. As an alternative (I have two big dogs so I needed a car that would suit them comfortably), the touring is perfect for my needs. Lots of interior space, especially with the back seats down. The car is sporty and fun to drive, economical (so far, Im averaging 25 mpg) and has nice eye appeal. I chose the chili pepper red (my first red car!) with the tan/taupe interior: really nice combo. The bluetooth and XM/Sirius system is great. Excellent safety features, unbeatable price, and a quiet ride. I would highly recommend this car to anyone.

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  6 month owner - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By kevin - September 29 - 9:46 am

  I have owned for 6 months, and have been very happy with it so far. After extensive comparisons and test driving, I chose it over vehicles like RAV4, CR- V, Liberty, etc. Why? Value for the price, comfort for driver & passenger, automatic with manual control, 4WD lock. My complaints so far are few: The console between the front seats is too low to function well as an arm rest, and needs to be about 2" higher (Im average height). I would like an inch or 2 more clearance. The automatic transmission is not as smooth as I would hope. And gas mileage is not stellar for the vehicles size. That said, Im extremely happy with the Tucson and would easily recommend it to others.

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  1 month review - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By cooldad - September 29 - 12:43 am

  Ive owned this vehicle for 1 month and I love it. Im a commuter and I have almost 3000 miles on it already. Its the most comfortable vehicle Ive owned. Being the Limited it has Leather, Power heated seats. I also have the touring (3rd seat) and Premium (sunroof) package. Love having the sunroof. I have not yet used the third seats. I have 2 kids ages 10 and 7 and they fit fine in the third seats whenever we will need them for there friends. This vehicle will be a fine vehicle for a family with 2 kids on long distance trip. Yay, finally something cooler than the minivans Ive been driving for years!

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  Does everything better than a mid-sized SUV -- at far lower cost - 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By grbgmncmth - September 29 - 12:12 am

  Does everything very well; truly great in several areas: driver/passenger comfort & cargo space w/compact exterior size, both low and hi-speed handling, ease of parking and maneuvering in heavy-traffic, braking distance, driver-visibility, fun-factor & winter-weather driveability (with 5-speed manual tranny), reliability, ease of service, and a long list of standard features. All that and an expectation of good long-term reliability for 19G including tax and title? Im pretty happy.

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  one of the best we have owned - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By Jim - September 28 - 11:00 pm

  This car was the one my wife wanted. I had my doubts. Having owned a Maxima and a Saab 9000 I was hard to please. This car is a dream. We now have 35,000 miles on it and it has been virtually perfect. The very few minor problems have been corrected by the dealer in one visit. We did have a problem with the radio...intermittently just turned on. No questions asked..just install a whole new radio. Very places. The car is comfortable, responsive, quick and easy to drive. The features for the money are second to none. I am sold. My Saab 9000 is due for replacement this year and I think we will be a two XG350 family.

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  Cheap cure for midlife crisis - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Govols - September 28 - 10:26 pm

  Ive put ~1000 miles on my Genesis Coupe and I have not regretted the purchase. The car rides every bit as well as it looks. The automatic transmission is silky smooth and theres plenty of oomph. The brakes in the base model are a bit waffly, though. Ive been averaging 25 MPG in mixed city/highway driving. The engine emits a spine-tingling growl, but on the flip side, theres way too much road noise on the highway. Even the base model comes loaded with features. Seats are comfortable, but I really would like to have more up/down adjustment or a telescoping steering wheel. Visibility is surprisingly good for such a low car. The bluetooth is buggy -- mine has not worked from day one.

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  Worth reading - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By John - September 28 - 12:50 pm

  Let me start by saying that I think any new car review by owner needs to be prefaced with "What car were you driving before you bought this ?" Everyone has their own standards by which the judge a car. It would be helpful to know where the owner is "coming from". In my case, I was driving a 97 4Cyl Camry with 101K miles. I have owned the Sonata for 3 months now, and so far I am really pleased with all aspects of it. Initially I felt that the steering was a little bit of a slave to the road, pulling either way depending on which side of the crown I was on. But that has worked itself out after the first month. This is a great car.

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  XG350L - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By Cal ina XG350L - September 28 - 10:00 am

  Looking for a new car? No one would have convinced me Id have ended up in a Hyundai. But after 6 test drives i took the plunge into XG350L zone. I have 30000 miles and besides a front headlight bulb burning out and the interior door section popping up when the door closed (both fixed by dealer) I can say that this car is the "bang for the buck" real deal. From its pick up off the line, its loaded bells and whistles in the cab, and styling (except as i agree with others the rear end needs remodeling) it has been wonderful. Try this one if your in the new car market youll see why all these reviews praise it.

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  Not sorry I bought it! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By aschwindt - September 28 - 10:00 am

  I bought mine for the warranty and price. I did a lot of research 1st, & couldnt find anything bad. Loved the test drive, bought the same day. I dont get as good of gas mileage as it seems others do, but it is very comfy & smooth riding. Had the gas tank problem, (cap not on, check engine light), but they didnt charge me to reset it. Does also dent easily from shopping carts. Love pretty much everything else.

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  I hope Consumer Reports is correct - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By J - September 27 - 6:50 pm

  We bought this because CR is in love with the vehicle. The car (as the i-30 elsewhere in the world) has garnered all kinds of awards over the past 3 years. Compared to my Pontiac Vibe (Corolla), the ET has better fit and finish, excellent visibility, transmission, and is unbelievably quiet. The dash layout is simple and attractive, the Bluetooth is voice interactive and a must have, and the air conditioner is far superior to any other car I have ever seen. The ET is much more comfortable for rear passengers than the new Tucsan. If the reliability holds up as CR thinks it will, Ill be buying Korean products instead of Japanese from now on. Buying this car is a no brainer.