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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  Mirrors need improvment - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By rafez - September 3 - 6:13 am

  in overall I will give it 9 on 10 compering to other hyundai cars.

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  I own it and I luv it - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Dave - September 3 - 6:03 am

  Smooth ride and quiet operation. The 3.5L is a fast, efficient, and stable performer. Interior layout is roomy and comfortable except my dog has trouble sitting on the console. The back seat area is roomy for even large adults and there is plenty of luggage space. The dash layout is easily viewed during operation. Im looking forward to my next long trip to find out the real feel.

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  Hooray for Fe - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By San T. Fay - September 3 - 2:00 am

  Solid built vehicle, nice addition to the marketplace. Good alternatives to some higher priced (over priced) competitors. Roomy interior, decent exterior design that is unique and different...although it has been mistaken twice for a Lexus. Overall excellent value. Great/easy experience with local dealership (which was a first!)

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  best suv out there - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By g. schlogel - September 2 - 6:23 pm

  got to get the limited. for the money you get so much. had a 2001 hyundai with no problems. great inside and out.consumers reports voted it the best midsize suv.

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  Fantastic! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By aheisel - September 2 - 8:10 am

  This is the first brand new vehicle that I have owned and fell in love with it on the test drive! I test drove at leat 4 or 5 different cars that day and none of them seemed to fit except for the Sonata. It has a slick design and a great interior. Its roomy (Im 60 and mostly legs!) Its reliable and I feel safe driving down the road. One of the reasons why I purchased it was because of its safety features. The others being the mileage and warranty!

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  Unreliable piece of crap - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By Roman - September 2 - 7:57 am

  This is a first time I had to bring a month old car to the dealership. Initial check says its battery problem. It takes FOREVER to fix a problem. I made mistake buying Hyundai. Dont make the same mistake

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  needs more pick up - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By charles galletta - September 2 - 7:03 am

  i love the look of the truck. but when you step on the gas it sounds like some kind of force holding it back..it roars very loud.great cargo space.when you hit a bump you can feel it ...realy feel it I own three hyundais 2 santa fes.they are the best trucks I have ever owned.. much better then the tuscon...if you want a good truck dont buy the tuscon buy the santa fe...

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  Perfect Combination of Style, Value and Quality - 2013 Hyundai Veloster
  By diablito30349 - September 2 - 6:54 am

  I have owned this car for a little over a month and put about 2800 miles on it, and I love it. After reading (and watching) literally every car review done for this car, I was comfortable with what this car is, and isnt. I really was surprised by how quiet the ride is. The suspension is a little firm so you feel the bumps a little more, but its not too bad. I also think the engine is perfectly adequate for what this car is intended to be (a sporty looking economy car). Its not as "underpowered" as a lot of reviews would have you believe. I also love the bold design of the car. This shows that you can get something economical without feeling like youre driving a toaster on wheels.

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  Love my new car. - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By tracker1 - September 1 - 1:43 pm

  I havent had this car but one day so far, but went on a half a dozen test drives, and sat in more than a handful of cars. This is by far the most fun Ive had driving a car in some time. My last car was a Buick Park Avenue, and this car while slightly smaller on the inside is a far better performer, and has nearly all the features of the Buick.

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  Worst Decision I have ever made - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By hp124 - September 1 - 11:44 am

  I purchased the 2011 Hybrid Hyundai Sonata 2 months ago and it has been nothing but a headache for me. I have had the car in the shop now almost every weekend since I bought it because of new issues that keep arising. The gas tank is a huge issue, and Hyundai seems to have no idea what is actually going on with it. They have "fixed" it 3 times now and I am still having issues. I am currently getting around 23 miles to the gallon (glad I spent the extra 6 grand to get a hybrid) and I also think I might be leaking fuel as well. (I filled up my car 2 days ago and have driven 100 miles and already have less than a half tank) The computer system in the car looks great, but it cannot even begin to function. The average fuel economy cannot calculate itself at all, it has continuous glitches that keep popping up (which is why my car is currently in the shop) I also just recently received a recall notice on this car a week ago, but it was a "fix" I already had done and it did not fix the issue. In contrast my problems have actually been worse since having this "repair". I think Hyundai had the right idea with this car and I think it is gorgeous, but I also believe they tried to rush the production on this model.