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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  Wow, What a suprise to drive - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Autoknologist - August 23 - 10:00 am

  Fact: I was not looking for this type of car when I decided, what the heck: drive one. That was it for me. The Auto Shiftronic trans, the comfortable leather seats, the sunroof, the handling, the POWER & Smoooooothness of the V6, & the EXCELLENT Infiniti speakered sound system. Wow. This car is a blast to drive. The most fun car I have had since my 1977 Spitfire , but OH so much better.

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  Elantra GLS - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By weyler - August 23 - 10:00 am

  I am happy with the reliability of the car above all. and if ever it were to fail, it has the 100K, 10 yr. warranty. I am used to a v-6 and miss that, but for a 4 cylinder it has a lot of pick-up-and-go

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  Great car for the value - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Melissa - August 23 - 7:00 am

  We test drove Hondas, Toyotas and Nissans before choosing this car. You cant beat the safety features that are included, nor the outstanding warranty. The car is fun to drive and gets great gas mileage, I went 440 miles on my first tank of gas!! I highly recommend this car to anyone!

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  The feel and size of luxury but the gas milage of - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By helene Ralston - August 23 - 3:35 am

  Comparing a lot of different cars I really wanted a hybrid with the comfort and space of luxury car without losing the technology now available, I narrowed it down to the Camry Hybrid in the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited. Are there I can appreciate the Camry interior design I had a compact space that felt crowded compared to my Hyundai Sonata limited hybrid. Ive now on the car for a month and so I can give an honest review on everything except for repairs. I negotiated and got everything I wanted in my car 29 K including the sunroof and all weather mats. Delighted to find that can get 44 miles per gallon on the highway and about 37 day to day driving. That was exactly what I was looking for without compromising the comfort in space I wanted in a car that felt comfortable and stylish. The car is beautiful to look at and classy inside and out. This is the BMW look that I wanted without the BMW price! I love the technology package and the comfort of the backseat (heated) as well as the front. The trunk is huge! The negative side is the guidance package that they give instead of the GPS. It is sorely lacking. I found myself getting frustrated waiting to get the directions to the end up going to my phone for the GPS. However this can be remedied for about $600. Other reviewers mention noise and there is a bit because the car is so quiet however I can deal with it for the price, gas mileage and the comfort. I love my new car and all that it offers for such a great price. My son has a Volvo s60 sedan and my Sonata Limited has all the same bells and whistles that his has. The Sonata is every bit as comfortable and more spacious. The one item he has thats missing from the Sonata Limited is it automatic braking. I give my new car four stars all the way around and no opinions on repairs. If they added automatic braking, GPS and found a way to insulate the outside noise a bit they would get a 5 stars in all areas but repairs. I cannot rate the repairs until I need them. By this car and you will not be disappointed. 44 mpg on Highway! I love it.

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  Hyundia Santa Fe Sport - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By fulltag - August 22 - 5:24 pm

  Weve only had our Santa Fe Sport for a month but so far so good. So this review is about my experience dealing with Hyundai. In shopping for the Santa Fe, we found out that they are very limited on their availability for certain models. We were looking for Santa Fe Sport in Cabo Bronse with the popular package. There was NOT ONE in California. I also found out that there were only 3-4 in the state with these specs with colors only in white, black, and silver. The dealer said they can get our choice color, but the could not, so please research and shop around before buying.

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  New Hyundai Owner - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By tdyson - August 22 - 11:56 am

  Im a first-time Hyundai owner who was previously skeptical of the brand. I read lots of reviews and learned that Hyundai has greatly improved its quality so I decided to test drive a SF. Who knew? I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and standard features given the price. I was leaning toward buying a 2009 RAV-4 V6, but the 2010 SF SE was approximately the same price with more cargo room and more comfortable ride and fit/finish. Hyundai is giving Toyota and Honda a run for their money, especially considering the warranty and price. If youre looking at SUVs, you should definitely test drive a Santa Fe.

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  Very Impressed - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By John Wildeman - August 22 - 12:10 am

  Picked up a 2008 Limited Santa Fe two weeks ago. Very impressed with the vehicle. I was a GMC man prior to this purchase and traded my 2001 Jimmy with 145K miles. The fit and finish is excellent and the little things got me like the front defrost comes on automatically and shuts off as well. Infinity sound system is fantastic, ride is smooth but the tires seem a bit noisy. Overall Im very happy with my purchase.

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  Forget CX5, buy a Tucson! - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Fazel Tafti - August 21 - 12:25 am

  Awesome car, cheaper and BETTER than CX5. I love it. Amazing vehicle.

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  Three Major Failures Already - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By CarGuy - August 20 - 9:26 am

  In 8 months our Tuscon has left us stranded (wouldnt start due to the alarm module failing), required a new power steering pump (it was making awful noises), and decided to dump all its 4WD transfer case oil into our driveway. Its also been in for factory recalls. Its spend A LOT of unplanned time at the dealer (twice going in on a flat bed tow truck). Its not very confidence inspiring when it keeps having such serious problems? We like to backpack, and had the problems happened deep in the woods, we could have been seriously stranded. Hyundai roadside service is useless there. The gas mileage is no better than many MUCH larger SUVs which is also embarrasing.

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  All-Around Affordable Quality - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By WVTuscon - August 19 - 7:13 pm

  My wife and I purchased a 2006 Hyundai Tucson Limited and we love it. The car is by far the most quality small SUV for the price on the market. We are both commuters who travel frequently and in a variety of weather conditions. The Tucson has performed phenomenally in snow, on mountain highways, and it is fun to drive from interstates to small country roads. The price, all of the features, the performance, the look, the warranty, and the comfort of the limited make it the best vehicle we have ever had. It has the look and the feel of a Lexus, with the best warranty around and every where we go people comment on how great it looks. This is an outstanding SUV - you will love it!