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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  Lot of Car, lo money - Lo Quality - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By bgpenhollo - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Bought used at 40k mi. Engine lunched at 115k. If you buy or own, change the darn timing belt @ 70k. Belt is made of pressed fiber of some sort. The Korean v6, unlike American v6, is an interference engine - meaning if the timing belt goes, the pistons and valve beat the engine to death - unlike a non-interference engine. We run Mobil one synthetic from day one. We have two American cars - both v6 - one at 180k the other at 225k. Never changed the timing belt. Both run. The xg350 had a rattle in the driver side trunk. It cruised smoothly and easy on long trips but about as much fun to drive as an Abrams tank. Do not recommend and will never buy another Hyundai. Your mileage may vary

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  excellent car - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By steve lee - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Excellent overall

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  car rocks,still too new to be sure - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By adamreed - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Have not bought the car yet but I have had it for a couple of days and so far it is suprisingly impressive. Styling is sexy other than a very trendy front end look. Interior continues to impress with its ergonomics and comfort. Engine and tranny are coupled together quite well...gearing is near perfect to match the peaky torque character of engine. I am very skeptical of a Korean car after years of Euro and Japanese ownership but the initial feel blows me away. Warranty huge selling point...it better be because whoever buys one will have to keep it until it is paid off because of lackluster resale value.

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  Smart Car, Smart Consumer - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By BIGA - August 8 - 2:00 am

  I can honestly say that I am most impressed with this vehicle. Standing at 20k on the road and many months in the passange/drivers seat I have grown to appreciate the ergonomics, powertrain, and the climate control system in this vehicle. For those of larger stature, this car is easy to access (64" and still comfortable in the front, less so in the back). It is more powerful than the competition yet it remains composed at all corners, unlike most econos. Value is the word of the day and this car aims to please the wallet and the commuter.

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  Nice car - 2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Jack - August 8 - 2:00 am

  A really nice car - fun to drive, easy to drive, looks and sounds great, and all at bargain basement price. What a deal.

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  Great Value, for the price - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Joe - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Bought the 05 Tucson in October and so far so good. The exterior is flashy and the interior isnt half bad either. the small v6 is good on gas and still has the pep that it should. Gear timing could be spaced a little more but i use the manual power shifter most of the time anyway. Good stock 6 speaker sound system with good midrange. Seat adjustment knobs are a little funny to play with; havent quite found that perfect setting. 6 airbags are wonderful and give me peace of mind. Decent MPG. A great little sport cross for the price. I am impressed.

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  A so-so vehicle - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By TW - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Ive had the vehicle almost a year now. I think it is an okay vehicle for the price you are paying, with good features, but there are some annoying deficiencies. On the plus side, the acceleration is very good, the handling is pretty good for an SUV, the interior is above average, and you get a long list of advance features. On the negative side, the ride is a little bit harsh. There are some fit and finish issues. The rear door needs to be slammed to close properly. The rear hatch area is not aligned perfectly. Occasionally there are some annoying squeaks and rattles from various parts of the car which speak to poor build quality. So far, I havent any transmission problems.

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  Broken rear window - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By joanne - August 8 - 2:00 am

  I have 225 miles and just bought it a few days ago. I love everything about it, except, for no reason the back window broke. I watched it shattering before my eyes and getting holes in it. It had a chip in the upper right corner and right above the track is where it looks like it started. It was in my driveway, not windy, the leaves werent even moving. all the glass landed on the trunk which tells me the glass popped out. nothing in the car and nothing around the car that could have hit the window. dealership has it now, lets see what they say.

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  UPDATE - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Mel Yarish - August 6 - 6:36 pm

  My first review of the new Tucson was on 1/5/10 w 300 miles on it. Now, with 1500, my opinion is the same. A great car in all respects. Only negatives (which I can live with) are the small gas tank (would have liked a 16-17 gal as on my 05), a door bell for a horn (they should have charges another $10 and it would be heard). The third is the front seat could have been wider. Maybe the leather is the confining aspect. aLSO, I do miss the rear window washer. I get 24-25 local but have not had it on the road for a long trip. This will come in late May. All in all, still very thrilled with the vehicle. Cant wait for the C&D report.

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  No spare tire! - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By Scott Mulrooney - August 6 - 1:36 pm

  We test drove the Hyundai Sonata hybrid, the Ford Fusion hybrid & the Toyota Prius V hybrid. We would have bought the Sonata except for the fact that it did not have a spare tire nor any place to store a spare tire. The battery for the hybrid is in the floor of the truck so there is no space for a spare. That is the sole reason we did not buy this car. It was going to b my wifes car & I did not feel comfortable, and she did not feel safe, driving around w/ only a fix-a-flat. Turns out none of the 2016 Hyundais have spare tires. This was a strategy to save them a lit bit on weight & a little bit on cost. U can buy a donut spare from the dealer for $250-300 but whereas the other Hyundai models have a designated place to put it, the hybrid does not. We own a 2006 Sonata & luv it. We wanted the better gas mileage & would have upgraded had it not been for this issue. The Edmunds expert review does not mention this. We bought the Prius V in the end.