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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  Best Car Purchase I have ever made - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By k - July 4 - 6:20 am

  I read all the reviews for all the vehicles in this class and visited Ford, Nissan, Honda, Chevy, Buick, etc. This car is beautifully luxurious inside and a very comfortable ride. My husband hates suvs and admitted he really likes this car. A friend who owns a 2002 version summed up her experience with "I love this car as much as the first day I bought it" - thats 7 yrs of ownership. If you want luxury, reliability, fun drive, room for the dog and your kids friends, have comfortable ride for 5 adults-all staying in the mid 20,000 range -check out this car. I got my 2009 limited with nav and 12 miles for 26k. I dont think anyone can beat Hyundai these days-I was just as surprised as you are!

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  Problem with leak / wet passenger side floor - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By brianh2013 - July 3 - 11:54 pm

  My wife and I just purchased the 6 seat Santa Fe 2013 that arrived last week. We had looked at the sport but waited on the larger model. So far we are pleased with the car, the appearance and technology are great. We have not had much time to road test it but have encountered a problem, the passenger side floor was wet after a day on road with the AC on, there was also a little water on the driver side. The dealer was closed and we are dropping it off today, no idea if this is related to the AC drain or evaporator yet. Not happy with the idea that much water was in the cab for at least a day, could cause rust and mold. I will post after we find out what happened

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  Love the new Sonata - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By dajak - July 3 - 11:06 pm

  The new Sonata comes only in a 4 cylinder which, at first, was off- putting. I drove and purchased the Limited, and was more than satisfied with the acceleration and handling. However, what really sold the car is the innovative new Lexus-like body style. I own a 2006 Sonata, which my son inherited, and had considered a 2009 or 2010, but was not in love with the looks -- plain Jane. The 2011 changed all of that. One sharp, well- equipped car for the $24,200 purchase price.

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  5 years of ownership - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Rick - July 3 - 7:10 pm

  This car is definately fun to drive. The 6speed manual is a lot of fun, but the clutch is lousy. The first one was worn out at 24000 miles. (Not under warranty and cost $1900.00 to replace. The 2nd clutch went due to the throw-out bearing breaking (67k) again $1900.00. The Michelon Pilots that come with the car are for summer only, useless in the winter. If you want performance, handling, low road noise and great trad-life, try the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Positions. They are unbelieveable. The Continental Conti-Extreme Contacts do last and handle well, but do have a lot of road noise.

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  My Third Sonata too! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By jlwibanks - July 2 - 2:41 am

  I just bought a 2011 Sonata slightly used with 9k miles on it and got a great deal from a Dallas, TX dealership. I traded in my Chrysler 300c Hemi - I was sick of driving it from gas station to gas station. What a revalation the Sonata is! It is so much easier to drive and cornering is way better than the 300c which just felt like a tank. Yes the Hemi had more power, but the Sonata is lighter and really does need it. I was very curious about real-world gas mileage so the first day I bought it, I took it round trip from Dallas to Plano and back on mixed city/highway driving. I averaged 35.7 mpg on the freeway cruising at 75 mph - I am sure if I went slower, it would probably be closer to 40.

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  new design - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By jc67 - July 1 - 5:23 pm

  I traded in my 06 sonata for the new 07 elantra. This is going to be my daughters in a couple fo years. We got the seattle blue. It is a lot of fun to drive. We love the blue interior lights. Also I didnt want to pay extra for saftey features like side air curtains.In other main stream cars you have to decide if you can afford saftey in your monthly car payment. This is also a great car for new learners. So easy to operate. Very tight turning radious. The headlights also do a great job of lighting up the road. I owned an 03 corolla without fog lights and always had a problem on dark roads.There is plenty of leg room,and the seats are very comfortable.

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  Great Starter SUV - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Kroz - July 1 - 1:23 pm

  I drove about 7 vehicles from my list (I did some homework before shopping) and kept coming back to the Tucson. It had everything I wanted. It was small, stylish and plenty of get up and go. I drove the 4cyl and 6cyl versions. I lucked into a sweetheart of a deal on a 2007 Limited. It has all the bells and whistles I could ever want. If youre considering an SUV, do not write the Tucson off just because its a "Hyundai." Its the smoothest riding, zippy, most fun to drive car Ive ever had. My only bad thing to say is if youre concerned about todays gas prices, this is not your car. I average 18.6--which is good compared to sticker--but at $4 gallon...

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  LOVE THIS CAR! - 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By sknouff - June 30 - 10:11 pm

  I have owned my 2012 Santa Fe for about 5 weeks now and am absolutely delighted with it. The comfortable ride and easy to use features are great.

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  Bad Car - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Jack22 - June 30 - 5:30 pm

  I purchase this car and it has been ok at first but after I put a few miles on it it started to break down on me. Hyundai did take care of the towing and labor the first 2 times but refused the third time. I would not recommend the car.

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  one year later on the 2011 - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By topcontender - June 30 - 11:10 am

  I bought my 2011 Sonata Limited one year ago,heres the update on this car. While no car at any price is going to be perfect, the 2011 Sonata Limited is a very fine car. Ive had no problems with this car, its exterior prompts many people to comment to me on its styling, the enterior is modern and spacious with all kinds of added features. The seats are firm, supportive and comfortable. The car provides a quiet and smooth ride with a slightly European-car feel (similar to the honda and bmw type ride) and the sounds system is first rate. The 4 cylinder is very peppy and very efficient on fuel. Changing the oil is easy with good access to the filter and oil pan. This car is a contender!