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:

• 

  santa fe vs. endeavor - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By cindy - February 7 - 12:26 pm

  I recently traded in my 2004 mitsubishi endeavor on a 2005 hyundai santa fe.I drove the santa fe home after I purchased it in the dark. The next day I was cleaning the windows on my new pre-owned santa fe and found chips in the windshield and hard water spots on all of the windows and mirrors that I could not remove even with a special hard water cleaner.In addition,the windshield looked as if it had been sand blasted when in the sunlight.The dealership tried to clean the windows and mirrors unsuccessfully and has only offered to "fill" the two chips in the windshield,not replace it.Never drive a pre-owned vehicle home in the dark!Seems to be poorly made glass!Look very closely!

• 

  Smooth transmission - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mhtn - February 7 - 10:06 am

  Excellent car. Ride is very smooth and quiet. Love the exterior and interior finish. Handling is very nice and predictable. Transmission is as smooth as it can be. I was able to purchase the SE V6 3.3L 242h Santa Fe for less than the price of the base CRV. Fuel economy is good for a large and heavy vehicle. Im consistently get 20mpg in stop and go traffic.

• 

  Not worth the Five stars I gave it in 2010 - 2010 Hyundai Veracruz
  By anniebanana2 - February 6 - 5:20 am

  Just read my 1st review of this car which was written shortly after my purchase. NOW: I will never buy a Hyundai again. So many problems and the "warranty" is a crock. The dashboard squeaks (nails on chalkboard squeak) during operation, took it to the local dealer 5 times to fix with no luck. I took it to a dealer 30 minutes away, and though they have reduced the sound, it still occurs when the fan is running cool air. The cruise control resume button only works intermittently. The techs asked me if I pushed the button properly. Seriously?? The dome light panel failed and was replaced. There is now a popping occurring in the front right tire. They say it all checks out fine. Surprise!

• 

  Great Car - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By gorpot - February 6 - 12:40 am

  I have had this car two weeks today. Great car to drive. The exterior is great looking, and they also did a good job with the interior and its layout. I had a 2009 Sonata I traded in. I think this car handles and drives better then the 09 Sonata. Milage on the Highway with the cruise set at 71 MPH was 37.5 MPG. My mileage around where I live(country and city combined) has been 29.7 MPG. The mileage has been about 3 MPG better then I was getting with the 09. Bluelink is fun to play with, but I will probably not keep it after the free trial is over. I do like the Bluetooth setup for my phone, which is only a tracfone pay as you go model, but it linked up OK with the bluetooth.

• 

  A good alternative to the RAV4 and CR-V - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Technikal - February 5 - 9:20 pm

  Bought the Santa Fe after spending a long time looking at RAV4s and CR- Vs. The ride of the SF makes it feel like a much more expensive car compared to the other 2. The interior is substantially better than the RAV4, and the acceleration is better than the CR-V. I liked the styling of the SF better. I found that, comparably equipped, I could purchase the SF for $4-$5k less than the Toyota or Honda (though Ill give that back later with the worse depreciation.) The fit & finish is pretty good, especially inside. However, some body panels gaps arent as straight as they should be - specifically where the hood meets the grill/headlights. Its definitely not as good as the CR-V.

• 

  Rear suspension - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Dave - February 5 - 4:43 am

  I have had my 2010 sante fe since the end of January. I find it to be roomy and comfortable on the inside. Visibility is very good and the gas mileage is not bad. The problem is the thumping noise coming out of the rear suspension when driving over a pot hole or uneven road surfaces. I have had it to the dealer twice, the first time they blamed it on the rear seat belts, the second time on a small tool bag I have in the rear cargo area.

• 

  FABULOUS CAR - 2009 Hyundai Veracruz
  By D.rose - February 4 - 8:30 pm

  Handles great, run great, a fun car to drive with an elegant look

• 

  Great SUV - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By sholeseng - February 4 - 10:00 am

  Have had for almost a month. Excellent power and fun to drive. Love the artic blue color. Seems very well built.

• 

  Amazing Car - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By forrest53@hotmail.com - February 3 - 4:35 pm

  I have been a diehard Nissan and toyota fan for 15+ years. I wasnt looking for a hybrid just and economical daily driver, I test drove chevy, GMC and buick and ford cars and suvs, but then When I drove this and everyday since purchasing it I have been amazed.

• 

  Excellent Value - Great Features - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jay - February 3 - 6:00 am

  I have the PZEV SE w/ Premium Package (Sunroof and Heated Seats) in Blue. The car was pretty difficult to find - there were only about 12 in the entire state of California. I personally think the exterior is quite stylish, much better than the civic or pre-2009 corolla models. Main gripes are that acceleration in PZEV is a bit poor (132hp instead of 138), and that gas mileage is not as good as corolla or civic (I get about 30 mpg highway, 22 or so city). Still, amazing value for money. I purchased for $16.8K all in, including California Taxes, Title & Registration (which are about $1600). I think (and hope) that this is pretty competitive deal considering the sunroof and heated seats.