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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  Car almost got me killed several times - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Momof3 - January 19 - 2:57 am

  My husband bought me this car to replace a CRV. It was the ultimate car of my dreams and despite the high cost, we leased it. At first the car ran great. I loved the interior and the color. However, after awhile, it started jerking going up hills and sputtering making turns. Eventually, it stopped going when I would press the gas to the point where I was almost taken out by a truck. The car was recalled whereas the recall stated my car needed a software update, and then a hood latch update and then again for another software update. Each time I took it to get the updates, it would run okay for a day, but after it would start with the transmission problems and sputtering and jerking. After riding the car on the highway for about 40 minutes, the "Transmission is too hot!" warning came on, but luckily I was right down the street from my home. We took it back to the repair shop and that is where it will stay until the problem is fixed or Hyundai takes it back. This car is UNSAFE to drive and Hyundai is NOT listing and wont until somebody is killed.

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  Still a Great Value! Still a Nice Ride! - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By kandue - January 18 - 3:06 am

  I wrote a review in October 2007 after owning the Veracruz for 2 weeks. After having owned for a year now I am pleased to report that I am as happy with the Veracruz today as then. Not a single thing has needed to be fixed. Everything has worked perfectly from Day 1 and continues to be a joy to drive...city and highway. My wife is even more pleased with the Veracruz as she drives it more than I do.

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  Lots of tire noise! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By itsme - January 18 - 2:43 am

  Hit a road that isnt perfectly smooth and youll think youre driving an Excel not a Sonata. Far too much road noise compared to other cars in this class. It has the same tire noise level as my 2001 Ford Focus. I had Dynamat insulation installed under back seat and fiberglass insulation put inside the car above the wheel wells and two layers of yoga mats in the trunk and it did nothing to reduce the tire noise. Has anyone tried other tires? Im thinking of getting Michelin Primacys.

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  Use Caution - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Could be better - January 16 - 7:00 pm

  My Santa Fe has 72K miles. It has been in the shop too many times to mention for poor performance, sputtering, and no aceleration. Dealer could not fix. Went to a friend - winds up dealer put the wrong cheap spark plugs and wires on. My car had only been serviced by the dealer, and never replaced plugs or wires. No one can explain. Also crank sensor went on fast lane of freeway. Have to replace battery at least once a year. Backtail lights consistently go out but they can not find the issue causing it. Also had to replace console and speakers several times. Paint is completely fading. 100K warranty? Whats actually covered for 100K?

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  Continue to be surprised - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By J Romer - January 16 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my Elantra GT for two years and have 46,000 miles. I continue to enjoy this car more and more. I had a Maxima (96) before this and although it had more power, I have found the Elantra to be much more fun to drive. Mainly ride and handling. And you cant beat the price and the warrentee. (Yes, Im a value oriented car buyer.) And I see some who critisize the fact that ABS is an option. Personally I like the fact that I have a choice to have ABS. I didnt get it...and didnt want it. I guess I like to drive a car and not have it drive me...call me crazy.

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  Dont waste your money!! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Marcelo L. - January 16 - 10:00 am

  I have my Elantra for less than 1 year now and I can say it runs great and has a low gas consumption. I had no major mechanic problem but some eletric ones. The worst part of owning a Hyundai is the depreciation. I paid $15,000.00 for my car and a little over 1 year the same HYUNDAI pays me just $8,000.00... Its right... I have lost $7,000.00 within 1,5 year. I am now paying my loan (still have 11k) and have to pay at least 4k to get rid of this car. Trying a trade-in, some dealers pay even less than.

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  perfect suv crossover - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ecruz - January 14 - 6:00 pm

  Ive had the chance to drive both the new 2008 Honda CR-V and the 2008 Hyundai Santa-fe and personally I would for Santa-fe the ride isnt bad and handles NYC pot holes like a charm its more roomier then the CR-V with more cargo space then CR-V. The Santa Fe also has a powerful v-6 engine compared to the CR-V and gas isnt too bad in the city as long as you dont the manual drive feature in the city. Its perfect for the high way. Over all if you want more room and features then the Santa Fe is you.

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  Killer Seats! - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By Bill - January 13 - 4:02 pm

  Such a handsome car, but.....the seats are very poorly designed and extremely uncomfortable. I have the powered drivers seat with 8 adjustments and still cannot find a comfortable position! The seat bottom is very hard (like a cinder block) and keeps your knees above your hips at its lowest angle setting. According to all I have read, this is position tilts your pelvis back and puts all your weight on your buttocks. After about 15 minutes in this seat I feel like I weigh about 500 lbs. ...and its all concentrated on my bottom bones! I find myself squirming trying to get comfortable. After about a half hour, my feet fall asleep and my right hip starts to ache. Its so bad that Im going to have to get rid of it at an extreme (poor resale value too) loss. I also find the steering to be too light and vague at lower speeds. I dont feel confident when I have to squeeze through tight spots at low speeds and I often feel like the car lurches left and right on curves and startles me. I did not experience these issues in my last car and wish I bought another of the same model. Ive also come to find out that my former car has all the advanced safety features like, collision braking, lane departure steering and smart cruze control as standard equipment! This car cost thousands more with those options.

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  The Right Choice - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Glenn Brown - January 13 - 1:50 pm

  Went looking for a Suburu and wound up with a 07 Santa Fe. Couldnt be happier. Roomy, plenty of power, gas mileage around 21, versitile, the best warranty in America, and around $7000 less than a comperably equiped Pilot. Whats not to love.

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  Grinning all the way - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Bill K - January 13 - 8:06 am

  My wife and I both love this car. We are retired and gave up her 2003 Acura 3.2TL and my 2004 red Z06 Corvette to go to one car we both could live with. ItÂ’s a great fun car fully loaded with features. Enjoy the spirited, quick and agile drive. Fit and finish is superb and the best warranty in the business. Some details that donÂ’t show up on the feature list are side door windows that move down a half inch then up into a groove for a water tight seal when the door is closed. Under the hood it has an ignition coil per plug that bolts down over the spark plug eliminating the plug wire. It has a ram air intake from the front grill through duct work to the air filter.