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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  So far, so good... - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By richmonder1 - October 4 - 10:54 am

  Ive had my Elantra GT almost three months and nearly 4000 miles. Mine came with the "Touch & Go" package. Additionally, I preferred the manual transmission. Which brings me to the point of my review: I am getting better than the advertised mileage. On the highway, with limits varying between 55 mph and 70 mph, I typically get between 39 and 40 mpg. Sometimes more but rarely less. Around town, I can get as much as 31 to 32 mpg or as little as 27 mpg. Typically, it will depend on the number of stoplights that trip has. Even with a canoe and a kayak on a Yakima rack, I was able to get 31 mpg on country secondary roads with 55 mph speed limits. The difference might be the transmission

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  Good one - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Roch Menard - October 4 - 10:00 am

  So far so good

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  Great Car at a Better Price - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Chuck - October 3 - 1:22 pm

  I couldnt be happier with my 2002 Hyundai Elantra GT. Its been trouble- free for more than 20,000 miles, its reasonably fun to drive, and it gets great mileage, especially on the freeway. My wife complains that it is too small, but it is what it is, a compact, economical, comfortable car. Also, with the hatchback, it will haul significant amounts of cargo when necessary. I even fit a set of full- size soccer goals into the back on one occasion.

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  How I perceive my Hyundai Tucson - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By norma schultz - October 3 - 10:00 am

  I love driving my vehicle, it offers a very smooth ride and feels very safe and strong. It is quiet, and operates very efficiently.

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  Not what I wanted but glad I bought it - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Sheri - October 3 - 3:56 am

  To be completely honest this was NOT the car I wanted. I wanted the new Scion XB. The price was the decider here and had to stay in budget. The car gives so much value for the money. My husband has a 2005 and while neither car has a lot going on in the power department it is definitely better than anything in its price range as far as features goes. I was less than thrilled to drive it off the lot but as time goes by I am really starting to appreciate the car. It turns heads at times which is a surprise and the biggest comment I get is THATS A HYUNDAI! The interior is very stylish and does not feel cheap. We looked for over a year and drove everything out there before we bought

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  sunroof shattered - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Andrew 1554 - September 30 - 6:43 am

  I was very happy with the v6 limited version up until the sunroof shattered. Driving along on the highway with no trucks or cars around, not near any underpasses, and then a great big crack and wooshing wind noise. Dealer is running away from the issue, I read other people had this problem. The car was four months old when it happened. All glass is covered with no deductible so it wont cost me anything, but there is no question that this is product defect not a stone.

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  Enjoying the ride! - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mary - September 30 - 4:23 am

  I am enjoying my Santa Fe. It is a cute car, fun to drive and great on the highway! Gas mileage is way off - got 20.5 mpg highway 16+/- mpg city. Better gas mileage than my 1999 Pathfinder was a priority when I was looking - dont think I found it. Otherwise, I got a lot more than I would have for the price.

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  Mixed Feelings - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Sporty - September 30 - 2:00 am

  overall, i like the way the car drives. however, i noticed a problem with the car a couple days after driving it off the lot. It had a terrible intermittent vibration and wabbling - out of control. I also noticed that the car pulled to the left side. The most frustrating part of this problem was the dealership. The claim that nothing was wrong with the car after taking it in several times. I think the car had bad tires. Since then, I had to replace a tire which was not covered. I have also had a few other parts replaced. It was frusttrating to find that my new had these problems, but even worst was the way the dealership dealth with it.

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  GA Emissions - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Suzanne - September 30 - 2:00 am

  The Hyundai cars will not pass OBD emissions test.

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  Issues with Santa Fe 2013 - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By fbarrado - September 29 - 7:48 pm

  I bought our Santa Fe 2013 in Canada mid Sept 2012. We have experienced many issues after 6 months and 14,000 km (8,700 miles): 1) warning of fuel cap open (fixed after 2 visits) 2) noise on steering column could hear it when stopping the car, part ordered and changed problem solved 3) leather steering wheel cracked, changed warranty, 2 complaints) 4) driver seat was loose, it seems to be a widespread problem (fixed 3 months) 5) Recall of rear camera:risk of fire, fixed 6) Mix mileage is poor, best achieved was 8-10 km/l, not solved (Hyundai Fuel program: card with CAD$42/6,000km a big joke) 7) Found today water leak on driver side below the dashboard. DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS CAR!