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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  DONT BUY THIS CAR!!!!!!!!! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By coltraneous - August 11 - 12:51 am

  I just bought a manual one and since day one is having problems with first gear that most of the time doesnt engage. I have to start in 2nd gear even when I am completely parked. Took to the dealer and was told that I am the problem. I have always driven manual cars and NEVER had any problems. They dont want to fix it or they dont know how. Now I am stuck with a brand new car that doesnt work properly.

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  hyundai - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Tari - July 7 - 11:32 am

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  I wish I had known - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By darkcarnival - June 1 - 11:44 am

  I read some reviews on here when I was looking for a car. I wish I had found all the reviews about how the clutch on this car is junk. I am NOT even joking, I bought the car used with 40k miles - the day after I drove it off the lot the clutch started slipping. Yes, the day after, I wish it had slipped during the test drive. I guess Hyundai is notorious for having bad clutches. The clutch warranty on a new car is only 12K miles / 1 Year.... for a reason. Oh, and of course I bought the extended warranty that does not cover clutches, as I found out. The dealership quoted me on the low end $1400. AGH! This is my Karma for buying a foreign car I guess.

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  A Plethora of Bad Experiences - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By Hari Jay - May 24 - 4:46 pm

  Do not buy this Car !!! A couple of months after I bought this car , the check engine light comes up when I was driving home from work. I take it to hyundai and they replace the High Pressure Fuel pump. At the same time I noticed there were other recalls for my car and had them check the engine for trouble. Hyundai gave it a clean bill of health. Fast forward 3 months , I`m driving down Ontario 4012 , suddenly there is a loud metallic knocking sound from the front and the car dies. I have it towed to a mechanic close by and he tells me the Engine is out and I will have to replace the Engine. I take it to hyundai and they tell me the car is out of warranty ( 140k Kms) and they wouldn`t do anything about it (Cooksville Hyundai Mississauga). Long story short , I spent 5000$ to get the Engine fixed and traded it in for a new vehicle. Very sour taste in my mouth and will never buy from Hyundai as long as I live.

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  Warning - Burns oil. Destroyed engine. - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By brigitbardot - May 1 - 5:44 am

  I bought a 2012 Sonota to replace another. It had regular 3000 mile oil changes. I bought it to NTB for the last one in June of 2014.The sticker said to get oil changed at 58,000 He said it would be fine at 62000.No problems. I heard some knocking at 63000 so I had it towed in, I have a warrahty so I did not want to risk it, No oil light . No burning, No indication of oil issue, I thought it was a belt. I take i They told me it had burned through almost 4 quarts of oil and it killed the engine. Mild weather Light driving, Reasonable oil changes a little past oil change date and this? The extended $1000 warranty wont cover it . They want $5000 to put new engine. Beware

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  An Honest Review - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Chad - March 3 - 4:20 pm

  I purchased my Tucson back in May 05. Have had several problems once i hit the 30k mile mark. The dealership is awful when it comes to repairs. This car is built very poorly. i have a small "swipe dent" below the door frame and to replace it you wold have to take the whole side panneling off and would cost around $4,000! oh, and parts! NOT CHEAP! just to have my bumper replaced after a small fender bender was about $1500compared to other cars at now more than $800 for bumper. the interior is not roomy or comfortable. unusual stuff has been breaking like crazy (armrest panel, shifter,steering wheel) like others are saying i would say it is very noisy and gas mpg is awful!dont buy a hyaundai!

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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.