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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  Its a great little car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Notabadcar - June 15 - 10:00 am

  I have an 01 that I bought new at the beginning of 02 and I love the little thing. Its not a car that is out to thrill, but if you are in the market for a well engineered economy car I would take a hard look at this one. I am a student and put 40k a year on a car and the Elantra has been a $12,000 god send. I am also 63" tall and have a hard time fitting into most economy cars. The interior space in it is mind blowing, I regularly put 4 adults in it with little difficulty. It handles well for what it is. At freeway speeds it feels like a midsize car. I have had no mechanical difficulties at 71000 miles.

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  Rides like a RX350 - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By THSAutoman - June 13 - 10:00 am

  Purchased for styling, comfort, price & warranty after comparing to Pilot, Highlander & Mazda RX9. Subsequently found it to compare equally in size, comfort and features with XC90 and RX350 owned by other family members. Dealer warranty experience has been good on two occasions. Handles great in town and on highway.

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  Service Status - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By cj - June 13 - 10:00 am

  Be aware the manufacture allows the local dealership to decide whether the car needs to be serviced under normal conditions or severe conditions. This could double the cost of ownership for you. This is according to a response I received from Hyundai.

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  Hello Turbo. - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By William Conlee - June 10 - 2:38 pm

  I have always had big V8 trucks. Didnt have to worry about gas mileage because they were always weekend vehicles. I had a company vehicle during the week. I ended up with the 2016 Tucson Sport 1.6T mainly because of Edmunds.com expert review. New position at work required me to have my own commuter vehicle, so I figured compact SUV with great mileage. Granted, I have had this vehicle for a week now and have only put 115 miles on it... so take this review with stride. This is more of my first impression than it is longevity. I will keep reporting my views as I travel through the mileage. First off, it costs less then $35 bucks to fill up. I live in Texas, so gas prices hover around $2.20 - 2.40 at the moment. This is huge to me since I was used to $70 fill ups. I looked at all the comparable vehicles as well. My wife has the Mazda CX-5 Touring. I could have purchased one as well, but honestly, its boring to me. The Ford escape is a good vehicle but they are super proud of their pricing... and the experience at the local Ford dealerships is lack luster and somewhat insulting. Then there is the Honda CR-V and Toyota Rav-4. Reliable? Sure. Boring, boring, boring. Like having a mini van. I am a 6ft tall, 200lb, 38 year old man who used to think it had to be huge and if it didnt have 350 plus horsepower, dont bother me with it. If your like me and looking for a compact SUV for a job, travel, or for some other reason go and test drive the Tucson Sport 1.6T. Put the vehicle in "sport" mode and punch it. It will surprise you. Points I like so far: - Quick little motor. Got Boost? Yes. Yes it does. - Headroom, headroom, and headroom. - Holy safety features Batman - 19" wheels look nice and set it apart. - Hypnotizing LED lighting. - Transmission shifts are like a magic trick. - Wife likes it. This of course it the final say all and high point. Give this thing a shot, you wont be disappointed.

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  great inexpensive car - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By George - June 9 - 12:22 pm

  This car has been a lot of fun to drive. Very nimble, very quiet ride. All my passengers have raved about it and have them thinkinng about a Hyundai, yes, a Hyundai!

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  On my third Hyundai - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By bdb07 - June 8 - 5:44 am

  Ive owned the 03, 05, & the 11 sonatas, and I am sold on the car. I love the look, the reliability, & gas mileage of the car. The front seat is a little uncomfortable. Its just shaped unusual. I love the bluetooth hookup. The stock stereo sounds good, but I dont blast my music. My window tint is holding up very well. I love the huge trunk, & the fact that you can tip the back seats down to make room for longer items from the trunk. Stock tires didnt last long at all, but Ive replaced them with better tires with long warranty. The car rides quiet & handles great. When Im ready to buy another car...I will be looking at another Hyundai

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  Excellent Car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By swork - June 7 - 6:56 pm

  Ive had this car for over two years now and its been very comfortable and reliable. A cv boot needed replacing a year ago, but was completely covered by the warrenty. Otherwise, the car has given me no problems. The ride is a little "boaty" and the gas mileage is something like 17 miles to the gallon. . .which in these times is not great. However, I feel its a great deal for the money involved.

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  Great car for the price - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Raja - June 6 - 5:50 pm

  After renting cars for the weekends for six months, and thereby driving a lot of cars extensively, I purchased Sonata. And Im happy I did it. I got a GLS with all options included, for $18500 (including 7.75% tax). The nearest rival in the same category, in terms of features and ride quality, would have been a Camry SE. Thatd be $6000 more, at least. Ive driven the following cars extensively (tested them as my potential next car): Civic, Accord, Corolla, Camry, Malibu, Cobalt, Maxima, Sentra, 9-3, Sebring, PT Cruiser, Caliber, Avenger, Elantra etc. and found Sonata delivers the most for the price. maxima and 9-3 have far superior ride and handling, but costs a whole lot more.

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  water leak passerger side - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By erik - June 5 - 12:07 pm

  check underdash by feet feel inside lip of edge of dash insalation will be wet and left side by center column you will see a bolt cominm down water will drip there if you dont check after rain not coolent ,your carpet will be bad and moldy and floor will rust out.

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  Great small car - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By Danielle - June 4 - 6:44 pm

  I love my little car! Its great on gas, and very peppy in traffic. It is also easy to park and very manuverable. Smooth ride, but a little loud interior, particularly on the highway.