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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  Terrible Trade in Value - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Forget Hyundai - September 12 - 9:51 am

  I tried out this vehicle on newly paved roads for the test drive. This in hindsight did not prepare me for later driving in other road conditions. The car was reasonably quiet on good pavement but if you go on older coarser pavement the road noise in the hatchback was bad.

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  What a piece of Korean junk! - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By freud2000 - September 12 - 2:28 am

  Brakes went out under warranty. But by 58000 miles they were out again. ESC and ABS lights and system recall taken care of and four years later same problem so we had to pay over $600 for a new brake light switch and a new G-force sensor. They had to pull the entire dashboard out to get to the G-Force sensor. Over $2000 for fluids change and belts and a bad water pump. Lower control arms went a few years ago ... that was a real treat replacing those myself. Battery went under warranty. Despite wheel balance and alignment the car vibrates under normal driving conditions. Underside would have rusted through had I not been keeping up with the rust. Drive timing rings are ready to crack.

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  Hunk of Junk - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By cabbie - September 12 - 12:59 am

  This car has had the following parts replaced. Sun roof motors(2X), Drivers side window(2X), Antenna Motor, Pwr stearing hose busted, Breaks and rotors every 27,000(3X),Transmission Seals, Every sensor under the hood, the oxy.sensor(3X)They said that doesnt qualify for lemon law. It has to break 4X. The Radio, The Battery died in 03. the exhaust rotted out - they wanted 1500.00 to replace that. The car now has 90,000 Mi. My mechanic told me that I need a new motor. Hyundai will not replace the motor because we are not the Original Owners. DO YOUR SELF A FAVOR BUY A FORD !!!

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  Comfy, efficient, cute, SE is a good buy - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By thepod - September 11 - 10:35 pm

  I bought my Accent SE six weeks ago and have put 1900 miles on it since. I was looking for efficiency, reliabiltiy, cargo space, and a little bit of cuteness. I got all of that plus ABS, cruise, a decent stereo system with 3 months of XM included, a sunroof, and reasonably comfy seats. As to be expectied, its not monstrously powerful, but I can merge onto the freeway or climb a hill comfortably, albeit a bit noisily. When not laboring in one of those situations, the engine runs quietly and smoothly. It corners well, stops well and doesnt feel too mushy. I would have preferred an MT, but the AT was in stock so I went for it. Interior is laid out logically. Overall, a good value.

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  2011 SONATA - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Leanne - September 11 - 5:33 pm

  I have only had this car one week and I absolutely LOVE IT!!!! There is not one negative thing I can say. I did many hours of research and test drove 5 cars before I made this decision. I drove the Ford Fushion, Ford Taurus, Nissan Altima, Chevy Malibu and the 2011 Sonata GLS and SE. The Sonata kicked butt in every way from style interior and exterior to performance to warranty to price!!

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  3 Years owned and No Problems - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Eric - September 11 - 12:48 pm

  I have owned my Sonata for 3 years now and the only thing I have done (besides the usual oil changes and tire rotation) is purchased tires. It has been better then I could have hoped for. Like most people I shopped around and was saying to myself, "Are you sure you want a Hyundai?". Im pleased I took the chance.I paid 17,500March of 07. It as sun roof, XM, AM/FM Radio, CD, alloy wheels, automatic, all the controls on the steering wheel, well its loaded for a GLS model. Any other brand with the same options was $28,000 for the cheapest. I want mention brands but it was the standard companies. Way more BANG for the BUCK.

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  Repeat Elantra buyer - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By leematthews - September 11 - 12:14 pm

  Have had my Elantra for a year and have had zero problems. Very smooth ride, good acceleration, nice interior and have gotten compliments in parking lots. My 2008 replaced my 2003 Elantra, which also had zero problems. I bumped into the buyer Sept. 09 and they have had zero problems with the 2003, and have gotten nothing but brake pads and oil changes at 75,000 miles.

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  Why I wont buy a Hyundai again - 2010 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Alan - September 11 - 6:53 am

  11/5/17: I sold the car last month. Replacement vehicle will be a Honda CRV. 5/3/17: Since my review I posted concerning an oil leak recall I have had the following issues with the vehicle which now has 68,000 miles. Discussed two additional oil leaks on two different occasion and late last month the engine seized up and the dealer found metal shavings in the oil pan. Had to replace the entire engine. So the net is 3 oil leaks and an engine replacement all by 68,000 miles. The cost to repair all of this is over $10,000. Since the I bought my Veracruz as a 2 year old vehicle with 20000 miles on it. I got a good price from a dealer. While I havent needed to have the car into the shop very often (currently 66,000 miles) there are things about the vehicle that will keep me from buying another Hyundai. I have found you get what you pay for. First, the car was modeled after a Lexus RX, meaning Hyundai used the RX and the standard for the product. A couple of years into ownership I received a recall from Hyundai that there was an oil leak on my car and that it had to be repaired. Vehicles today are largely designed to go 100,000 miles or more without any major issues, but having an oil leak on a car at less than 50,000 miles is unheard of; it just doesnt happen any more. A few thousand miles later, after it had be repaired by the dealer, it was determined it was still leaking oil The dealership replace the defective gasket with the same gasket system, which proceeded to leak. Hyundai has not redesigned the defective part. Duh! The new gasket seems to have fixed the problem. Fingers crossed. Also the driver seat is wearing very fast (poor material quality). There is a clanking noise when I put the car in reverse (transmission problems??). Who knows. Im going to go back to my Japanese imports. While they are not perfect, I havent experiences problems like this in 25 years of ownership of Toyotas and Hondas.

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  good choise - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By jack - September 10 - 5:40 pm

  I have the limited and it is the best suv I had ever owned. I had an 2007 honda pilot and the veracruz wins by far. it is so quite on the road its hard to believe your moving, and the ride is the best, very smooth. This is my fourth Hyundai and they just get better, I had two Santa fe,s 01 & 03 and both were great. My wife has an 04 XG350L and had no problems. Hope this helps anyone looking at Hyundai.

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  Excellent Car - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By tmp - September 10 - 2:56 pm

  I bought my Sonata GSL 03 with all the bells and whistles new and couldnt be happier. Going on 6 yrs replaced brakes @50,000, just did timing belt @ 83,000. Did oil change every 3,000- 5,000 miles other than that general maintenance.Not thrilled with dealer very poor customer service. I have found overall excellent performance and comfort level. Arm rest worn and power lock just went. Previously owned Mederces, Cadillac, TBird, Mustang, Lincoln,