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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  great choice - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By LINDA - August 8 - 1:52 am

  I have owed Nissans, Toyotas and Honda and for the value my 2004 Sonota is right up there with them without the big sticker price. My sister bought one and sold me on it too.

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  reliable but - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Keith - August 7 - 3:30 pm

  A good reliable car although I only have 9000 miles on it. Excellent gas mileage. I have a problem with my alarm going off in hot weather for no reason - anybody know of this problem and a solution. The carpets dont fit right - not cut correctly in drivers foot well or in trunk. Nice exterior finish but I already have more chips out of it than my 10 year old Volvo - hidden warranties?

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  Impressive - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By shoeie - August 5 - 5:06 pm

  I am fresh out of college, and didnt have a great deal of money to spend when I went new car shopping. Actually I figured I would end up with a slightly used Corolla or Civic. I am so glad I took a look at my Hyundai. This car is awesome, gets good gas mileage, and with the warranty, either quality is good or theyre going to fix it anyway. I am totally impressed!

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  Very good, Excellent value - 2018 Hyundai Sonata
  By Joe the delivery man - August 5 - 4:39 am

  I got this car to replace my 2015 Sonata. Not sure the new style is better, I kind of liked the 2015 better, especially the rear with the plates on the trunk. But overall this is a terrific car for your money, save for a few drawbacks. The car drives well, nice quite ride and respectable handling, but ride is not as smooth as a Camry and handling not as good as an Accord, Mazda6, or as precise as a Fusion. Pros include: Slightly better ride/steering over my 2015. Better interior, smart controls (w/ non-auto climate), tuning knob, custom button. Overall is exemplary, very intuitive designed with nice big clearly labeled buttons and knobs. Touch screen is responsive, although some corners dont respond like its supposed to. The interface is also quite easy to use. LCD Shows date (wish it would also show exterior temperature). Car doors make a satisfying thud when they close. Still a fully printed owners manual! Cons include: Brakes still too touchy, it makes too abrupt stops. Steering is still too feather-light. Heated mirrors are no longer included in the base model - something Hyundai used to offer all these years. No CD player. I know many cars today omit them, but I really miss it. Home screen should be more customization. Would like to get rid of the AV Off message. Some settings are confusing. Ugly gauges (miss the 2015 Elantra). Only 1 USB for music & Android Auto. Bluetooth makes problems (I have a basic phone). No gap-less music player. Headlight delay is 5 min or none! Overall interior is not too pretty (2018 Accent is nicer). Cant turn off the LCD between the gauges.

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  transmission leaks - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By alisa - August 4 - 12:50 am

  Really loved this car the first 2 weeks of owning it. It has everything we were looking for in a affordable, roomy, stylist hybrid. The bluetooth and xm radio standard features work great. Unfortunately after 600 miles we noticed drips on garage floor where vehicle was parked, then engine light came on. Found out it was a tranmission leak. Now we have a rental car for I dont know how long. The dealership has been very accommodating and the corporate office was very reassuring they will correct asap. Great 100,000k warranty, we may be needing it. We hope it is just a fluke, time will tell. We also own high end luxury vehicles too and they are no better. Time to get a bicycle!

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  Tiburon 2001 - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By TJ - August 3 - 11:33 pm

  I purchased this car new in July 2001. I love the sleek design; exterior and interior. For the price, its not bad. My issues with this car are the lights, the trunk and the seat belts. The seat belts are very "sensitive." If I make even the slightest move, it locks up on me. I have to literally slam the trunk so it can close; if not, the trunk light will stay on. I think this car might have electrical issues; headlights constantly need replacing, sometimes, theres a ringing noise that goes off after the car has been running for 15 minutes. The tires that came with the car are horrible, especially in the rain and snow. Explains why they have such a great warranty.

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  Cant Beat it for the Money - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By CD - August 3 - 7:38 pm

  I was transferred to an area where I now have a 120 round trip commute to work. This car performs flawlessly and is comfortable even for the long drive. This car is fun to drive and has plenty of power for a 4 cylinder. The transmission could be improved, but it does the job. At cruising speed the Elantra is suprisingly quite and smooth. The sound system could use an upgrade, but it performs ok. I drive this car pretty hard, and I have not had any problems with the engine or transmission. The radio was replaced due to a short, but that is the only problem I have had. Reviews in some magazines say this vehicle gets poor gas mileage, but I have been averaging around 32 miles per gallon

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  2003 Santa Fe Base - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Mike C. - August 2 - 9:40 am

  I have tested and drove almost all the SUVs, except for the real expensive, over $40,000, nothing compares. The RAV- 4 was like driving a bus. The CRV was very narrow inside and was not comfortable to drive more than a few miles. The Santa Fe has superior room and drives better. The drive is good.

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  I Love it, I love it, I love it! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By CEM879 - July 31 - 10:00 am

  I love this car! Before I was never a big foreign car fan, but after I saw the Tiburon, I started only looking at foreign cars. I got so much for the price! Everyone stares at the car when they see it. I love the attention!

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  Good Buy For The Money - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By gdg - July 31 - 1:56 am

  Good quality for the money. Many standard options that are extra on others of the same class both domestic and foreign. Cannot beat the warranty!