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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  workhorse - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By musiclawyer - August 8 - 2:00 am

  I like this car very much. Mine is loaded with all the bells and whistles, all for only a bit over 23K. The ride is very good , even in the mountainous, curvy terrain on which I drive, inspiring confidence with a commanding view of the road. On the big open straightaways and for freeway driving, its fast, responsive, excellent.

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  Santa Fe - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By tennis - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Drives great, good gas mileage. Good size to haul and fun to drive.

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  Thank you CARS - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By tusker - August 7 - 10:30 pm

  I have been looking at small cars for a year and ended up with the accent. I went from a Yukon to this and love it. The front is just as roomy as my Yukon was and it is a lot more fun to drive. The mpg is fantastic and it looks good too. Going up steep hills can take some patients but it is a small 4 banger so what do you expect? for the money, it is a great buy and Hyundai is what Toyota used to be. You cant go wrong. Not a lot of extra features, but I knew that going into it. It is even easy to drive on the interstate with it. I have not owned it that long, but I like it more and more every day.

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  Disappointed... - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Laura - August 7 - 7:59 pm

  I bought my 2007 Entourage in Spring of 2007. Automatic sliding doors have not worked properly since I bought it. Every time I bring it in for service I am told that nothing is wrong with the doors. Only other problem is the gas mileage averages about 17 MPG - not what I had expected. I want to get rid of it so bad - but the value has dropped so much - i cant get rid of it!!!

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  Good expectations, Great results! - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By Stephen - August 7 - 4:14 pm

  Love the Hyundai Accent! Needed a new car after wearing out a very good Subaru but did not want to pay the high price for another Subaru. Looked at Hyundai since they are affordable and reliable. Liked the styling of the Accent hatchback and the fact that it did not come with a bunch of gadgets that will eventually break. Test drove and immediately knew this was the car for me. Though not a Ferarri with acceleration it gets to speed well enough. The car is quiet and rides very well. You get a little suspension noise over large bumps but the ride is very stable. Get the A/C - it is nice and cold. Controls are well laid out and easy to reach. Surprisingly very roomy for a small car.

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  Love my new Elantra - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By Rita - August 7 - 3:36 pm

  I bought this under the CARS program and am getting 10 mpg better than my Explorer. The car feels solid and drives great. Still getting used to 4 cylinders but small price to pay for better gas mileage. Would recommend this car to anyone.

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  Waited a year to be Disappointed - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By turniptop - August 7 - 11:04 am

  I traded my 2002 GLS (that I purchased new and absolutely loved) for this new 7 passenger model. Although the interior and exterior are great there are a fewl things Im not sure i can live with. 1. The gas petal is mounted from the bottom not the top as in a normal car and I have yet to find a comfortable position. I think it will be impossible not to use the cruise control on a long trip. 2. Steering is terrible and floats all over the road (doesnt matter what mode). Just doesnt feel tight. 3. The drivers seat adjustment does not allow the bottom of the seat to be raised in the back. 4. The passenger seat cannot be raised and it feels like you are sitting in a hole.

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  88,000 miles - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By T Slape - August 6 - 10:10 pm

  I drive it a lot. Both visors failed after warranty, Hyundai wouldnt replace them. Something is rattling in the rear end, not sure what, but I think it needs shocks/struts. Windshield washer just failed. Otherwise the car is great and I would buy another. The trailer hitch kit that said "bolts on in under 30 minutes..." did!

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  Everything I Thought It Would Be, But... - 2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By southerngent63 - August 6 - 9:14 pm

  Let me begin by saying that this is one of my favorite cars. Ive owned 14 over 30+ years so I have a good personal database. It is lightning fast, especially in "manual mode". Theres the slightest lag at launch in full automatic but if youre racing youre going to be using the paddle shifters anyway. (I dont race, but I do love one particular freeway on ramp.) It might not be a work of art, per se, but the design lets you know up front that this is a fun car. The interior is about as comfortable as you might imagine a sport-tuned suspension would allow, which is to say not overly. Everything is well laid-out, easy to use and unobtrusive. Overall, I love it. But keep reading...

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  New Hyundai owner - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Steve - August 6 - 6:17 pm

  I just bought this car and Im already very impressed with all aspects of it. The price of a comparable Toyota or Nissan runs $2500 to $3500 more, yet the quality appears to be equal to them, You cant beat that. Jaguar styling hues (cool) ,solid feeling on the road, handles and rides great, plentiful amounts of torque and horsepower, yet drives like a more expensive luxury coupe. The engineering, over all quality and body fitment appear to be very high. I know of several Hyundai owners who all have had very positive experiences with their Hyundai vehicles.