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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  Good first car - 1998 Hyundai Accent
  By Bullah - October 18 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Accent brand new in 1998. I crashed in 2000 and brought it back to life. Since then I have changed the transmission, but I later found out after 2 other transmissions gave the same problem that the problem was electronic. All in all it has been a good car with fairly decent gas mileage and a lot of speed when it gets going on the island roads.

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  Very Pleased - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Landon C. - October 15 - 6:26 am

  Having owned this vehicle almost 2 years I can say that it is one impressive vehicle. I was skeptical at first about buying a Hyundai but Im glad I did. The car has held up extremely well and there are no issues whatsoever. I drove the Rav4, CR-V, Vue, CX-7, and Murano before deciding on the Santa Fe and do not regret it to this day. A deer ran out in front of me one night not too long ago and had to replace the front bumper, driver side headlamp,driver front fender and various components. Though insurance covered it the total cost was close to $5,000.00, it is not a very cheap vehicle to repair if ever in a minor accident.

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  Hated It - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By elawhy - October 13 - 6:20 am

  Traded a 2005 4WD Santa Fe which I loved. The minute I drove this car off the lot, I could not stand the ride. Overly felt every road bump. The entire driving experience was nerve wracking. Felt a vibration through my hands on the steering wheel, my foot and up my leg from the gas pedal and in my seat. Drive 20 miles to work and arrived so nerved up because of this. Dealership maintains this is normal. Traded it after 4 days for a 2009 Sonata. Too Bad !!!

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  Nice for the price - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Shepherdmommy - October 12 - 3:43 pm

  I really like this SUV since it has everything I wanted for a decent price. The warranty is also a fabulous plus. Cons: I have a problem with the location and noise level of the heating/AC unit. Its very loud and you have to crank the stereo up to hear it over the noise of the fans. Its also not easy to operate. My least favorite feature is the gas mileage. Its horrible. They could have done better with it.

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  Overall... Impressed - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Hyundai NJ - October 12 - 12:33 pm

  DRIVING: The most obvious difference in the 2009 is the tighter suspension system, which can take off-ramps at 50-60 mph without feeling like the car is going to roll. I also own a Mercedes-Benz and can say that this Hyundais suspension is remarkably comparable (never thought I would say that). Also, the transmission shifts much smoother than the earlier edition. Theres also a more robust engine which delivers oomph when you touch the pedal. Cabin noise has been reduced substantially, as compared with earlier. INTERIOR: They finally got the interior right! It looks like, and may very well be, a high end car now! Color combination in the Camel interior is beautiful. Dash is remarkable!

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  Not So Bad After All - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Lonnie - October 11 - 10:00 am

  I had my heart set on a 2010 Kia Forte EX, but due to financing issues I got the Hyundai Sonata, and I must admit Im completely BLOWN AWAY! The Sonata I got was a former rental so it was well taken care of and the price was amazing! I did really good going up Interstate 5, it handles very well, but can be a little shaky on tight turns. The interior is nice and has plenty of room for my daughters infant seat in the back seat, and it has a HUGE trunk. I love that it comes standard with all the bells and whistles that are optional on other brands (ie. XM radio, CD/MP3, air conditioning, power locks and windows). Overall not a bad buy. I really like my Sonata! Great car for HWY driving.

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  great value but with a caveat - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Peter - October 11 - 9:03 am

  Bought the base model with automatic trans. and have been test driving (breaking it in ) since got it. Generally fun to drive but base model lacks power and engine is noisy like hell during 1st. and 2nd.gears upshifting. Even while its in idle the throttle vibrates like a wild pony. Other than that its been great so far - the technology included like Bluetooth, XM radio, Ipod connection cant be beat. The handling is great - you can feel how firm the steering is, gas mileage not bad .either

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  Very Fun, Needs MORE POWER - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By gr8ful4tori - October 8 - 8:08 pm

  I bought my 04 Tiburon 4cyl in September of 2012 with 100k on it, That was a year ago. Overall it is a decent car and VERY fun to drive, I just wish it had more power. I live in NY and this car did better in the snow than I thought it would (Hankook S1 Noble2 tires are awesome). The seats are Very uncomfortable and the back seat is almost pointless.

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  Good starter car - 1999 Hyundai Accent
  By anonymoushyundai - October 8 - 2:00 am

  I have had no problems with my car. I bought it for transportation to and from school (300 miles round trip). I drove home every weekend with no problem. I am ready to upgrade now that I am in a professional career. No power whatsoever, but I guess thats what you trade for the price.

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  Bought used, driven for 4 months/5000km - 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By splatapus - October 7 - 6:27 pm

  Bought used, I have driven it for 4 months and 5000km now. Ride is a little rough, you can feel and hear some little bumps in the road. The fan and AC system sometimes has a mind of its own. It will turn on by itself after I turn it off. Although Im starting to figure out how to get around it by adjusting the fan speed then hit OFF. Driving on highway to merge and stepping on accelerator, sometimes there will be a dead spot on how far you push the accelerator. The car will hesitate or not accelerate as fast as you want to for 2 seconds, then accelerate normally. It is roomy and comfortable inside. The center armrest between driver and passenger sometimes creaks. Overall not a bad car.