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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  Best Money Ive Spent - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Rachel025 - July 11 - 2:00 am

  The first major point, for me, was the warranty. No one can beat 5 yr bumper to bumper & 10 yr powertrain. The standard features are awesome. It came with everything; air, power locks and windows, automatic, cd, am/fm, tape... even a leather wrapped steering wheel! The interior is very roomy and it seems all the controls are set up perfect for the driver. Nothing overly confusing about the controls or their locations. The styling is chic. I did not want to buy an SUV that looked like a box. It has the perfect amount of cargo space. The area behind the back seat is huge. Not to mention, the back seat folds down completely flat for more space.

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  My 2nd Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By btexpress - July 11 - 2:00 am

  I own a 2002, and a 2003 Santa Fe, and am getting ready to purchase a 2004. I love the car, only flaw I have seen so far is for some reason the Headlights dim and then brighten up and this is done repeatedly every time using the lights, other than that this SUV is great.

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  You need your warranty if they honor it? - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Louie - July 10 - 2:10 pm

  Bouncy ride and poor quality. Rear brake pads worn to rotors at 21,000 miles. Hyundai said rust caused this problem. I have never had a car with rear pads worn to rotors with 21,000 miles. I bought an extended bumper to bumper warranty for 10 years 100,000 miles, but hope I never have to use it because Im sure they will find some excuse not to honor it.

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  It is a very good car for the price. - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Joe - July 10 - 10:57 am

  You can not find a better deal than the Hyundai Genesis. I actually think that Hyundai is subsidizing this car in the United States to raise their image in North America and abroad. If people can not appreciate a 60K dollar car that is priced at just 33K dollars, what will make American customers satisfied?

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  Quality and Value - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By Jim from Richmond - July 9 - 9:09 pm

  What a fun, comfortable, drivable car! Lots of room for the driver and front passenger. The radio (XM) and CD are way beyond anything expected. Handles well, responds surefootedly, and peppy. Used the govt. "Cash for Clunkers" program ($4,500) and a $1,500 dealer rebate, which covered half of the vehicle cost (before state sales tax and transportation). You will love the car even more when gas goes back up to $4.00 or more per gallon. Go get one today.

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  What a GREAT car - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Luvthisgenny - July 9 - 9:00 pm

  Have been waiting for 3 months to write this... Have had the car for over 3 months now, over 10,000KM driven already. Cant wait to drive it everyday. The acceleration is silky smooth. It has tons of power,(375HP) tons of torque, it handles GREAT! Im amazed how good this car brakes! Interior is very upscale, fit and finish is superb. IMO, Tech package is worth it. Gotta stop putting so many positives cause you wont believe what Im saying. Dont try this car unless youre ready to buy it. Countless times people asking me what car this is. Amazed at how many rubber necks while driving are looking at the car...I have put the winged logos in the back and front. Hyundai...GREAT job

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  How do they do it? - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dave - July 9 - 7:13 pm

  I love cars, drive a 2009 Dodge Charger R/T, got the Sonata because go to Vegas often wanted the gas mileage. You cant go wrong, driving the Sonata more around town than the Dodge, before I bought drove the Accord (too much road noise), Altima (hate the CVT), Camry (boring), and none had the horse power of the Sonatas 4 cylinder, or gas mileage. Got the base GLS for under 20K, with blue tooth, and XM, seriously how do they do it, 60,000 bumper to bumper, and 100,000 engine, and trans incredible, never thought I would own a Hyundai, may get the turbo when it comes out, in the convertible, bye bye Dodge.

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  Great Value - couple of small issues - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By jack4120 - July 9 - 3:53 pm

  I got an SE with s/r, upgraded stereo w/6cd and power seat. Car runs great with 2 minor issues. Occasional clunking sound in rear over bumpy roads, dealer said this will stop after break in. The clunking is not noticeable when the radio is on but it bugs me a little. The 2nd issue is very irritating. The steering wheel audio controls do not allow you to chg radio stations ??? what is that? It makes zero sense... but overall, very happy.

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  clutch problem - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Steve - July 9 - 2:29 pm

  I have owned my 2005 Hyundai Elantra for 3 and one half years. It will be paid off in 5 months. At the 36,000 mile mark 2 weeks ago, the clutch went. I have had 5 other standard transmission vehicles which have had between 70,000 - 140,000 miles without ever having to replace the clutch. This clutch cost me $1,000 to replace and will probably cause me to look elsewhere for my next vehicle. It makes me wonder whether Hyundai spent enough time and money on this aspect of the Elantra and whether other owners have had this problem as well.

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  Deteriorating after 10K Miles, - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By NOT HAPPY - July 9 - 10:41 am

  I may be one of the unlucky ones. After 10K miles rattles and creaking have started to surface and they are getting worse. Especially one loud RATTLE from the rear end. Doesnt sound like a $40K car any more. My old Jeep made less noise. Registered my issues with Hyundai. Hope the rest of you dont wind up like me. Killed the fun.