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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  Very Good, but not quite there - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By larmo1 - June 18 - 5:54 pm

  Overall, this is a very good car. I like it better than the Honda Accord. But after driving it for a year, it has lost its appeal. There is a slightly cheap feel that does not improve over time. The plastic parts of the seats and dash scratched easy and made the car look kind of trashy. Same with the paint and finish outside; and I really take care of my vehicles. Rear visibility is not very good. It is easy to overlook when sitting in a new car, but over time it really gets annoying. We traded the Sonata in after 13 months and 25,000 miles. It took a $6,500 dollar hit. Overall, it is a very nice car. Perfect for a young family. But I am old and want something better.

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  fours years old - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By gjens - June 17 - 2:00 am

  Since I purchase this car in March 2000 Ive had zero problems. I change the oil every five thou, had the tires replaced at 30,000 and one tune-up. I couldnt be more please. Naturaly the air filter,oil filter and other regular maintance items have been replaced.

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  Not happy - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By tuna6 - June 16 - 5:26 am

  I bought my 2012 sonata SE new in January 2012. About 2 weeks ago my car stopped working properly and they initially thought it was the push start ignition. Replaced the push start and the problem still persisted. They then removed the oil pan to discover pieces of metal in the oil. Long story short the engine needs to be replaced and the car has 16,500 miles on it. I am not happy with the overall experience and being without a car that I need for my daily commute. No car should have to have the engine replaced after being driven for only 7 months.

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  Pretty, but not reliable. - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By crundq - June 15 - 2:00 am

  Not reliable. Even though it has a good warranty, I had to service it 6 times per year. Too much of a hassle.

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  Transmissions.. a re-occuring theme? - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By zoeykids - June 14 - 10:34 pm

  After repeatedly complaining about the jerking shift on our 2010 SF, the dealership finally replaced the transmission. The replacement was okay for a while, but it seemed as soon as the cooler weather hit, we started having a new problem. Now the vehicle seems to shift "down" when coasting in lower gears. Now the downshift is accentuated by "missing", causing the engine to red-line when attempting to overtake another vehicle attempting 15kpm speed increase. Waiting to hear ... again ... how Hyundai will be resolving this. The SF has 45K on it. Our previous vehicles had 250+km and 350+km on original drive trains. This is not what I was looking for in a new vehicle.

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  Checkout all my problems before you buy. - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By stileo - June 14 - 1:46 pm

  I got this car last week. Let me give you guys some feedbacks. Overall the car drives quite well for a 4-cylinder turbo. Noise level of engine and drive is somewhat in the mid range. My previous car was a 2012 Genesis and this 2015 Sonata is not better but doable. Cons: The car doors were not aligning correctly. Doors were a bit off from the quarter panels and rear passengers door. I was not able to open drivers side passenger the door. I have to pull the handle twice in order to open the door. Dealership had to take my car in for a day to fix these issues. I got the car on Friday and return to dealership for repairs on Monday, go figure.

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  A Long Look - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Libbo1 - June 13 - 7:33 am

  This is my Wifes car, She was looking for fun to drive yet large enough for 4.. We look at the Santa Fe, Rav4, Murano, X-Terra, Nitro, Sportage, and the CR-V... We learned that a 4 banger was out after the Rav4(there 6 is really nice though) but the CR-V was a nice feel and had get up and go.. The Murano cost is way overboard for what options you can get.. The Sportage and the X-Terra was sporty but was to much like a truck ride.. The Santa Fe was perfect for her and me... Classy look, Fun to drive and afforable.. Wounderful Warranty

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  My new ride - 2017 Hyundai TUCSON
  By andy - June 11 - 5:25 pm

  Look for a car to replace my 2001 Mazda Tribute. The Hyundai Tucson Sport does the job. While I have only had it for 2 weeks I am enjoying it. The seating is comfortable even for my 6 2" frame. Visibility is good and the ride is great. Just filled it up and got 24 mpg driving in town. I love the kick it has with the Turbo engine. Rear seating is comfortable and the cargo space meets my needs. The instrument panel and displays are well layed out and very easy to use. The only down side is it hesitates at times when turning at an intersection after coming to a stop. I cant quite understand it but if it continues Ill take it to the dealership. If you want a small SUV I recommend this one.

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  Great bargain - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Florida Deb - June 10 - 11:40 pm

  Bought the Limited today with an MSRP of $25K and invoice of $23K for $20K with the $3K rebate. With $5K for my trade I financed about $17K. Beautiful in camel pearl. Comfortable leather seats. Lots of headroom even with the sunroof. Beige seats with black carpet & dash is really something different. Great sound system. Comfortable ride. Very pleased. Honda & Toyota had very incentives & wanted to have faith in the Ford Fusion, but couldnt. Happy, happy, joy, joy.

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  A Dream Vehicle - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By WhidbeyIslander - June 10 - 12:03 pm

  Our Santa Fe is, without doubt, the best vehicle we have ever owned. Until recently, when a dragging brake manifested itself, there was not so much as a rattle in the car. The Santa Fes handling is outstanding though the car is a bit underpowered. Service has been beyond excellent at Bellingham Hyundai. The longer we have the car, the more we like it. Fit and finish is superb. About the only improvement which Hyundai could make would be to increase the gas mileage.