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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  Almost a 10 - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Car Girl - June 2 - 10:00 am

  I bought my fully-loaded Limited about 2 weeks ago and generally like it a lot. I am not happy with the gas mileage which is about 28.4 on the highway. I was hoping for at least 30+ mpg. The Aurora Blue is a beautiful color which does not show dirt as did my previous black vehicle. I have some hip and back problems, but this vehicle is very comfortable. This small SUV is large enough for my needs and it is nicely equipped. My husband and I are both tall, and theres plenty of room for us.

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  Was basically told this is a disposable car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By upsidedown2011 - June 2 - 6:47 am

  2 yr old lease well maintained...had problems throughout lease with different check engine lights ...never found cause.eventually would go off by themselves. Car hits 130,000 miles engine shuts off, Im told its seized and has electrical issues. 8-12k in repairs.contacted 3 dealerships & customers service. Was basically told by customer service and regional that car is disposable. They provided me a car with a 100,000 mile warranty & they are off the hook. Will not even consider help w/ repairs or the requested assistance or incentive to buy another Hyundai .This was my 6th Hyundai + I recommended at least 6 other people to buy hyundais..NEVER AGAIN ....dont buy Hyundai they dont care

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  Best car ever owned. - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Geo - June 2 - 4:26 am

  Most reliable vehicle, more so than the Corolla, Tacoma, Civic parked in the drive. 123,000 miles, never an issue. Picked it over the Camry & Accord because of comfort. Bought in spring of 08, but is an 09 model. Up to 37.5mpg hwy. Will definitely go Hyundai again. As of 10-28-16, the Sonata now has 123,419 miles, and I wont give it up! Runs perfectly on its eight and one half year birthday. A couple of issues: First, the dashboard has too much glare in daylight, making it about impossible to see the speedometer with the sun beaming directly into the cockpit. Second, the dimmer rheostat doesnt dim the dash enough for nighttime driving, and as I work nights, it is a bit bothersome. Third, something new for this updated report - some rust on the drivers door, where the door skin folds over to the lower corner closest to the latch, it is crumbling, so it will be interesting to see how severe it becomes. I do wash and wax the car, regularly and it has not been driven on the salted NY winter roads. The car is now parked at our second home in Florida, so I am hoping the rust will not progress. Ive also oiled that surface hoping to stop the rusting.

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  Too many recalls - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By cjunbug - June 2 - 4:00 am

  The first couple of months it was fun to drive; we enjoyed the comfort, quietness and styling, until the recall notifications start to come. In the two year span that we owned it we have about 4 recalls. Then the last incident is the one that really prompt me to dump the vehicle, it wont drive faster than 5 miles per hour, turn it off and then re-start it and it will drive normal. then you drive it again and while it is moving at various speeds, it will just quit on you and will not go no more than 5 MPH. They fixed it for free, and finally traded it in for TOYOTA VENZA. I dont think I will buy another Hyundai, even if they guarantee it for 200,000 miles

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  Hyundai messed this one up!!! - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Mark N. - June 1 - 10:25 pm

  Bought used in Dec. 06 with 11000 miles. It was Factory Reps vehicle. Was sold on Hyundai because of previous experience with Elantra and Sonata. This van has had 22 warranty claims since bought. The van is very competitive with Toyota and Honda in design and function just not in the owner satisfaction category. I feel that the biggest issue with this van in the dealerships service. Hyundai dealers remind me of the Domestic dealers from the past big on selling just not on service. You should not have to continuously take a vehicle in for the same issue and be told we dont know whats wrong with it sorry about your luck. They have fixed everything except the whine in right rear speaker.

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  Best Car Ive Ever Owned - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Jim in Wisconsin - June 1 - 9:24 pm

  Have had my Accent L for over 6 years now & am about to turn over 39K for mileage. Aside of general maintenance @ specified intervals, I have stuck no additional money into this car. The only problems Ive ever had mechanically were a leaky valve cover gasket, & going down hills on colder mornings will occasionally set a P0200 code for a misfire, which quickly corrects itself. Interior wise, Ive gone through 3 shifter boots, & the fresh air / recirculating air level cable has binded on me twice. Its started in -27 degrees without a hitch & has idled in near 100 degree heat with the gauge never leaving the centerpoint. I have hit 48-50 MPG on long highway trips.

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  Great Car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By afterburner - June 1 - 6:01 pm

  I have a 2007 Sonata GLS, and I am glad I got this car rather than an Accord or Camry. Excellent ride quality, superb stereo, good air conditioning and best of all the SHIFTRONIC transmission which allows me to shift into manual mode whenever I drive. Any day the suspension is better than a camry or accord. Spare parts are cheap and I buy them online. Warranty on the car is best in the industry . Fortunately nothing has gone wrong till date. Since reliability is a problem with older Hyundai’s I run my car on Pennzoil Fully Synthetic Engine oil, with a K&N oil filter and synthetic transmission oil. Resale value is a problem in the car, but I am positive that Hyundai will do well.

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  Yes.....to......Hyundai - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By SunnyAz - June 1 - 1:23 pm

  What a great suv, very happy with all the features and Im getting 19.6 mpg in the city, (flat ground) I think the poor mpg from others must be driving up hill to and from work??Great pick up and go, easy to get in and out of, great view out the window and high up to see over trafic, doesnt sway around corners, hugs the road.5 air bags, 4 wheel disk brakes,abs, traction control,tire pressure monitor system,stability control,automatic rear view mirror night diming, stearing wheel controls for sterio and cruise control, the dash layout with the blue lights,18" wheels, ,the warrenty,the new body style looks better than the Lexus.And I tested the Rav4 and the new CR-V..Hyundia beats them all.

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  Incredibly Expensive to Maintain - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By tmp0529 - June 1 - 12:03 pm

  This is a car that you should avoid. Every 30,000 miles you are required to get the scheduled maintenance to keep your 100K warranty. That maintenance takes two days and $1500. Top that off with problems with the radio, compass and electric windows and a transmission that wants to surge from a stop and you have a car that is a waste of money. I almost forgot the horrible gas mileage. My 97 GMC Yukon with a V8 got better gas mileage than this lighter SUV with a V6.

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  Great! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By MS.G - June 1 - 3:40 am

  Love this automobile. Looks great, drives, great, great on gas. It is truly a hit with me.