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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  New vehicles arent always the best - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Static - March 19 - 10:00 am

  ok, I bought this car back in April and it hasnt been anything else but trouble. Ive been to the dealer 3 times to have the windwhield changed (twice) and to have a whining noise fixed that was coming from the front end of the vehicle. They still havent fixed the problem so it is just one big joke. It was good for its price, but hope it wont fall apart.

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  FLYING OUT THE WINDOW.. - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By redlipstickon - March 19 - 3:21 am

  This car was my first brand new car I have owned and I had it for a year and one month. I have decided to trade it in. Within the first month the back tail light had a small hole and water was getting in, so I had that replaced, At about 10 months the driver window rotator burned out so my window would not go all the way up and I had to get that replaced. Lastly I was driving back from a road-trip when I hear the "helicopter noise" a car makes when a window is open. I look at my side mirror and see the small backseat window FLY OFF! It literally de glued and flew off the car in the middle of the highway! Clear as to why I am now trading it in. I really loved the car :( w/out all this.

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  Great little ride - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By WaxhawBoater - March 18 - 12:40 pm

  I was skeptical of the Hyundai Sante Fe after driving Jeep Grand Cherokees for the last 13 years (I still have two of them) however; I am impressed not only from performance to design. I really like my Hyundai and Oscar at Lake Norman Hyundai, Huntersville, NC was great to work with.

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  Smooth ride for smooth roads - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By DCKID - March 17 - 1:30 pm

  I really loved this car when I purchased it in Fl. It had a great exterior and the sound system really pumped! I never had mechanical trouble or any trouble for that matter until I came to DC. The numerous pot-holes took a SERIOUS toll on the high performance tires. In the course of 2 years I blew 4 tires, and replaced more then 10. It was fun to drive but only on smooth streets, you can feel EVERY SINGLE NOOK&CRANNY in the street! Buyer beware if you live somewhere with jacked up roads!

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  Middle East Tuscon User- Desert- City - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By wild wild jo - March 17 - 11:40 am

  Great. Use it in the desert in deep sand without any problems...as long as I remember to reduce the air in my tires. Use it on steep mountain roads. And in the city. lots of room...all seats fold right down flat including front. all passengers have told me they feel comfy. Have put 50,000 kms in one year...and am a girl !

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  Very happy so far - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By trex - March 16 - 2:50 am

  Have had the car for about a month and put on approx. 1000 mi. Have gotten very good interstate mpg- about 28 @ 80 mph, about 31 mpg @ 70 mph. Rides quiet and nice, plenty of power for normal driving. Very roomy as well- we were considering a Fusion or Milan based on reputation, price, and mpg, but the Sonata met or exceeded those requirements with more room for (future) strollers, etc. I also own a 01 Sonata, and would without a doubt recommend Hyundai vehicles.

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  Pleasantly surprised! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By toppdollar - March 15 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my Elantra for almost 2 years now. I got this car just a year after my wife got a 2001 Elantra GT. It has well surpassed my expectations. My wife had a 92 Elantra brand new and it was just horrible. I can truly say comparing the two is like day and night. The ride is quiet and smooth. Lots of storage! Gas mileage could be better especially for a stick. You get more for your money with this car than other in this class, and it wont cost you an arm and a leg. Very Practical.

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  so far so good - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By paulie1960 - March 14 - 10:00 am

  after driving my gls santa fe for one month i have only found two issues which i feel need mentioning the first is the gas mileage not to good ? before this i had a grand caravan with a 3.3 engine which gave me very good mileage , and two the one exterior problem is the way that the rain water chnnels are directed in a bad direction if you open your window after a rain the water come pouring in ontop of all the window controls which

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  Great car, inaccurate fuel rating - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By Doug - March 13 - 10:47 pm

  We spent several weeks researching and test driving different cars before deciding on the Sonata, and then at the last minute saw the value in bumping up to the Sport model with sunroof and other goodies at a bargain. Overall were very impressed with the car. It feels luxurious and solid, and a quiet ride was an important thing to note as we test drove cars. This is quieter than most, and I think it will lose more road noise when I change the tires. I also notice a slight dancing of the front wheels when at cruising speed, that may be solved with new tires. (There are many complaints about the cheap tires the car comes with). Android Auto has a lot of cool features--like GPS, but that the phone must be plugged-in to work is really clunky at this stage of bluetooth technology. This is primarily my wifes car, and she simply doesnt bother with it, so those features are lost. After a month, our only complaint is that the high end of the mileage rating seems out of reach. Our average is now at 28, which is a long way from the high "rating" of 38. Her commute is about 15 miles, 4/5 freeway, and shes on the slower end of drivers out there, rarely leaving the first two right lanes. There is the "Eco" mode, which we were told is supposed to improve mileage by 7%, but engine performance is severely hampered when engaged. Ive suggested switching to Eco when at speed on the freeway, but this is again something else she doesnt want to have to think about to simply drive her car. Again though, of everything we looked at, the Sonata really stood out. It looks good, is small enough for a daily commuter, but comfortable and roomy for a long drive, and can very comfortably seat passengers--which was in fact the first thing I looked at, by sitting in the back seat first. At the rate my wife drives, this car will last well beyond the average.

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  Awesome car for price - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By nick - March 13 - 10:33 pm

  I paid only $6700 for the car and was well worth it. The 6spd is awesome! Although they should have forgone the metering valve (I took it out) used with the transmission to make it "slip" so that it can be a "friendly" vehicle for everyone to drive along with less slop in the shifter linkage. Should have beefed up the suspension a little bit also to get the tires to stick to the road better and make for a more aggressive feel. Lighter wheels would help too (17" stock are 18 lbs!). With a little bit of money and time it can be built a little to change these "problems". I do love the car though. Very fun to drive and turns heads all the time. Decently powerful v6 and not bad gas mileage for v6