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:

• 

  Hyundai added features are nice. - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By BaryKerySC - February 26 - 6:36 pm

  While GM keeps cutting features from their vehicles, Hyundai keeps adding more technology and value to theirs.

• 

  Great value for the price - 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Barry Shapiro - February 24 - 2:51 pm

  We looked at the Mazda 9, the Toyota Highlander, the Ford Explorer, the Chevy Traverse, and the Honda Pilot. Nothing came close to the Santa Fe as far as value for the dollar. We had a 2007 Santa Fe that gave us very little problems and that followed a 2006 sonata that was equally as reliable. Some of the other vehicles had some aspects that bettered the Santa Fe but in its entirety the 2017 Santa Fe bested them all.

• 

  Had1 - 1998 Hyundai Elantra
  By had1 - February 24 - 2:00 am

  Got this car with 59000 miles on it for my daughter. Based on reviews I thought it should hold up for ok for a first car. The car has 80000 miles now with no mechanical problems! We just went shopping for her second car, she wanted to "move up" a little. After driving four other manufactures cars guess what she bought... 2002 Elantra!

• 

  Very good - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By ronny 357 - February 24 - 2:00 am

  It is a nice no frill automobile. Main disappointment is fuel mileage. I expected around 45 mpg/ I should have done my homework better

• 

  After 40k and 3 years, shes still beautiful, but... - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By dandedor - February 23 - 7:21 pm

  Design: The car is beautiful inside and out, and the paint is still shiny. The ergonomics are great. The materials are decent, but the seat is uncomfortable. MPG: In mixed driving, I average 24 MPG. On the highway, I get 35 MPG. Engine: For a four-cyl, it moves nicely, but man it is LOUD! Transmission: Smooth as silk. Handling: The worst part of the car. Its like theres a marshmallow holding the steering wheel to the wheels. So numb. The ride is jittery as well. Brakes are a-ok. Aging: The car feels much cheaper now compared to three years ago. The engine is loud after 1.5k RPMs. Several rattles have developed in the cabin.

• 

  Cool Ride - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Mike - February 22 - 10:03 am

  I owned this car for 1 year now, and has no problem with it. Still perform great, I have no problem with the performance of the car, as I can easily overtake any audis, bmws or benzies on the highway. Its true that the tiburon is not as powerful as some other high performance sport cars, but speed defend on both the driver and the car not just the car alone. The tib can easily do 180 km/h, but then again only pro race car drivers would drive any faster... Simply put, the tiburon is best of class in term of price per features. If you crave that extra power then you can easily add a supercharger on your tiby for only a few grands.

• 

  Good car overall, but beware of a few weaknesses - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jason - February 22 - 9:38 am

  The car is roomy and looks good in and out. Acceleration, braking and handling are also good for a car in this class. However, I feel that a few weaknesses must be pointed out: (1) Very poor design of the air vents in the dashboard. At the highest position, the air blows right on the drivers wrists on both sides. If you try to hold the wheel differently, it will be in your face and shoulders. Lower directions are about as inconvenient and also reduce the air flow. (2) Poor engine braking when descending steep slopes. I drove this car up Mount Washington (average slope 12%) without any problems but on descent the first gear (selected manually) could not hold it. Even on the less steep portions of the road, in a few seconds it was approaching the red line. I had to brake a lot and wait for the brakes to cool off a couple of times. There is no excuse for this. Every other car I had the chance to observe was doing better. A few years ago I drove a 2006 Corolla (also automatic) into a canyon in Colorado (average slope 16%) and the first gear held beautifully at no more than 15 mph. (3) So-so rear visibility. (4) No spare wheel.

• 

  Best economy car.......hands down!! - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By JoelP - February 20 - 2:00 am

  This is the BEST economy car on the market....hands down! I replaced my automatic 1998 Accent hatchback with a new, 2003 same model and the improvements made by Hyundai are numerous and welcomed. No more turning off the air-conditioner to pull out on the highway...this Accent has spunky pick-up! The automatic transmission has been improved with the car now shifting/staying in the correct gear. The ride is quiet (okay, the engine could be quieter but hey, it is an economy car remember), smooth and sturdy. Hyundai did a great job on redesigning this Accent from the exterior classy look to its comforable interior. Guess you can tell, I love my Accent!

• 

  No Complaints Here - 1997 Hyundai Elantra
  By T-S - February 19 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car brand new in December of 1997. Car has run well and has 133,000 miles and still runs fine. The drivers side door handle broke at about 90K, and the windows fog very easily. The inserts for closing the door on both rear doors pop out often. Mechanically it has held up very well. Change the oil every 3,000 and other maintainance as needed. Overall I am very pleased.

• 

  Brake, Brakes, Brakes and more Brakes - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By "D" - February 17 - 2:00 am

  Problems I have encountered 1. 16,500 miles some type of sensor caused the car not to idle when I put gas into the tank 2. 19,803 Front brake rotors resurfaced 3. 25,598 Front brake rotors resurfaced 4. 33,204 Front brake rotors replaced, pads replaced 5. 44,688 Front brake rotors resurfaced 6. 44,688 Rear shoes replaced 7. 45,000 door speaker stopped working 8. 48,000 Driver widow cable came of track and stopped working 9. 53,000 Passenger widow stopped going up all the way 10. 55,00 Driver window now making popping noise when I role it up 11. 55,000 The hood has rusted from the inside out