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:

• 

  rattle car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By paul kay - November 12 - 3:53 am

  Bought it with 13,400, at 14,000 they replaced the front brake pads, because I heard a crunching noise when slowing down, they also replaced the rear trunk hindges.. Rear suspension is loud over bumps. My v6 knocks when cold and noise goes away when warm. Suspension is loud! Tires are junk 215 55 17- junk! My first and last Hyundai. Sorry I bought it.

• 

  Great SUV - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By kjr2492 - November 11 - 9:20 pm

  I just purchased a used Hyundai Santa Fe limited with 4WD and the 3.5 V^. It is fully loaded from leather seats to heated seats and moon roof and 6 disc changer. So far I love the ride even though it is used still drives like a new vehicle.

• 

  Great except for 1 rattle - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Minou - November 11 - 7:16 pm

  Got my 08 GL (Canadian model) manual transmission in late June. Car has been great so far except for a rear parcel shelf rattle that I cant get rid of. It is comfortable, smooth riding, roomy and peppy with the manual. The engine is very easy to stall with the manual though. Mileage is also good. Wind noise is fairly noticeable even at normal speeds. Big car feel for a very good price. Overall, I bought a drab but well equipped and competent intermediate for the price of a compact with a good waranty to boot in case of issues.

• 

  More than impressed - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By cmhdiamond - November 11 - 10:00 am

  Very happy so far. Bought 03 GLS in Jan w/Pkg 5(moonroof,ABS,Trac Ctrl). Didnt want roof, but wanted TC, so took pkg 5. Very comfortable quiet ride, stereo good (not great), performance good, V6 plenty powerful (not as much as Hond/Toy, but better than their 4cyl and still less $), Shiftronic is fun (and contrary to some opinions, useful). My 1st month got ok gas mileage (20 mpg) in mixed (60% hwy/40% city) driving. Now avg 24 mpg. Best was a 600mi trip in Apr. that netted a very respectable 28 mpg avg (~ 80% hwy/20% city).

• 

  Great value - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Sproutlorian - November 11 - 2:00 am

  Weve had the car almost 2 years and it is a very dependable car! Gas mileage isnt the greatest, but for the size has enough room for us to travel around in. Pick-up is a little lacking on onramps to highways, so more horsepower would be an advantage.

• 

  HPCU Died in Less than Two Months - 2014 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By jonqyork - November 8 - 7:36 pm

  I bought this car on June 15, 2014. On July 14th, it wouldnt start. Had it towed to the dealer. It took them 5 days to find the problem. It was a blown fuse. On August 13th, it wouldnt start again. Towed again to the dealer. Now, 9 days later (when I originally wrote this), they still have it and cant figure out the problem. They said theyve had another Sonata Hybrid in the shop with a similar problem for a month. They simply have no idea whats wrong with it or how to get it back on the road! And they told me theyre now turning down tows because they dont know how to fix it!

• 

  New Hyundai Owner - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By skwaz - November 8 - 2:47 pm

  Bought Santa Fe 2.0T in July to replace a much loved 2002 CRV. Thus far have found the car to be very fun to drive, comfortable at highway speeds, and the perfect size for driving around town. Only time will tell regarding reliability and dealer service. I have not had any complaints with the steering (as others have reported), and the 2.0T has plenty of power even in the ECO mode. My only complaint is the blind spot created by the severely angled rear windows. They seem to have sacrificed clear sight lines for styling.

• 

  love it except ... - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By sharoniowa - November 8 - 6:56 am

  This car handles well in the snow and ice with impressive lower gears available in the automatic. Its comfortable and attractive.

• 

  Fun wore off - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Mahmga - November 7 - 10:00 am

  I really liked this car when I got it because of the price, lightweight body, peppy motor, 4 doors/roomy back seats, and leather interior. Now that I have had it a bit, I am unhappy with vibration in the steering wheel at 75+mph and am unhappy with the extreme vibration of braking the car when at modest speeds..esp on downhill slopes - very unsatisfactory. I also dont like that the US version engine is dialed back esp. in the lower power band. This car needs a mod-chip to reclaim that low-end power.

• 

  My First GenCoupe - 2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By briten88 - November 4 - 3:06 pm

  Ive had 5 Mustangs in the past and was ready for a change. Got a 2012 GenCoupe as a model end leftover with an auto. I was very unhappy with the trans., it really needed an extra gear so the fuel economy was horrible, I get better both highway and city with my vette. Interior had a lot of rattles that the dealer couldnt fix, after 6 months I traded it for a 2013 Manual which is a MUCH improved car.