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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  tucson - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By jtr - October 24 - 8:16 am

  With 3000 miles under its belt, the tucson is our favotite over our Lexus 300GT. Styling is the best in category, but still weak and overall guality is excellent. A great buy for the money!

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  This is where its at! - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mr.Wright - October 24 - 2:00 am

  Great car! Lots of Bang for your buck. By far the best value, many extra features.

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  09 Santa Fe SE - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Randy Miller - October 23 - 1:16 pm

  One month in - No gripes. Reviews about lag in trans depend on how you drive. Easy driving - no lag, Hard accel - initial lag at downshift with quick recovery. Firm ride but smooth. Good features for $$. Concern about warranty - saw something about only good at dealership where purchased, but havent confirmed. Compared to Toyota, Honda, Kia, Nissan before purchase and felt Hyundai was "best value". Dealer wasnt eager to lower price due to demand caused by $4clunkers, but still managed to get below TMV price. So far - so good. Features are nice & easy to use. Good layout. Seat slightly firm, but OK on first 300 mile road trip. Seems to be good value for the money.

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  Fun sport car and great MPG vehicle!! - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By edumorales - October 23 - 2:06 am

  I bought this car back in April with 68,000 miles. . I am the second owner of the vehicle. So far, I am very satisfied with its performance, both in highway and city. It is a very fun to drive and very powerful for its 4 cylinder engine (I drive the 5 speed transmission). When it comes to mpg performance, it varies by fuel brand and driving conditions, like weather altitude, etc. I drive from Chino to Moreno Valley, California on a daily basis, and occasionally to the Los Angeles and San Diego area. Vehicle definitely performs better when driving close to those cities at sea level, and obtains better mpg under those conditions. After seven months, all I can say is that this is a great car!!

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  My 2016 Tucson Limited Ultimate - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Mark Stubkjaer - October 22 - 1:18 pm

  I selected the Tucson primarily because it has all the safety features I wanted and because many reviewers said it is quiet. There are other good compact SUVs I drove and considered, but most of them did not have at least one of the safety features I wanted. My Tucson has only 500 miles on the odometer, so I cannot comment on reliability or maintenance costs. It drives very well. Its agile, peppy, has sporty steering, and rides well. I have not experienced the jerky transmission performance many reviewers have commented on. Perhaps its because I dont jump on thhe throttle when starting out and always pause a bit before shifting into drive from reverse. Unfortunately, it is also much noisier than I expected, even after the test drive. Perhaps its due to the 19 inch wheels and low profile tires. Im seriously considering but a set of 17 inch wheels and tires to address this issue, but I dont know if they would be much quieter. The cabin is all black with lots of plastic. The leather seats are comfortable and power adjustable, including the front passenger seat. The navigation/entertainment system works fine, but has a steep learning curve. Sadly, it does not have Apple Play. The BlueLink system has three components, Connected Care, Remote Package, and Guidance Package. All are subscription based extra cost. I have used them all during the 90 day free trial period. The Guidance Package allows the user to set the Navi destination remotely from Google. It works, but IMHO is far too expensive for the benefit. The Remote Package has the ability to start and stop the engine and climate system remotely for a smart phone and assist in stolen car recovery. For my purpose, living in Southern California, its not worth the cost. The main features of Connected Care are automatic collision notification and assistance, SOS emergency assistance, and enhanced roadside assistance. I may subscribe to it. I dont yet have the overall gas mileage. The amount shown under Car Details is just a guess because it is required to submit this review. We just drove from Santa Barbara over San Marcos Pass to Lake Cachuma and Solvang, returning on Hwy 101 along the coast. The indicated mpg at the end of the drive was 31.8. All in all, Im very satisfied with the Tucson and recommend it.

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  Very good vehicle - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By rguyah - October 19 - 2:00 am

  I was surprised at how well the vehicle runs. It takes on rain, snow, and ice without hesitation. We got a lot of snow and ice this winter here in Pittsburgh and I honestly drive past people stranded in other SUVs and cars. Easy driving in very bad weather. My wife and I drove to Florida and back with it and absolutely no problem. It was a safe and comfortable ride.

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  xg350 - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By rangerjack - October 19 - 2:00 am

  i am pleasantly surprised at the comfort and reliability of this vehicle.

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  Better than expected - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By sk_66 - October 17 - 10:00 am

  Had the car for 6 months/7000 miles and I love it. Not a single problem other than fighting my wife for it(beats driving the family mini-van). Wish the car had a little more low-end acceleration, but it more than makes up for it with the overall ride.

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  Over 2 years with Sonata 2012 Limited 2.4L with navigation, Hankook-Tire H431 215/55/17 V - 28,000 miles - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By dave436 - October 17 - 9:57 am

  I might be wrong / you have different situation but Id like to help someone who are suffering from the issues as the same as mine. 1. Creaking noise from rear suspension - fixed by dealer 2. Pulling issue & tire noise at high speed - dealers answer : no problem - My solution : Adjust wheel alignment & Changed tires to Michelin MXV4 94H(94V recommend) - It works great. 3. Hands free button malfunction (sometimes) - replaced by dealer 4. Cruise control "SET"/"Cancel" malfunction (50% failure) - dealers answer : no problem - waiting for 100% failure. 5. Weird noise from engine. - Using Octane 91 / 93 Gas. Now Im feeling more comfortable after spending money & time.

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  Hyundai lover! - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sandra Wood - October 15 - 11:22 am

  First of all I had a 2011 Hyundai before this one ! Now, I think this is a great vehicle ! I love the heated leather seats! Plus the Blue Link app is great to have in the winter! I have the sun roof which I would give up for either the rear camera or navigation! The gas Milage around town isnt the greater but great on the highway ! I am keeping this vehicle after the lease but will buy another in the future!