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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  Good car for the money - mostly - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By L - October 14 - 3:33 pm

  I have had this car for over two months and have taken two substantial trips with it, in addition to daily city driving. Plusses: fabulous pick- up; good performance; decent comfort; roomy; fairly smooth ride (especially when fully loaded with passengers); GREAT highway mileage -- my record so far: 38.4 mpg (single occupant, A/C, minimal luggage, flat topography, cruise control, 65-68 mph); Minuses: cant seem to fill tank up without the pump auto-shutting off at about 2/3 full; mysterious fresh petroleum odor from air-vents, especially when idling; confusing/ambiguous/redundant- looking A/C temp/fan controls; auto headlights dont seem to activate easily enough (e.g., when rainy, cloudy)

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  Its Okay - 2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By urbanhippie001 - October 14 - 11:00 am

  Overall, the car is reliable. However, Ive had to replace the odometer/dash twice (w/in 60K miles) due to the numbers disappearing on me. Not sure if due to malfunction, heat/sun, etc... But its annoying because the fix resets the odometer back to 0. I really miss my old 2005 Hyundai (accent). It was made better than this car. Other than that, the car has been reliable. No major problems aside from odometer. Does not accelerate quickly. Would I buy one again? Unfortunately, no.

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  Comfort and Style - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Red - October 14 - 4:46 am

  Comfortable ride! Its like sitting at home on my sofa. The independent 4 wheel suspension, leather seats, and low noise all add up to a smooth driving experience. The V6 engines performance is fine! Nobody buys one of these for a race car. Also, as a previous original owner of a 1989 Jeep Wrangler, and current owner of a 2000 Mustang, I have experienced many bumpy rides down the freeway during long vacation trips. We no longer have this inconvenience!

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  Delivers much more than it costs - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By TimAv - October 14 - 2:00 am

  I have run my fully loaded GS for over two years as a spare car and it is worth every penny. That is all you spend on this car is pennys. Even with the bigger engine the oil capacity is just 3.5 qts. Oil changes are cheap! It is actually fun to drive and decently engineered. Im 62" and it fits me ok. The body rolls a little more than I like but the ride is good for a small car and you can hustle it around and it responds. A really good value.

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  cheapest and nicest car i ever bought - 1999 Hyundai Accent
  By niceDave - October 12 - 2:00 am

  This car gets great gas mileage and is fun and easy to drive.

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  Possible Hyundai Convert - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By PapayaMoo - October 10 - 1:33 am

  The 08 Santa Fe is one fun car to drive. It feels light and responsive and the acceleration is very good. The novelty of the blue dashboard light wears off for me fairly quickly but everything is well lite and functions appropriately.

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  Bought it for the Kids! It pays off! - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Greg from Philly - October 9 - 2:36 am

  I was weary about leaving the Honda family (5 cars bought) and trading in my Firebird, but now that Im a daddy twice over (not at once that God!), its time to think kids. I bought the Tucson (a 4-cylinder, FWD) thinking how can this compare to Hondas reputation...Well, with all the little great things about the interior for me and the kids, the gas mileage and air bags (one big interior balloon!), it was a no-brainer. The CRV is nice, but boxey and over- priced. Toyota, never liked. Anything American-made, lousy junk (sorry USA). Granted its not my Firebird, but the features, warranty, price, build, and SAFETY for my kids is worth every penny. It also looks nicer than the Sante Fe!

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  Sonats - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By Cml - October 8 - 7:49 pm

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  My little red GT - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By nationalcarriers - October 8 - 10:00 am

  Only problems Ive ever had were with the roof bracket. It keeps coming loose and Ive had it fixed now three times... this time I only made it about 7 miles from the dealership and its loose again. Other than that, I love this car!

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  Great car...if you keep it forever!! - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tee - October 8 - 2:00 am

  The car looks good and drives good. I had to replace the battery after almost 3 yrs., and the warranty lived up to itself. My main complaint is the resale value. If you are going to buy one, buy it used. We are getting ready to trade it in, and we are extremely disappointed in the trade in value.