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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  My Elantra GT - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Elantra GT in Cincy - March 22 - 10:00 am

  I wanted a reliable car that was fun to drive at a decent price. The Elantra GT semmed to be the best choice. The features for the price is incredible, as is the warranty. The engine in this car kinks butt, great acceleration and its happy cruising at 90mph. Compared to anything else out there, this is hands down the best choice.

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  Very Pleased - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Very pleased - March 22 - 8:16 am

  We spent considerable time researching mid-size cars before going for a road test. We narrowed our choice to a Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata. After the road test we decided on the Sonata because of its comfort, how it handled on the road, and its performance. We wanted a 4 cyl., but also enough power to handle and perform well. We have not been disappointed at all. The Sonata is a wonderful car for its price, comfort, handling and performance. We have gotten 26 mpg for around town and 34 mpg on the highway. For a couple or a small family, this is an ideal mid- size car.

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  2009 Santa Fe SE AWD - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By JBird - March 22 - 3:13 am

  Traded a 2007 Subaru Forester for the Santa Fe to get some added interior and cargo space and so far Im very pleased. Got a terrific end of year deal too. Almost bought a GLS. Very happy I did not. The GLS is underpowered, plus the SE has all the looks of the Limited minus leather for a couple thousand less. I have one major peeve and a couple minor peeves. The major peeve is no daytime running lamps. For a 2009 vehicle, this is a must have safety feature. Minor peeves are Hyundai should give drivers control over the sensitivity of the automatic headlights sensor, and headroom is cramped if you opt for a sunroof.

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  Impressions by John - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By JohnL - March 22 - 1:06 am

  Bought the car in August. Runs great, no problems. Great car for the price.

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  Major problems with my Tuscon - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Mark Plettinck - March 21 - 3:44 pm

  Currently the 2016 Tuscon is having major problems and Hyundai cant seem to put its finger on what to do or how to comfort those that bought this lemon. I took my Tuscon in after owning it for a month because the car didnt seem to know when to shift into the next gear. They told me it needed a system update and immediately after the update the car was shuttering when you come to a stop. Literally, the car starts vibrating and jerks back and forth as if it wants to move while your foots holding down the brake. Long story short, after talking to 2 different dealerships and customer service and corporate I was told to live with it. That they have no answer to the problem, no idea when it can be fixed and that it may be how the car is supposed to drive. I was livid, I couldnt believe what the guy from Cororate said over the phone. And this came out of Corporate. At that moment I lost all faith in HYundai and I knew I would never again own a Hyundai. Please, please, please do not buy the 2016 Tuscon until this problem is fixed. I am in the process of selling mine as soon as I can. And remember Hyundai may have the best warranty and that may be because they need the best warranty because this vehicle is awful to drive.

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  Great car with Warranty - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By trevor - March 20 - 8:31 pm

  great little car for the money. Great mpg. Performance isnt the greatest but for a 4 cylinder it does good. There is tons of room on the inside of the car. One thing that I did was get tinted windows. car looks alot better.

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  Great crossover for the price - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Aduvas - March 20 - 7:46 pm

  I just bought this a few days ago for my wife after trading my 12 year old Isuzu Trooper in. The Santa Fe feels decidely different than the SUV - it feels much more like a car, and the car chassis build is the clear reason. Its taking me a while to get used to the lower seating compared to the Trooper, reduced powwer and somwwhat limiting rear visibility so far. But those are areas I feel I can get accustomed to - its a differrent vehicle after all. The Santa Fe handles well for its class, feels luxurious for the price on the inside, has modern styling, provides good fuel economy for the class, and is fun to drive around and do regular chores in.

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  Best car I got ..! - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dapril32 - March 20 - 6:20 pm

  Look at this .. after 176,000km on the count. I decided to chage my tire for the first time! They are still good for one summer so I will keep them for next year. The best tire on this thing I never had. No problem at all with this SUV. Did change oil every 5000km, regular maintenance, the closer dealer in my area is about at 200km. Dont need them anyway .. haha The paint still great on it after these years. The one thing is the break that need to be change every 50000 at least. I paid this SUV after 3 years then its money in the bank! I cant compaint at all ...!

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  This is a great car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By emorse - March 20 - 12:51 pm

  After 99500 miles, this has been a great car - fun to drive, reliable, economical. The only repair I have ever paid for on our three Elantras was an oxygen sensor on this one. I replaced the rear brakes once (still OEM in front)and the tires twice (only got 35000 miles from the second set). Gas mileage is great, power is great, 5-speed shifts nicely.

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  Great Value, Great Car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Andrew - March 20 - 11:43 am

  Great car, I have had this car for over 3 years now and have no problems, gas millage is good, spunky 4cyl is more then enough. This car is effortless to drive, I have another car choice of a much more expensive so called "drivers" car and I always choose the Sonata when I have long trips.