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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  A Well Kept Secret - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By voodoo9055 - February 2 - 2:00 am

  For starters, the realiablity on this car is amazing. I am now pushing a little over 43,000 and I have not experience any major problems. I have replaced some sort of sensor that was part of a recall. Other than that, I had to take it to the dealership twice because my driver side window stop working. It was the regulator. Overrall, it is a nice car, but you WILL get bored of it quickly!!! If you are buying this car based on price and this is all you can afford, then it is a good buy. Otherwise, if you are buying this car and you can afford a better car, then dont buy this car because you wont be happy.

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  Great purchase - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By jprich - January 30 - 9:53 pm

  My first new car. Read a lot of reviews. Had a great deal (rebate) + winter tires and other free goodies. Had it for 5 months and nearly 10k km on it. Went on a trip to Boston from Montreal and the car ran perfectly well. Very comfortable and roomy. Gas mileage on road is greater than expected. Bit disappointed for city mileage though. Had a burned tail light and the small door speaker unglued itself on the first month but got them fixed right away. No biggies.

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  Braking Problem - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By HassanZaidi - January 27 - 8:40 am

  I have 2007 Senta Fe that had CV joint rotation issue. i had it replaced. Later I have an issue with its breaks. It seems to have a longer breaking distance than SUVs I ownered before. In the last snow storm, the vehicle failed to stop safely within 25 feet @ a speed of 15 MPH. It resulted in a $6000 frontal damage to my car, with minor damage to car in front. I had the brakes checked and the shop told me that brakes/ pads are fine. I do not know how to correct this issue. Can anyone advise me how to resolve this issue? Thanks.

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  Spiffy - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By ABQTones - January 26 - 12:50 am

  Love it! Its not perfect, BUT great torque and pick-up. Accelerates very quickly. With respect to driving experience, the only thing Ive noticed is that it can sometimes be a little slow to respond when coming out of a dead stop. Its like it takes an extra second or two before it realizes it needs to go and once that happens the car moves very quickly. Wish it were a little more responsive. Looks great, VERY sexy. Ive gotten compliments from co-workers and friends! (very cynical people)

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  Hyundai Sonata - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By chenriks2000 - January 25 - 2:00 am

  Ive been very pleased with the car.

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  Overlooked gem - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By STEVE GONCZI - January 24 - 8:06 pm

  Awesome value. Bought it for one of my kids. I am comparing it to my Mercedes CLA-250 ( eco fvs cla) : Similar, small turbo engine 1.6L vs 2.0L. Similar torque and torque curve. 198 foot/lbs available from 1500 RPM and up. Both cars are pleasant to drive, esp. compared to the screaming high rev downshifts of the 2.4l baseline engine. Both cars have a dual clutch 7 speed tranny. The ecos tranny seems to work better, and faster. Price paid: 18.5 K vs 35K. Neither has a spare tire. Tires: 16 inch Michelin Energy vs. 17" low profile Pirelli run-flats. Handling, road feel: Hyundai cannot beat a German car as of yet. The benz wins here. Fit and finish, rattles:Hyundai wins. Example: 2x hydraulic hood suppors on the hyundai, cheap metal stick for the Benz. Seriously? Brakes: Hyundai wins so far. The benz had the front rotors replaced at 20K and now needs new rotors again at 38K. (Uneven wear, thickness variation) Warranty: hyundai wins, (6/64 vs 4/48) although the turbo is not part of the power train, so not 10/100 only 6/64. Seriously? Excellent fuel eco ( 35 vs 36 in mixed driving, 40 vs 42 on highway. Gasoline: Hyundai runs fine w normal vs Benz needs Super (runs noticeably worse on anything less). Looks: the benz wins hands down. Back seat comfort: The benz back seats are for 2 small adults or childen. The eco has OK back seats. Gripes: the Benz windshield sucks. I am on my 2nd one, it seems to crack easily. Both brands are goin to an overpriced "bundled service" model, invented by some marketing genius. Benz A service is $200 , B service is $400. The former is a glorified oil change, witness my service invoices. Way overpriced. Hyundai is attempting to go to a similar model, with a long list of "check this and inspect that" and charge an insane amount of money. Check out the service brochure and you will see what I mean. They try to present this travesty as a fantastic deal, as in if you commit to have them maintain your car, they give you some money off the insanely overinflated scheduled service cost.

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  Almost everything you could want - 2017 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By Lynnette Russell - January 23 - 5:32 am

  Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited has almost everything you could want. Things missing that could really dress it up include heated steering wheel, auto sensor wipers, and keys that remember the vehicle settings specific to the key user. But honestly, these arent deal killers, quite obviously since I bought the car. Its a great car in regards to other luxury features and the mileage is the crown jewel. Love that mileage!!

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  Carls review on the new XG350L - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By revdrcarl - January 22 - 2:00 am

  I like this car, and suspect that it will only improve in power and styling in the years to come. Hundai makes a highly under rated and quality mid-size automobile.

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  Nice car, poor tranny - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By MarcBaltimore - January 20 - 10:00 am

  I bought this vehicle because I needed versatility on the cheap. It has delivered. The fit and finish is excellent. Interior space is great. Im a wood worker and it has hauled plywood and long boards well. I only have 4000 miles on it so reliability is still to be determined. My only complaint is the automatic transmission. It is slow, stupid and easily confused. If you put the pedal down hard, it has horrible lag and then when the foot comes up the engine/tranny are still confused. Wish this was better.

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  Great car - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By El dog - January 20 - 2:00 am

  Ive driven over 32000 miles in this car since Feb. 2000. No major problems, and its a powerful small vehicle with 140hp. I have the five speed which lets me keep up with the big guys. I cant think of a better car for the money.