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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  Love this vehicle! - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Laurie L - October 31 - 7:26 pm

  This is my first Hyundai and I am impressed. I had two Navigators before this and it is so nice to downsize. I have about 2750 miles on the car so far and I am getting 18.7 mpg. I am on the highway and in the city equally. The ride is very smooth and quiet. I love the navigation system. I was going to buy the Lexus 400h, but I saw a review on this car and took it for a test drive. I was sold and very happy to save over $10,000! I would recommend this vehicle. I am very satisfied.

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  Sonata owner since 2007!!!! - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By lauree - October 31 - 1:00 pm

  My second sonata since 2007! Let me say this 2017 has So much interior room and a nice ride on the road! Huge trunk! The only downfall for me is the fabric on seats..I feel it should have been better quality for a 21,000 dollar car. My other sonata was a 3.3 liter and I loved the extra horsepower. Maybe for 2018 model Hyundai should add V6 as a option which will make me buy another great Sonata!!!!! also change the fabric on the seats to have them higher quality and plush.

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  Value for Dollars - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Milind - October 30 - 9:30 pm

  A lot of standard features. ABS, ESP, CD/MP3 player, keyless entry, anti theft. Great style, wide tires ideal vehicle for Candian winter conditions. I did a lot of research compared Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4 an landed up buying a Tuscon and I feel I made the correct decision

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  1st Impressions - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Van - October 30 - 8:30 am

  We were going to buy a Sonata when we saw the coupe and were floored. Took it for a test drive and were sold on the spot knowing Hyundais reliability. Having only put 250 miles on the vehicle, its a little early to give true impressions and ratings on the vehicle until it is broken in. MPG for this vehicle so far is good having obtained an average of 25 MPG on both Hwy/City... as long as you can keep your foot from getting heavy on the gas. This car is a blast to drive for the price and handles very well and predictable. Yes, there are some small quirks Ive noticed, but I can easily look past these for the fun and pleasure of driving this car.

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  Not a bad choice - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By gls117 - October 29 - 6:39 pm

  I like this car very much so far. It took me for a ride in the first 8000 miles with a broken motor mount and air bag light, but it was all covered under warranty...no questions from the dealer. The 5spd trans is pretty responsive and much more fun to drive than the auto. I bought the car new feb 06 and have 44000 on the clock. No real problems since. I recommend this car as long as you keep up with the maintenance.

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  My review - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By coldnose - October 29 - 10:00 am

  A very nice car that is very comfortable to ride in for long distances. Does great in snow and rain and has good traction on ice.

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  Well done Hyundai - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By BigGuy - October 29 - 8:30 am

  Could not be more pleased. I test drove all makes of Mid size amd Full size SUV and have no doubt we make the correct purchase. Style,ride,performance and value the only question I have is relaibility and with the Hyundai track record I fell good.

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  Bought this car and they erred in pricing, =) - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By RedneckSavant - October 29 - 12:28 am

  The Hyundai dealership realized there error and sold it to me for the lower price anyway. Its a great car and we absolutely love it. I got 40.4 MPG on the way home at 5MPH under the speed limit. The only thing I dont like is that the android auto app requires a USB connect and doesnt work over blutooth. (The kids blew out my HDMI ports by hot swapping cables on the 72" TV so I worry about these things now.)

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  Best car Ive ever owned! - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By rossk - October 28 - 12:32 pm

  I have owned nearly 30 cars, and the Genesis Coupe is by far my favorite. Its comfortable, fun to drive, reliable (no problems after 30,000 miles), and it looks great. Hyndai name or not, this is one of the best values for the money, and one of the best sports coupes - period - on the market today. It may not be the fastest 0-60, but it sure is quick, and it has amazing handling characteristics. If you are looking for a PURE sports car that is liveable & reliable, this is the car for you. I cant wait to drive this car every day!

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  Reliable cross country, in city, and in snow - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kyle - October 27 - 6:55 pm

  I bought the car used in 2005 with 18000 miles on it in New Mexico. Today I have 213000 miles on the car. I drove the car cross country over the mountains of Colorado and California and the high deserts of New Mexico. In New Mexico I easily made 31 MPG in this car because I do not speed and accelerate easily. However in 2007 I moved to Wisconsin. I towed a Uhaul cross country from New Mexico to Wisconsin without a problem. In Wisconsin I can not get better than 26 mpg no matter how easily I drive. The octane in NM was 86, here I use 89. I attribute the loss in MPG to ethanol. I have spent LESS THAN 2000 dollars total in maintenance and this includes planned maintenance at 150000 mile with a tune up, belts, hoses, and timing chain. (No issue just replaced them all at 150000 miles.) This car has been a superb and reliable vehicle for me. There are quirks in the vehicle that are not important to me but you may find of interest. The faux wood trim is peeling away from the central air vents, the paint has completely came off all 4 door handles, my drivers side rear chrome ripped off in a severe wind storm later claimed to be F1 tornado. All these issues are not important to me because in the last 11 years EVERY TIME I started the car (EVERY TIME) it has started on the first try and has performed excellent. A few cosmetic issues for this quality of operation is worth it to me. The only concerns I have for this vehicle are: The A.C. seals failed at about 150000 miles. I moved from New Mexico to Wisconsin so guess what I never fixed it. It does not get hot here. If I lived in New Mexico still this would be a problem. The fuel gas cap solenoid failed and Hyundai wanted 95.00 JUST for the solenoid labor was extra. I finally fixed it after enough people chased me down to let me know my gas cover was open. (Nice people up here, tired of worrying them) The headlights burn out quickly in the car and the springs that hold the lights into the headlight fixtures could have used some simplicity instead of elaborate spring design. I have to remove the battery from the car to change the driver side headlight because my hands are too big for the small space. Other than this, the car has been excellent! If you can live with these superficial issues and want a car that has the quality where it counts, the 2005 V6 is a definite SURE THING for me. I once thought of looking for a 2010 V6 to replace this one, but the car still starts every time and why pay for a newer car when this one is still so darned reliable.