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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  very loud road noise - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By David - July 26 - 10:35 pm

  I never expected to buy a new car and can not hear the radio for road the noise. We talked to the dealer about the problem 2 or 3 times. Funny they say they have not heard that before. We found a talk site on cars and guess what that was one of the biggest complants with the Azera. I do not think it is the tires. I think it has no insulation or sound deading in the car and also has a bad suspension under the car. The bad part is once you buy or lease this car they or done with your concerns. Beware David

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  Problems from day one - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By Robbie - July 25 - 7:54 pm

  Had it since 8-07 Within a week my interior dome light broke. had to replace all the tires TWICE, gas mileage isnt as great as they say...i have to fill up AT LEAST twice a week, if not more. I have 50000 miles on it and it overheats bad, and its in the shop getting a new Head gasket...ugh...Trading it in as SOON as i can!

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  Fuel Pump Problem - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Graham Johnson - July 24 - 11:25 am

  I read where the 2008 Hyundais are having a stalling problem due to faulty fuel pump design. I want to include the 2007 Hyundais in the mix. Our car was less than 60 days old when it died on the interstate and my wife was nearly creamed by a semi-truck. She now after reading about the fuel pump problems refuses to drive this car.

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  big sad surprise - 2012 Hyundai Veloster
  By guga - July 22 - 4:43 am

  My 2nd review after I drove to LA and back. The milage was not what was advertised, even freeway. The interior is fine with the exception of the headrest. If you are a short person - be cautious. It is designed for tall people - 57" and over. But the most disappointing aspect is the power - or lack there of I thought I was breaking the demographics as I am older, but it really is a very very cute little old ladies car. I may be an older lady and there is NO power. Going on an uphill on 101, which isnt much of a hill. I will dread driving to Tahoe or Yoemite . Except for the looks that is A++, this car is a disappointment.

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  dont buy it - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By royalty - July 12 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my Hyundai after looking over lots of cars as it seemed the best buy for the money. I WAS SO WRONG! You DO get what you pay for and I got a good looking but cheaply made car. "Drive by wire" accelerator is horrible; bogs and lunges despite reprogram. Transmission has been replaced 4 times. Brakes warped twice and they only cover them once so second time you pay. Battery failed after 2 years and you pay for it - not warranty. Horrible vibration that they couldnt fix until I showed them the TSB to fix it. Clunking noise in front end they couldnt fix until, again, I showed them the TSB to fix. Lots of other problems too numerous to list here. DONT BUY THIS CAR!!!

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  Good car, TERRIBLE corporate support ! - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By Will Geib - July 10 - 12:45 pm

  I returned to the dealer the first thing the next morning after I discovered there was a paperwork error that overlooked applying the Hyundai BOOSTUP savings program in my purchase. BOOSTUP is a savings matching program found on the Hyundai web site. To date, I have recieved, through my dealer, my original $500 deposit, but NOT THE HYUNDAI MATCHING. AFTER 8 MONTHS ! "Things take a long time to be resolved with Hyundai" said the Sales Manager. Wow, do they ever. This was confirmed by the BOOSTUP customer service rep, who said the very same thing. The Williamsburg, VA dealer has resubmitted documents requests several times from Hyundai, as have I. Neither one of us have gotten a satisfactory conclusion to our requst to have the matching BOOSTUP processed. Stall, stall stall. Hyundai owes me $ 500. ITS THAT SIMPLE. My overall rating is soured by the failure of Hyundai to resolve a simple problem. In short, the Sonata seems to be a good value, but dont count on Hyundai to back the dealer or the customer. This is an issue that Edmonds does not include in its review questions. The customer support by the manufacturer is overlooked. For that, I rate Hyundai one star.

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  DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!!! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Pat - July 9 - 1:50 am

  Its a good looking car, performance isnt bad...when the car works and isnt in the damn shop! This car has caused me nothing but problems since I got it. A door handle came off and I barely touched it, the transmission and flywheel had to be replaced at around 75,000 miles. The car is a manual transmission, and during the winter months the parking brake DOES NOT WORK! The brake line freezes and is worthless. Dealership manages to wiggle themselves out of expensive repairs so I have to pay every dollar. Ive easily spent $4,000 - $5,000 to keep this car on the road.

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  Pay more for somthing else....... - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Pete - July 8 - 8:00 pm

  72 thousand miles and transmission will not shift. But not a transmission problem. Warranty is a crock. Hey Folks you pay for what you get. Also sun visors fell off, auto locks stopped, not to mention a dash light problem. The car is simply crap. Dont risk it. Pay 3 to 5 grand more for a good car.

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  Pay now or Pay later - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Cheap? - July 7 - 8:10 am

  We bought the Elantra VE because it handled well on a test drive and we seemed to be getting more for our money, however over the past five years we have spent $8000 in maintenance and repairs. The key fobs wore out in less than two years rendering the alarm system useless. Every problem has been solved on the second visit, not on the first - so we have paid twice to have each problem fixed. The brakes always squeal, the rubber door seals eroded away in less than a year and the fuel system has been cleaned twice. We may have paid less for the Elantra than other 4-Door sedans, but we spent it on repairs over the past 5 years. Our advice - buy North American and pay the extra 5- 8 K up front.

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  Hasnt been a bad car, BUT... - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By kshively - July 6 - 6:24 pm

  I bought this car in spring of 04. I have had a few minor mechanical issues. I have kept up with required tune-ups and maintenance. The gas mileage starts to suck after the car hits about 60000 miles. The paint looks like crap (my car is black, so you can only imagine), and the interior is not very durable at all. I have really babied this car. I love driving it and have actually considered "upgrading" to a new one. Just kind of squeamish investing all that money if in a couple of years its going to visually be an eyesore like the one that I have now!!!