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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  What a surprise - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Dave M. - July 13 - 7:37 am

  I do have to say this CUV has surprised me, I am coming out of a 2015 Forester XT which I sent back under the Lemon Law, hated the CVT, and had nothing put problems with it after 10,000 miles, my first Subaru, may be the last. On to the Tucson, I read all about the DCT, and test drove the car 3 times before the purchase, at first was going to get the Base 1.6, but after reading all that came with the Sport decided to upgrade a little. Its worth the extra $1700, blind spot monitoring, cross traffic alert with the back up camera, 19" wheels, heated seats, and the best part the automatic rear hatch opening when to walk up. I am 63" stocky, and fit fine, did not fit in the CRV hate the CVT anyway), the Mazda CX-5, or the Rav-4. Back to the DCT, I understand why people complain, but if you stay out of the ECO Mode, unless you are cruising on the highway, its great, even normal has good punch off the line, and still no matter what I do getting 28-31 MPG. Interior fit, and finish is great, heated seats work well, two minor complaints, no locking glove box, and there is a dead spot when backing up slowly. If you are in the market for a CUV drive this one, just stay out of ECO mode, do Sport Mode youll love it.

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  Lovin it - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Vince - July 13 - 4:36 am

  I love this car its the second new car Ive had Toyota camery 91 it was small and had very little power 2.2l, but this Sonata V6 is great.

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  Quality and Super Reliability - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ron M - July 12 - 10:00 am

  Great Car very reliable, would buy another one in a heartbeat.

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  Most Good, with some quirks - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By JWL - July 9 - 1:20 pm

  Pros: smooth drive train, great seats, overall pleasantness Quirks: engine isolation not the best - small engine vibration noticeable, stereo drops iphone bluetooth connection fairly often, wanders down the road a bit at 75+ (vs. prior Volkswagen Passat), regular stereo a little tinny - no speakers in front doors, only on dash, trunk has to be slammed, lots of little chirping noises and songs, using navigation with apple carplay means not listening to the radio (the limited does not come with built-in nav unless additional option package selected), stereo to me seems a little complicated (again, compared to VW Passat). Overall great car and happy with it, just a little quirky.

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  Air Bag/Customer Service Problems - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Nikki Yount - July 5 - 10:40 am

  I recently had a head-on accident in my Veracruz (airbags did NOT deploy), with $13,000 worth of damage and I am getting absolutely no help from Hyundai National Consumer Affairs. In fact, they sent me a letter regarding my vehicle and the accident and stated the wrong vehicle in the letter - they mentioned I owned an Elantra. I will be getting rid of my Veracruz and never purchasing a Hyundai again. Customer service says a lot for a company.

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  not bad - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By not_you01 - July 3 - 12:10 pm

  I have had my 2003 Tiburon for over 1 1/2 years. I too have had problems with my windows and some with my sunroof cover. At 30k miles my battery went bad. Thank goodness for the warranty. Also when I am going down the highway at 75 mph the RPMs are around 3500-4000. This took some getting used to. I asked the dealer and they claimed the car is geared low. I didnt expect a really luxurious car for the money, so I am not really to disappointed at the lack of quality in the interior of the car, and a lot of people have commented on the style of the car, especially when I first bought it.

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  good car but some limitations - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By carl12 - July 2 - 3:14 pm

  I bought this car used in 2010. I replaced a bmw 535. I was impressed how the car is built. It is pretty bullet proof. It is much quieter than a Honda and rides as nice as a Toyota model. My commute takes me 130 miles over two mountain passes in Washington. I carry between 2 and 4 adults. I average 28.5 mpg. Another carpooler gets 31 with his 6 cylinder Camry. So, that disappoints. The other issue is that the weight limit on this car is about 835 lbs. 4 adult men add up to that and if you add any luggage, you are around 1000 lbs. I mention this because during one drive on an icy I-90, flat road, I could barely hold the car to the road, semi trucks passed me.

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  t - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By EZZWHO - June 30 - 7:00 am

  the front end had a pinching noise when the steering was compleatly turned in either direction, And the car was in a compleate u turn with weight bearing down on which ever side the wheel was turned might jus be an isolated fault,

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  Sonata99 - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ba1976 - June 30 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Sonata for a little over a year and for the most part its been a decent car however within the last 3 months I have had the O2 sensors reaplaced and the spark plug wires replaced twice as well as the transmission going out. Also my locks started locking when I start the car and unlock when I turn it off but my keyless entry quit working.Hey Lose a feature gain another.Think ill buy an acura next

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  97 Hyundai Accent GT - 1997 Hyundai Accent
  By Toxa - June 29 - 2:00 am

  EXTREMELY RELIABLE: vehicle has over 100K now. The only things I ever had to change were battery, thermostat, battery cables and windshield washer pump. Very good handling and performance for the price. Very roomy inside. Durability of paint was very poor though, and the ride could be more comfortable. Also rather noisy, but it is normal for the class.