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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  STAY AWAY! - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Harkins - July 2 - 10:33 pm

  My first "new" car & I have had nothing but issues. I bought it used with 15k. I have had it less than 3 years now & have had to replace the tires 4 times & have to get an alignment every 4 months...I only do hwy driving! My catalytic converters just went out at $1300 a piece & I only have 60k on the car....thank god for the federal law that is making them replace it. I always have issues with the sensors, car doesnt start in the cold & nuts & bolts seem to always fall off of it. I am on my way to pick up my car from the shop (97 miles away) & am going to trade it in on something that is NOT a HYUNDAI!

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  mynuts - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By fabio - June 27 - 10:37 pm

  good vehicle, does everything ok, superior MPG, I get 33 avg. The trans is generally smooth but it has its hiccups. Plenty of interior room, very comfortable inside. Overall satisfied but would not buy this car new (resale value is horrible).

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  Horrible Car!!!! - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Amy M - June 26 - 7:56 pm

  My husband and I bought a Hyundai thinking it would be a great purchase....We were wrong!!!! After 2 months of owning the car it has needed a new timing belt, radiator and engine!!!!! ALSO, under 3 RPMs the car rattles. We have brought it to numerous dealerships and none have been able to fix the problem. We wish we could just return the car!!!!

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  Had Everything, but Interior Flatlined the Deal - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By AutoImpressions - June 26 - 12:47 pm

  If you like the Camry, the Sonata needs to be at the top of your test drive list! This is an outstanding feature packed, comfortable, great daily driver. And the different configurations and add on pkgs allow you to get what you want without having to shell out $ for things you could care less about. My favorite feature on the Sport version are the seats. They have the sports fabric down the middle, w/leather side bolsters, and you still get the heated seat feature. The Sonata Sport and the Chrysler 200S are the only mid size sedans I found that offer this combo. I really tried to convince myself to get this car; it had everything on my checklist for a fantastic price. But, the interior read bland, plastic, and souless to me, I just couldnt see myself being happy driving it everyday. Ended up purchasing the 2016 Kia Optima EX w/premium pkg instead - liked the sportier exterior & interior styling much better.

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  Hyundai 2007 hatch back - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By Yvyuca - June 25 - 11:32 am

  I bought my car in 2007. I have had problems from the beginning. I just wanted to know if anyone else out there has had problems with the car not starting after making a few stops around town? I turn the key but nothing happens. It is almost like the battery is dead but everything else works. After I try for a while the car finally starts. I took it to the dealer, but they cannot seem to find anything wrong with the car. I am very frustrated with the situation. I was stuck in a parking lot for over a half hour . I have finally decided to let them keep the car until they can find what is wrong with it. I am very interested in knowing if anyone else is experiencing this same problem.

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  After 3 new Hyundais..This is my last - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By hydman - June 24 - 11:00 am

  Windows go down instead of up... Dealer cant duplicate. Trip odometer resets itself. Dealer cant duplicate. Radio has no volume. Dealer cant duplicate. Mirrors self adjust. Dealer cant duplicate. Hood latch doesnt work. Dealer says you have to play with it. Air intake for electrical component cooling in rear wheel well... 5 miles on a dirt road clogs filter... Dealer says car not meant to be driven on dirt road. Tsb on rear sunshade says replace known defective gear... Dealer says not covered under warranty. Lack of concern by Hyundai consumer affairs. 100,000 miles on santafe... No problems 50,000 miles on elantra... No problems 70,000 miles on azera... Nothing but problems.

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  A great throw away care - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By wildbrushfire - June 19 - 4:45 pm

  I bought this car in 2004, it had 13K miles on it. Thank God I had at least half the manufacturers warranty on it. I had to have both power window tracks placed - I had to have the TP sensor replaced. I have regular maintenance on this car, I use it to get back and forth to work. Ive put the average 10-11K miles on it every year. It has 54K miles on it now and its in the garage getting the transmission rebuilt. I know this is a cheap but if youre having to replace your tranny after 50K miles you might has well just spend the money up front for a better made vehicle.

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  2000 Hyundai Sonota sub frame rot - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By fariam - June 18 - 11:56 am

  I bought this car with 11000 miles on it. Overall it has been pretty reliable until about 75000 miles I have had to replace all the wheel bearings. Now at 86000 miles the sub-frame is rotted from the inside out. This is the first time I have ever seen a sub frame rot on a vehicle less than 14 years old. It is a shame that Hyundai will build a car that the sub frame rots from the inside out. This is very dangerous and costly to repair.

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  ok for the money - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By jeff - June 17 - 4:22 pm

  Daily driver, the first year the car seemed pretty solid. After that you started hearing more noise. Too much maintance for such a small car. If you dont follow the schedule it will void the so called 100,000 mile warranty!

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  2011 Sonata 2.0T - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By walt10683 - June 14 - 10:54 pm

  I purchased a 2.0T SE, I love the gas mileage and power but these cars have had hundreds complains concerning the steering. If there is a crown in the road at highway speeds, the car will pull hard towards it. Please test drive yours if youre thinking of buying! In the left highway lane. Hyundai is not fixing the problem.