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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  Welcome back to Hyundai - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By cadadof3 - December 10 - 4:00 am

  MY first experience with a Hyundai product was a 1986 Excel. Just started searching for a new vechicle and found the Tucson. WOW, I fell in love with it the moment I spotted it on the lot. Test drove it and was hook - had to have it. All the instrumentation was easy to find and read. Controls were easyily accessible. I was new to the SUV type vechicle and I felt at home behind the wheel.

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  Out of the ball park - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By Doug - December 10 - 12:39 am

  Just traded a 7 month old 2016 SE for the new 2017 Limited. So many nice safety and other features standard. Much quieter and solid feeling, love the drive mode for the steering/transmission. Cant rate the reliability due to the newness of the car, but based on my other 2 Elantras, it should be a home run also.

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  Great During the Daylight Hours - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By conr2286 - December 9 - 6:00 pm

  The Veracruz has absolutely the best 3rd row seating available in a crossover suv. And if youre filling those seats, the fuel economy per passenger-mile is great. But, our vehicle has averaged only 16 mpg in mostly city travel. And at $4.00/gallon... A hybrid might be worth the extra cost.

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  It goes and goes and goes... - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Lisa - December 9 - 2:58 pm

  Purchased this car brand new in summer 2002, it was my first new car. I was young, didnt shop around a lot and basically got it because it was in my price range. Ive been pleasantly surprised with it. Very reliable. Has been in the shop only for minor issues (the power windows, the rear wiper and a problem with the idle), all of which were covered by warranty. Great gas mileage on highway (av. 36)...only okay "mixed" (av. 26). I love my little car, though Im thinking of trading it for something slightly larger that would be a little more comfortable on road trips. (I will miss the MPG if that happens!) Has been a reliable car that got me through college and is still going into adulthood.

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  Had it for little more than a month. I am happy! - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By Genette - December 9 - 2:32 pm

  I purchased a 2016 Honda Civic EX in January. Had nothing but issues out of it. Besides the ride being a little too firm for me. You could never ignore the road noise. Also mine came with a few manufacturer defects and Honda would not address them appropriately. So I sold it and got a Hyundai Sonata Sport instead, based on a recent rental car experience (new SE 2016 Sonata) a few weeks earlier. The engine is tepid, lets be honest, the Honda Accord I tested accelerated much better. However I am no longer a speed demon and it accelerated well enough and passed others cars with no fuss. The entire is absolutely quiet, almost to luxury car level (compared to a previously owned Lexus ES300) and at times you feel you are floating on a cushion of air. It is large inside, easily fitting me and my relatives with plenty of legroom in the back seat. It gets decent mileage (Im averaging 37 on the highway, although the rental I had did 39.6 with a constant speed of 70mph). The exterior is simple, not as exciting as the Optima, but I think it will look better in the long run than the Optima. The interior looks more upscale than the Accord and it has soft touch plastic in areas, where the Accord has clothe, such as your arm rest. Felt the clothe would be harder to keep clean. The entertainment system had knobs, and big easily read buttons, placed in a logical manner. The Civic & Accord touchscreens with slide volume control drove me crazy. Lastly, Ive only taken it into service once to replace a defective radio. Hyundai ordered me a new radio and install it with no muss and no fuss. I wanted an economical highway cruiser and with this car, I got one.

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  I love my Sonata - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By EdZal - December 9 - 2:00 am

  I like it more than the Honda Accord. I switched from Honnda Accord to the Sonata and I do not regret it a bit.

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  Hyundai NO way! - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Hyundia NO way!! - December 8 - 9:25 pm

  Such poor quality, It rides like a buck board and so much road noise its deafening. The radio has a hissing that is growing with age. The cheap battery didnt even last two years. Cheap tires only lasted 26,000 mi. It has never seen 37 mpg not even on a flat road at 60 mph with no A/C. The 85 dollar drivers door gasket has disintegrated twice. I dont even drive it on a daily basis and the sea tbelt does not readily retract all the way. The seat springs are already starting to go. In the smallest amount of snow and Ice it gets stuck. The body is of such cheap metal It collapsed when I accidentally closed the hatch on the XM antenna. In dry so cal climate the steel wheels are already rusting

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  Love my Crystal Blue too! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Vinspud - December 8 - 10:00 am

  We also looked at all of the small SUVs on the market. The RAV, Vibe/Matrix, Sportage and Tracker were too small. The Highlander was too expensive. The Vue and the Liberty was rather funky looking, and more expensive than the Sante FE. And the Liberty was very hard to get into and difficult to put groceries in the back window with the tire in the way. The Escape/Tribute a little noisey and also more expensive. The CRV was rather bland looking with a tire on the back door. The Sante Fe is the right size, the right price(loaded!), the right warranty and looks great, especially in Blue!

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  As they say "Driving is beleiving" - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Hyundai driver - December 8 - 10:00 am

  After driving a BMW 325IS for 5 years I decided that I needed to upgrade to something with 4 doors with the ability to carry cargo. I drove numberous other SUVs mini and mid sized. None of them could complete with the feel, drive, design, and space of the Hyundai, not to mention the warranty. The Hyundai Santa fe is the best in its class hands down and as they say "Driving is believing" beacause once you drive the new Hyundais you will agree.

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  No longer a minivan Mom! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By NoMoreMinivans! - December 8 - 10:00 am

  We looked at the Trib, the CRV, and the Escape, and it was close between the SF and the Escape, but the truck-like ride in the Ford wouldnt do for the long hauls. The kids have room in the back seat, were comfortable in the front seat, theres room in the back for all our stuff; everyones happy. My Dad, a mechanic, drove my SF and likes it better than his 2001 Highlander, which cost $4K more! What a cool looking vehicle!! I think its the best design on the road, hands down. With the old Hyundai rep, I was wary of trying one. Now that Ive bought the SF, its pretty clear that theyre serious about competing in the market. Im converted!