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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  Santa Fe - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By TFWoj - February 20 - 12:30 pm

  This is my favorite vehicle that I have owned and I am 62. I have had no mechanical problem of any kind. The leather interior is nice and the radio sound is excellent. Only concern would be the transmission is a little jerky.

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  Poor mileage, many small problems - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jack Carmody - February 16 - 5:56 am

  Poor gas mileage, sticker showed 19/25. I am getting 17/19. No interior light in drivers compartment. Battery dead if i let it set for 3 days. Drivers wiper fell off in snow storm on Interstate 95.I have to take it in this week to have it aligned, all four tire worn. (18000 miles on it.I have to pay for this myself, it is not covered under warranty. Dealer has been nice. This is a real DAH DUH vehicle. I have called Hyundai and could not get any satisfaction. Check 5 year 100000 mile warranty before you buy.

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  Nice car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By jayman02 - February 15 - 10:00 am

  I bought the 2003 Elantra GlS with a moonroof, keyless, and an alarm, msrp of over $15,000 for less than $13,000 out the door. Definately a good price for the car. It is comfortable too. The only thing I do not like is the interior cloth. It is way too ugly.

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  2012 Limited 2.0T - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By sandstorm05 - February 13 - 5:04 am

  All in all I must say Im impressed with my Sonata. Ive had one issue thus far, problem with the waste gate being out of spec. Evidently there is a Technical Bulletin out regarding it. I have the black on grey leather. Very appealing look, plenty of power, and on long rides it can average 35-38 mpg on the highway. I run 5w40 Amsoil and premium gas.

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  great value, horrible gas mileage - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By scott - February 12 - 2:36 am

  I have been very happy with performance of the car and have to say they have been extremely helpful in the service center of Hyundai. The 5 year bumper to bumper is amazing. The only real issue is the gas mileage - with heat and AWD kicking in sometimes (winter time), I am getting around 10-12 miles/gallon (stop and go on the roads), which is horrible.

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  Very pleased so far - 2009 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Extremely pleased - February 11 - 12:50 pm

  Spotted the VC when I went to look at the Muranos next door. Never entered the Nissan dealership. Most SUV for the money, hands down. I could not believe the build and material quality when I got in it. My other car is a Lincoln Towncar and the VC is as luxurious in every way, and even quieter. Not a full-sized SUV, but seats 7. Could be longer to provide space behind row 3. GLS with premium package should have power passenger seat, and auto AC but doesnt. For 19 mpg combined, could have more power (260 hp). Ford makes a V6 with 355 hp. Europe has it in diesel, US does not. No maintenance issues whatsoever. Shiftronic trans great on hills.

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  value city - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By ronnie baby - February 7 - 9:56 pm

  Owned for 6 mos. - new lower mpg accurate (30 hwy, 20 cty, mixed avg 25- ish). Bought new over my other finalists (used 04 Acura TL or 06 Passat)...spent thousands less...wish I could have gotten XM w/o sunroof. I was attracted to mid size exterior with large car interior; at 62" 230 my middle age frame/girth fits very comfortably. I threaten to move my 11 yr old into its trunk when he misbehaves, it is g-i-a-n-t and hauls my rep samples easily. Std and safety features really a "wow" for the money...hope this current era for Hyundai will be like the Honda/Toyota mid 80s as far as earning reputation, long term reliability. Only failure 1st 6 mos. is driver seat recline electronic switch.

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  2002 Sonata GLS w/moonroof - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By 2002gls - February 7 - 7:10 pm

  Took it on trip from SD to Palm Springs fully loaded w/ 4 adults& it performed excellent up&down winding grades & cruised effortlessly on the freeway. I purchased 10yr/100,000 BtoB warranty, but later cancelled it because I felt I was overcharged ($1400). Ive seen posts where the going price is about $700. Suggested improvements: Being of average American male height 511", I have difficulty finding an absolute comfortable steering wheel position & the drivers seat feels way too high to me.

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  Sonata V6 Limited - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Rick - February 5 - 7:20 pm

  I have had the car since 12-21-08 and am very pleased with the fit and finish. The performance is very good and I like all the standard features that are extra on many other models. The heated seats are appreciated in the winter weather. Great car for a road trip. Very good value for the money.

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  A great value...for a budget performance - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Loar55 - February 4 - 10:00 am

  Fun to drive. A load of features for the buck. Leather 4 whl discs. CD etc. Feels taughter and stops much better than our 03 GLS. But also feels heavier, and maybe not as fast. I have had 7 Toyotas and sell high-end cars for a living. Theres a lot of merit in these cars...especially when we bought two (one GLS and one GT) for under 25k out the door.