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:

• 

  Hyundai - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Bob Boeschel - October 8 - 10:10 am

  At first I was impressed with the car, but the doorhandles fell apart twice. I had a constant squeak in the right rear when going over bumps.Also the air noise in the car was enough where I had to turn up the radio. The dealer helped as much as he could. But I still have the squeak and air noise.I would also improve the ride. Very hard.

• 

  Great value - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Howie - October 7 - 10:20 pm

  1 month into a 24 lease on a bare bones Sonata GLS. Only extras mine came with are carpeted floormats. Thats fine b/c my lease payment is peanuts. This car is surprisingly powerful for a 4cyl. Its decent off the line but on the highway its really superb. Its cruises at 80 effortlessly with more power to spare. Ive only got 1300 miles on it but my mileage has been around 24mpg overall but I floor it most of the time. Comfort is decent. Car drives very well, has good road manners and feels well composed. Car certainly isnt flashy but I like its clean looks and I really enjoy driving it regardless. For the money, I think the Sonata is unbeatable.

• 

  Concerns about warranty - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ML - October 6 - 8:56 pm

  We have put 24K on this car. Bought for wife, she hates it, and chooses to drive our 04 accord 100K+miles. The interior scratches easily and there are alot of rattles. The suspension is noisy and a little soft. Other than that it is powerful, comfortable, attractive, and at a great price. The interior is really the place of my frustration in terms of rattles (fixed one, but there are many), feedback noise issue (told me its normal) and seat pocket tears (havent heard back from dealer yet, its been weeks) I am concerned that, regardless of the problem, the dealer will passively resist my concerns. And so, with less than 2 years and 24K I am considering trading.

• 

  Impressive and Popular - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By cangelino87 - October 6 - 5:11 pm

  I have been researching Hyundai since it entered the American car market. They have come a long way, and have been successful. I am a car enthusiast and decided to give a Hyundai a shot. Recently leased a 2011 Sonata Limited. The car is wonderful. I had to take it in for a canopy rattle that ended up coming from the sunroof. The dealership gave me a rental car and rebuilt the sunroof over night. The rattle/creak is now gone. One thing that is annoying is the door-stays are not very strong and its hard to keep the doors open sometimes. I notice a slight vibration in the steering column upon acceleration, but otherwise its smooth. Love the car, very sleek and sophisticated.

• 

  Grins and complaints - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Masked - October 5 - 10:00 am

  Ive had minor problems as soon as I drove it off the lot. Auto-down on the p/w didnt work, Stereo is messed up, and the power locks stopped working. All have been fixed VERY quickly and Ive been very impressed with the dealer. Driving it has been fun and it corners well, but when I have a group of friends in the car to say the power is gone is an understatement. I also find the seats to be extremely uncomfortable, and Im only 6 feet tall. Interior is nice otherwise. Watching heads turn as I drive by cars on the interstate is also a hobby of mine now.

• 

  Solid Compact Utility Vehicle - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By FamilyontheWay - October 4 - 9:06 am

  Im "stepping down" from a decade of owning cars costing $10k more. I bought this for the high reliability (Im expecting) and the value it represents. It may be hard to wrap your head around that fact that this is a compact car, with a midsize wheelbase and tremendous interior space. It IS fun to drive, though not sporty, but torquey, taut and surprisingly refined. Its not fast, but competent and capable around town and on the hiway. It has a "do anything" demeanor, but rides like a car, not an SUV. The biggest drawbacks being the 4 speed auto, oddly weighted steering and the 2L engine that makes only 140 Hp. But brakes are excellent, built quality high, and the interior well thought out.

• 

  Still Happy - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By LS - October 2 - 12:56 pm

  66,000 miles.., still going strong. Nothing new to report. Still very impressed with the engine/gearbox combination. I service the car as per the manufacturers recommendation.. Got a clean bill of health during last visit to dealer, all recalls done. Everything, nav, sunroof, climate control etc.., no problems, working well. Overall, love the look and acceleration! The car is holding up and I am happy.. still no complaints.

• 

  6 month owner - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By kevin - September 29 - 9:46 am

  I have owned for 6 months, and have been very happy with it so far. After extensive comparisons and test driving, I chose it over vehicles like RAV4, CR- V, Liberty, etc. Why? Value for the price, comfort for driver & passenger, automatic with manual control, 4WD lock. My complaints so far are few: The console between the front seats is too low to function well as an arm rest, and needs to be about 2" higher (Im average height). I would like an inch or 2 more clearance. The automatic transmission is not as smooth as I would hope. And gas mileage is not stellar for the vehicles size. That said, Im extremely happy with the Tucson and would easily recommend it to others.

• 

  Worth reading - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By John - September 28 - 12:50 pm

  Let me start by saying that I think any new car review by owner needs to be prefaced with "What car were you driving before you bought this ?" Everyone has their own standards by which the judge a car. It would be helpful to know where the owner is "coming from". In my case, I was driving a 97 4Cyl Camry with 101K miles. I have owned the Sonata for 3 months now, and so far I am really pleased with all aspects of it. Initially I felt that the steering was a little bit of a slave to the road, pulling either way depending on which side of the crown I was on. But that has worked itself out after the first month. This is a great car.

• 

  Not sorry I bought it! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By aschwindt - September 28 - 10:00 am

  I bought mine for the warranty and price. I did a lot of research 1st, & couldnt find anything bad. Loved the test drive, bought the same day. I dont get as good of gas mileage as it seems others do, but it is very comfy & smooth riding. Had the gas tank problem, (cap not on, check engine light), but they didnt charge me to reset it. Does also dent easily from shopping carts. Love pretty much everything else.