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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  A good affordable car. - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By fje66 - September 10 - 10:00 am

  I am very pleased with my Elantra GT. A very comfortable and competent car with lots of features at a great price. The hatchback is very functional, but with a more traditional sedan type of exterior design. I find the car is particularly suited for highway travel (quiet and comfortable with good power at highway speeds and speed senisitive steering).

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  One Year Report - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Chas - September 9 - 6:00 am

  We have now owned our Santa Fe for one year and so far still very satisfied. Other than a minor paint problem we have done nothing to it but change oil and rotate tires. The performance and ride is still very responsive and quiet. Body integrity seems to be holding up with no significant squeaks or rattles. I just replaced the cabin air filter and I have one word of advice...do it on schedule. I was amazed at how dirty it was. All in all I really have nothing to complain about.

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  Sonata GLS w/pk#5 best buy - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By rayam2000 - September 5 - 10:00 am

  Just bought a 2004 Sonata GLS w/pk#5 from Fairfax Hyundai for $17400 after tax and fee. I dont have plan to buy it today, but the sales is friendly, he knows a lot about this car. No pushing for sales and willing to make a deal. However, VAs "documentation fee" is too expensive - $289.90, compare with $100 in MD.

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  Hooray for Fe - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By San T. Fay - September 3 - 2:00 am

  Solid built vehicle, nice addition to the marketplace. Good alternatives to some higher priced (over priced) competitors. Roomy interior, decent exterior design that is unique and different...although it has been mistaken twice for a Lexus. Overall excellent value. Great/easy experience with local dealership (which was a first!)

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  needs more pick up - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By charles galletta - September 2 - 7:03 am

  i love the look of the truck. but when you step on the gas it sounds like some kind of force holding it back..it roars very loud.great cargo space.when you hit a bump you can feel it ...realy feel it I own three hyundais 2 santa fes.they are the best trucks I have ever owned.. much better then the tuscon...if you want a good truck dont buy the tuscon buy the santa fe...

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  Blulink Remote Starter Problem - 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By alejandromg85 - September 1 - 5:21 am

  When using the remote starter to warm the car in the winter the car doesnt warm up cause it always start in hybrid mode. As everybody knows the heater works with the hot water of the engine, if the engine doesnt start the water never warms up. I let the dealer know and they didnt do anything about it. So, a 30.000 dollars car cant keep you warm in the winter =S

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  THE GREAT SEARCH IS OVER - HYUNDAI ACCENT WINS - 2016 Hyundai Accent
  By Leah Nikaidoh - August 31 - 11:35 am

  Hi all. Okay I REALLY dont write reviews because I usually think they are biased, but here I go. This is the first time Ive done a serious effort in test driving cars before buying one. Prior to this, I only leased or bought VWs - however, my last one (a beautiful 2012 GTI that was red and had plaid interior) required 3 MAJOR repairs in six months, so I had to bid her a fond farewell. So, my uncle and I did test drives (separately) of the following cars: Hyundai Elantra GT, Hyundai Accent hatch back, Mazda 3 hatchback, high end Toyota Prius, and Kia Soul. I narrowed search down to the Mazda and the Accent. The Mazda had more bells and whistles, but the Accent was a lot less expensive and the biggest selling point was the 5 year bumper to bumper warranty. I actually upgraded to the 10 year warranty for only $1800 (which is partially refundable if I dont keep the car). The mileage on both cars were about the same - if I wanted leather seats I would have had to spend more money and get the Mazda or the Hyundai Elantra. I definitely wanted a hatchback and the Accents cargo space seemed a lot bigger than the Mazda. The interior gadgets are minimal - while I miss my hands free calling, I dont miss it enough to spend another $5-8K. So, Id recommend you consider this car - my purchase price was great and I have to honestly say that the car dealership has been terrific.

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  Hybrid Sonata - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By hasbro_t - August 29 - 12:49 am

  I wanted to wait a few months to rate this car and have driven it for 3 months now so still early but here are my findings. Hyundai quoted 35 city and 45 hwy mpg. I havent done any extensive hwy driving but city is about 25 mpg. I assume that is less than if I bought the standard gas model. I live in the desert of So Cal and since owning this car, I have run the A/C nearly all the time I have driven it. I have noted a better MPG when not using the A/C. There are some quirks, like at a stop light, if the engine kick on to charge the battery while the A/C is on, there is a slight jolt forward. I have looked into my rearview twice to see if I was rear-ended, lol.

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  Great Value - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Vince - August 28 - 8:23 am

  Im glad I brought this car instead of the Camry, saved a lot of money and love the profromance.

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  Wow, What a suprise to drive - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Autoknologist - August 23 - 10:00 am

  Fact: I was not looking for this type of car when I decided, what the heck: drive one. That was it for me. The Auto Shiftronic trans, the comfortable leather seats, the sunroof, the handling, the POWER & Smoooooothness of the V6, & the EXCELLENT Infiniti speakered sound system. Wow. This car is a blast to drive. The most fun car I have had since my 1977 Spitfire , but OH so much better.