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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  2007 Hyundai Sonata review - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By WAYNE - March 29 - 7:06 pm

  I love his car. I feel like I got Toyata/Honda quality at .85% of the price. Tight, smooth ride. Great controls. I suspect that, like Toyata and Honda, Hyundai is heading upwards in price in the upcoming years. Buy now! The older HYundais, like the 2000 Sonata I also own, are.lets face it, pieces of expendable junk. I get the 2000 repaired and, two weeks later, some "check engine" light comes on and Im in for another $500. But starting in 2006 Hyundai seriously Uped their game. Now this is a car I can live with. Remember how we thought Toyota was a piece of Japanese junk back in 1980? Thats the path Hyundai is taking. Before 2006...junk. After that 90% Honda quality at 80% the

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  Thank Goodnesss for Hyundai - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Anna - March 27 - 3:43 pm

  I went from a 05Silverado C.Cab to something more economical and easier to drive. Tired of American vehicle unreliabiliy. Finally a foriegn car that is affordable! The car has everything I could ask for at$18K. I seem to feel a little rough shift from first to second gear but otherwise no problems.My husband is 64" and my kids are also tall, so we needed a car that would fit us all with the seat all the way back. Very comfortable,quiet and smooth ride. highly recommend this vehicle, it is impressive.

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  First Import Auto - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Santa Fe Owner - March 26 - 6:40 pm

  For the last 30 years I was loyal domestic cars owner. However the last experience with my 2003 Chevy Venture has changed my mind. I have decided to buy import. So far I like my Santa Fe. Its fan to drive and very functional.

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  Its OK for the price. - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Fernando - March 26 - 3:43 am

  Great styling inside and out. Great safety features for any vehicle class. Good color options. 4-Speed SHIFTRONIC Automatic is fun, but it has some lag. Handling is OK but could use some improvment. Seems to need the electronic stablity control all the time. Steering definitly needs to be more responsive. large cabin space is a plus. It feels like a larger car,unfortunatly it drives lik one too. Projection style headlights offer good lighting at close range, but are lacking at moderate distance.

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  Second Hyundai (first was 1986) - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By aaidi - March 21 - 5:47 pm

  I come from a family very loyal to Toyotas and Hondas, but even I have to agree that today the South Koreans easily win on styling and features, and are barely a notch below the two Japanese heavyweights in terms of reliability. I purchased my Santa Fe 2.0T FWD about a month ago after extensive research. Very pleased with the purchase overall. Cant beat the value and it is true that this thing looks, feels, and drives like a European car. No surprise -- the chief design engineer was hired away from BMW and formerly designed the X5. I do mostly city driving on it and still have my second car, but so far so good. Gas mileage at 20mpg is terrible considering I dont drive aggressively.

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  Waited to review til Id driven a whole year... - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By follathadolla - March 21 - 1:49 am

  The Sonata is a VERY cool ride. I stumbled upon a red 2011 SE Sedan in May, 2010... only to find out shortly after that the Turbo model was available. I wanted it immediately. The first time I saw one, I test-drove it and knew it was love... but didnt buy because I wanted it (again!) in red. Didnt want a dealer to find one, order one, etc.; I resigned to keep my original purchase. But, in November, 2011, during a routine maintenance visit, it just so happened that a 2012 red Turbo was on the sales floor. Bought it the same visit... no test drive, even. Have never looked back (pun intended!) and still love it! Sporty clean lines, liquid handling, and the torque is just plain fun!!!

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  Not a Highway Vehicle - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By three ms - March 14 - 5:53 am

  We bought the Limited with all the extras. Interior quite nice with leather, but after a 2000 mile trip a bit disappointing. Read all the reviews beforehand.....comfort for driver is good (power seat) but front passenger is lousy. Seats too short, power seat not available. Picking up road noise already and bumpier ride than expected. Cabin a bit small for front passenger afer a few hours and seats too short to rest legs, cant adjust seat enough to compensate. Did not expect comfort to disappear so quickly. It is definitely a lightweight in windy conditions also. Very disappointed.

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  Reliable and almost maintenance free - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Gerry Carrier - March 13 - 9:42 am

  Good ride, dependable, low maintenance. Original exhaust system even with 135,000 miles. Wheel bearings - replaced 3 under warrantee. Interiors are not flashy but do stand up to daily use. Mileage is about 20 mpg average. pulls a boat trailer real easy. AWD works well in snow.

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  Does What I Want - 2008 Hyundai TUCSON
  By DAS - March 12 - 1:53 pm

  We bought a used 2008 Hyundai Tucson 4x4, 2.7L V-6 last year from CarMax to replace our 2005 RAV4 after a wreck. So far, we are satisfied with the Tucson. I had a chance to try out the ABS, traction control, 4 wheel drive, and stability control several times this winter in New Mexico - it all works well. At 21k, the Bridgestones are already showing moderate wear, so well be looking at new tires probably by 30k or so. Im not overly impressed with the 2.7L V-6. Its short on power and only averages around 19 to 20 mpg, giving us the power of a 4 and the mileage of a 6, the worst of both worlds. But its reliable with no mechanical or quality issues. So far, so good.

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  TONS of research, not as advertised! - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By carguru - March 11 - 12:56 pm

  Fellow buyers, I am torn in this review. I researched this purchase literally to death! There isnt a site I left unviewed, a model in this category I didnt drive, PERIOD! But I eventually settled on the Santa Fe due to unbeatable feature/$$ list, improved mileage, and warranty. I love the truck in almost all ways, BUT, there is certainly a transmission issue with these trucks (slams into gear, lurches forward unpredictably as others mentioned!), and the mileage is nowhere near EPA. I have 25k km on mine, and never see below 12 L/100 km and EPA est is 7.6/100 km hwy and 10.1/100 km city. NO CHANCE! I have had service chk tranny twice, and going for third time in two days! :-(