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:

• 

  Pretty tight little SUV - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By JHicks - February 1 - 7:23 am

  I purchased this vehicle used. With only 25k miles on it, I still have 2 years factory warranty on it. Pretty sweet! It drives great, has nice standard equipment, comfortable, and spacious enough for a family of 4 and a dog. After reading reviews of this car getting around 16 mpg, I was worried about that. But, I seem to be averaging 21 and am thrilled. It is a cute little SUV and hopefully it will last me for many years to come.

• 

  Time to move on, with no problems - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Matt - January 30 - 8:13 pm

  I bought this vehicle with 17k mi on it. It now has 137k mi. I have only had one major issue. The throttle position sensor went out. After I found a mechanic who could identify the problem, it only too an hour to fix and the cost was minimal. The factory tires lasted 100k mi. Another problem that was really a non issue, is that when I let the gas get too low the check engine light lit up after i filled it up and stayed on till i used half that tank of gas. I averaged about 20 mpg on all highway miles. It still runs great, just time to move on.

• 

  Rear Heater Vents Blow Cold Air Only - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mholder37 - January 27 - 5:03 pm

  My hubby bought this car in October. Overall we like it, but there have already been some issues. It took two visits to repair the driver in-seat heaters (finally they put in a new heating unit). After two visits the rear vents still dont work. Once or twice weve got them to blow mildly warm air but it couldnt be called heat - and we live in Minnesota. The backseat passengers feet freeze. And, finally, the radio display locks up while playing from an iPod. I am planning on purchasing a car for myself soon - and the lack of warmth in the back of the vehicle is a deal breaker for me.

• 

  PERFECT CAR! - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By jeffgranados89 - January 27 - 6:36 am

  Great car by far! i have owned around 14 cars or so. By far this one is the best one that i have ever had.Drives amazing,looks beautiful and sound system is great!And of course is pretty fast. Turbo kicks in very good.The only bad thing Gas mileage,the material which the interior was built feels pretty cheap but looks very nice.Did have a Recall but Dealership fixed it with no problems. Has push start and other great things. The amazing thing is that Hyundais vehicles have warranty for 100,000 miles or 10 years so if anything would to happen they will fix it. I currently finished my lease and traded it back in.But i am working on getting another one either that or a 4 door genesis.

• 

  My first and maybe last car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Joe Vasquez - January 27 - 4:13 am

  I did it. I went out and got a new car. After spending hours in many different makes and models, I couldnt get the Sonata out of my head. The price was great compared to other competing sedans, and the safety records sold me. Having a two yr old son, I jumped at the chance for a safe vehicle. The cab, whisper quiet. The body was beautiful. I got mine in cinnamon with the beige cloth interior. Very classy. I have owned it for only 4 days, but I never felt anything like this. Im weary on approx. gas mileage, sticker said 20hwy/30 city, but I read instances of lower than what was claimed by manufacturer. Other than that Im loving it. Ill keep you updated in the future if anything changes.

• 

  Good car, with caveats - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By bdbarth1 - January 26 - 11:18 pm

  I purchased this car new in December 2009. Two years and 44,000 miles later, Ive got mixed feelings. I commute 65 miles per day (90% hwy) and routinely achieve 33-34 mpg. Its large, comfortable and has been largely trouble-free except for a repainted hood (flaking paint) at 30K and a transmission failure at 39K. Both repairs were covered under warranty. The rebuilt transmission theyve installed seems fine, and Im cautiously optimistic about the cars future. That being said, a new transmission at 39K doesnt give me much confidence. Im very meticulous on maintenance, so Im hopeful thatll pay off.

• 

  Great Car but with a few downsides - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Eugene - January 22 - 2:03 pm

  I purchased my car in November 2009 and I can say that Hyundai makes great cars. But the main problems I have is that it has a bad rattling noise from the sunroof. I took my car to the dealership but they said they cannot hear the rattling. They said that the rain might have lubricated the sunroof and to bring the car in when it is not raining. Also, the transmission does not down shift smoothly. Other than that, I think the car is great and the styling is awesome. I get compliments from people all the time. The car feels like its worth $40,000 but I only paid $27,000 with a navigation. Unbelievable deal. To me, it looks better than the Infiniti G37.

• 

  Like a jag 1/2 the price - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By Mark S. - January 21 - 10:00 am

  After 1 month I still think I got a luxury car for 1/2 the price. From the inside you cannot tell the difference from an Audi A6 or a new Jag. Drove it for 800 miles criss crossing Colorado including nearly a dozen 10,000+ foot mountain passes in 2 days. No snags except the window washer failed to work. Decent handling, great engine power,so- so gas mileage (avg.23 mpgs), and a comfortable leather and woodgrain interior.

• 

  Lots of tire noise! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By itsme - January 18 - 2:43 am

  Hit a road that isnt perfectly smooth and youll think youre driving an Excel not a Sonata. Far too much road noise compared to other cars in this class. It has the same tire noise level as my 2001 Ford Focus. I had Dynamat insulation installed under back seat and fiberglass insulation put inside the car above the wheel wells and two layers of yoga mats in the trunk and it did nothing to reduce the tire noise. Has anyone tried other tires? Im thinking of getting Michelin Primacys.

• 

  Dont waste your money!! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Marcelo L. - January 16 - 10:00 am

  I have my Elantra for less than 1 year now and I can say it runs great and has a low gas consumption. I had no major mechanic problem but some eletric ones. The worst part of owning a Hyundai is the depreciation. I paid $15,000.00 for my car and a little over 1 year the same HYUNDAI pays me just $8,000.00... Its right... I have lost $7,000.00 within 1,5 year. I am now paying my loan (still have 11k) and have to pay at least 4k to get rid of this car. Trying a trade-in, some dealers pay even less than.