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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  Save your Money - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Unhappy - January 8 - 11:17 pm

  The car ran great when I bought it in 2003. It had a relatively smooth ride, and could accelerate pretty fast. The problems started in 2006. First the RMPs would jump up pretty high when at a complete stop. I almost hit another car the 1st time it happened. I took it to the dealership, and they said I had voided my warranty by off roading. The most my car had seen of the wild was a gravel driveway. I took the car to a mechanic after that he looked at it and tried to fix the problem. I made it about 15 miles before it started again, but this time, I started hearing a loud metal banging metal noise. I called the mechanic back and they told me to bring it back ASAP, and not to drive it, but ha

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  BAD Choice - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By New Owner - January 1 - 4:46 pm

  I bought this car, after reading all the good things about it online, Plus good features and support. But after owning it from last 3 months, i feel it was a bad, Bad, BAD decision and i should have gone for Camry. The Vehicle has very high inside noise (No aerodynamics at all), Cold start is really really BAD and noisy. At just 5000 miles, it has started to have some vibration noise, Passenger side air bag OFF sign remains off even when person of 100+ LB sits on it, suspension is not very helpful in rough roads, sometime you literally feel like pushing engine to the full capacity, Driving is no fun, AM radio is not very clear. Never gonna buy anything from Hyundai EVER.

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  Careful. This LEMON needs a lot of work. - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By elantragtowner - December 15 - 8:08 am

  I purchased this brand new 3 months ago, and am now having to take it in for its 7th or 8th visit. Ive lost track. The vehicle steering system was defective or just poor design to begin with. On the highway, if I relaxed my hand, it would fly off the road to the left. It was very dangerous, and I got into a few close calls because of this. It took 6 attempts for the shop to get it adequate. By adequate I mean it isnt 100%, but they fixed it "enough" to where I can tolerate it. Now I have to take the vehicle in again due to engine trouble. Its been taking the engine 20-30 seconds to wind down from 5,000RPM to 1000RPM when you shift into neutral. Its getting worse. Not happy at all.

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  Vivs Entourage - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Vivian Kowalski - December 1 - 9:34 am

  You have to floor it to pull out in a yield situation, not good in rush hour traffic. Parking brake doesnt work properly. I had it repaired 4 times, still makes noise. The steering wheel doesnt fit the seat postion. I need the seat back for my long legs but the steering wheel doesnt pull out to meet my arm position Im comfortable with. No automatic lock, in this day and age, this is a must. I have a note to remind me to lock doors. This is my 4th minivan, my other used vans had this feature.

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  not happy - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By george moore - November 26 - 10:00 am

  A little disappointed in this Sonata. Whats this with a vibration when your in drive and sitting at a stopsign or redlight. It just vibrates to much. I realize its a 4 cyl. but this is just uncomfortable for me and we have had the car for only 4 days. Everyone is giving it mostly good reviews, Did I miss something?

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  BEWARE!!! Hyundai Manufacturer "Bumper to Bumper" Warranty Not Always Honored by Dealerships!! - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By jbcanderson - November 25 - 4:18 pm

  I bought an 09 Sonata V6 Limited in Dec of 08 and an Azera in Mar of 09. Both cars have needed repairs which I was assured by Hyundai Motors were covered by their bumper to bumper warranties, but which a local dealer, Doral Hyundai, refused to warranty, claiming owner fault rather than factory defect. They are [non-permissible content removed] extraordinaire! It is impossible to get them to fix anything under warranty; they always try to charge the vehicle owner. Hyundai has no way to make a dealer honor the factory warranty, claiming dealers are franchises and they cant make them do anything! Each dealer decides what they will or will not warranty. I had to "shop" for a dealer that would honor the warranty.

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  (Sadly) Owning is Believing - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By patchman - November 12 - 2:00 am

  Good first impressions of the car. It rides very comfortably and quietly. Alot of car for the money. BUT be prepared to know your service writer on a first name basis. Mine proved to be very problematic. Brakes (front and rear) power windows (both front windows, twice) various rattles etc. Worst, I had a continuing engine cutout problem that finally caused me to file for the "lemon law" in my state. Hyundai Motor America was not helpful in any way. BEWARE!! You DO get what you pay for. Mine is now gone at 22000 miles.

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  Noisy and in shop way too often - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By D Sayre - November 4 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car after a two hour test drive. Within a week I knew I had made a mistake. This vehicle has such terrible road noise. When it rains no one in the back can hear a word you are saying in the front. My Hyundai has also been in the shop at least 8 times over the past two years for different belts, ignition system problems, and wiring harness defects. My husband has a Hyundai as well and it is in the shop way more often than any other new car we have ever owned. I will never buy another Hyundai as long as I can drive.

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  Oh. Ver. Rated. - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By John K. - November 3 - 9:53 pm

  The windshield defogger fogs up the windshield exterior, obscuring my view – to me, a major hazard. The driver’s seat only supports up to my shoulder blades. I can tolerate it for about 30 minutes. The light on the PRND console indicator is distractingly bright; the ride is harsh, choppy, noisy; the electronic door lock doesn’t always lock the doors; observed gas mileage is nowhere near published figures; the vague digital readout of the gas gauge won’t allow close scrutiny when nearing empty; the tilt/telescope steering column and remote outside mirror control feel cheap and don’t operate smoothly; the steering column doesn’t lock when the ignition is off; high beams are not very bright.

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  Not reliable after 100k - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Michael - October 21 - 3:10 am

  I was the 2nd owner, and had it for miles 77K through 114K. During that time, I replaced: front rotors, cracked exhaust manifold (free recall fix), plugs and wires, window regulator, o2 sensor, washer pump, horn, wiring, transmission (OUCH!). The previous owner had replaced the mass air flow sensor and throttle positions sensor. The entire exhaust rusted out too-- salt is tough up here though. Still, thats a lot of repairs for ~30K! And I did the timing belt stuff and tires, which is routine-- but it hurts to do all that and then have the tranny go.