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:

• 

  What else can I say? - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By BigBill - June 22 - 10:00 am

  Ive had the vehicle for 16 months and put 54,000 miles on it. Ive had no problems to speak of. Battery died at 15.5 months but it was covered under warrentee. Have to say I take it back to the dealer every 3,000 and did complete overhaul at 30,000. Id buy one again tomorrow and will in 20 months. Dont tell anyone so the price doesnt go up!

• 

  Very good, reliable, fun car - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jo Squier - June 22 - 10:00 am

  This is the second Hyundai I have owned, and the quality of this car is excellent for the price. I have had no problems with it in the two years I have owned it. The interior is nice, the leather is comfortable and easy to care for. Make sure you get the floor mats from the manufacturer though, or they wont fit.

• 

  little red Hyundai - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By arkmasons - June 22 - 10:00 am

  This SUV was picked out by my kids and I m glad they did. It is comfortable and roomy. So far no problems

• 

  dont buy if you have an Acura - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By avis - June 21 - 2:21 pm

  I traded out of my Acura due to gas prices, on the rise, as it took premium and it was getting up in miles 94,000 but should have kept the Acura, as I miss the handling on the Acura. The Azera limited handling is unstable,and bouncy. I cannot do 120 mph comfortably, as it does not handle the curves very well. transmission has difficulty shifting at times, ABS does not work well in the snow, I slid a lot with new tires. I get 15 mpg due to my driving habits, and any one who knows how to drive, and likes to drive, will not like this car.

• 

  Warranty? What good is it? - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Burline King - June 21 - 1:37 pm

  I purchased the car in August 2015. A/C did not work properly but technician could find nothing wrong with it. After winter had NO a/c. Car was in shop for 11 days; they couldnt fix it so finally installed a new system. So far so good. Carried it in for oil change June 23, 2016. They managed to blow the cluster panel so Im still driving (7/11/16) a used car not comparable to mine. It has now been in shop for 18 days for this repair and they have no idea when it will be ready. Im paying a new car payment driving pretty much a wreck. Cant give it a better rating since it has been in repair 30 days so far out of the less than 11 months Ive had it. Its bad points outweigh what I thought would be a great reliable selection. I contacted manufacturer and have received no response at all from hqtrs. Im devastated! Worst auto experience Ive ever had!

• 

  2011 Sonata - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By steelersfan2 - June 21 - 11:03 am

  We love the 2011 sonata it drives like a BMW. It has plenty of power but yet the elegance of a luxury car. Everybody we know keeps asking us what kind of car we got and how we could afford something that nice they all think it is a BMW or something expensive. This is by far the nicest car we have ever owned.

• 

  25,000 Mile Update - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By L Hyland - June 21 - 9:28 am

  With 25,000 miles on the odo and two years of smashing potholes on the streets of Mobile, Alabama we are still impressed and satisfied with our Sonata. Only two (2) minor maintenance issues--a defective seat belt sensor and a bad tilt switch on the drivers seat, both corrected by the dealership in about 20 minutes. In June of 2008 we traveled to the Midwest getting 30.3 mpg along the coast and 28.8 mpg in the hills of east Texas. In town mileage is about 19 mpg with the V-6 but you can improve on this about 2 mpg if you manually shift and keep RPMs in the 2,000+ range. Totally satisfied. Waiting for the Sonata Hybrid !!!

• 

  wait a couple of years - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mark - June 21 - 5:43 am

  It depends on ones perception on what you want in a suv This is not a touring car as built. It;s more a commuter or running around car. Great design, well built, solid. smooth transmission and engine, plenty of pop on the high end. Lacks power on the low end, mainly because of gearing. Well laid out controls. Hyundai tryed to think of everthing possible to make this a good suv. It falls short in these areas. center coucil to high to short.causes arm fatigue and elbow soreness. arm rests not padded enough. front buckets to stiff. suspension to stiff and has a truck like ride on uneven pavement. some body roll on corners.good on highway but seems to float a bit.needs more floor sound proofing.

• 

  My first new car. - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Grumpy - June 21 - 3:39 am

  After 38 years of driving I decided to buy my first new car. The style, size, performance and costs all come together with this car. I get 29/35 mpg. Accelerate lightly, let the car get up to 36 and let the overdrive kick in. Dont beat it to death. More than enough cargo space for day trips. Checking under the hood is a breeze. All cabin controls are at your finger tips. Im over six foot tall and have plenty of head, hip and leg room. Very quiet cabin, even with a big truck next to you. Best warranty in the business!

• 

  New Car conks out - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Smiths - June 20 - 10:00 am

  2009 Sante Fe conked out at the exit ramp. It was a bit dangerous since the ramp had a blind curve. I stopped at the light at the end of the ramp, when it turned green and depressed gas pedal, the car just died. During this time I tried starting it off and on, no luck. After 45 min tow truck came, then I tried to start again and started right up. Ive traded it in, I couldnt trust it anymore. I do travel a lot, and alone sometimes, so I dont want to be on the side of the road broke down. The dealership couldnt find anything wrong with it. If it werent for that one breakdown incident, I loved the vehicle. Too paranoid it would break down again. limited back view