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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  Check it out and drive it - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By joe - March 14 - 6:05 pm

  After owning a Mazda 3 for 2 years I was looking for a good looking fuel sipper with reliability. After checking VW rabbit, Scion XD, Honda Civic and Lancer, I drove the Accent SE as I always liked the looks and still own a Santa Fe with 70000 miles. It has respectable power and the SE handles very well. The 5 speed B&M shifter is smoother than the Mazdas and is very comfortable and quiet on the road. Interior is spacious and fit and finish is very good. Im averaging over 30 miles per gallon so far in combined city/highway driving. Dont overlook this car when considering a compact vehicle DRIVE IT . The warranty is unbeatable.

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  Had enough of it - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By azera - March 14 - 3:41 pm

  Like other reviewers have said, all I ever hear from the service dept. is "that is normal". The transmission in this car is terrible. It never knows what gear to be in. It has slipped on many occasions especially after getting off a highway onto city streets. The service dept. even told me that if my wife drives different than me than the car will not learn how to shift properly!! Who would make a car like that? My wife will not even drive it any more, she hates the transmission that much. Too bad because most everything else is good. Getting rid of it soon.

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  Do Not Buy This Car - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By N - March 14 - 3:06 pm

  I bought this car and two days later it needed an alignment. Two weeks later the drive shaft had a defective washers. About a 6 weeks later the engine mount broke. Not to mention the window molding falling off. And now it makes a noise everytime I pull into my driveway, I was told it was the ABS and that it just makes that noise. Save yourself time and money, shop for a different vehicle.

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  Great first car!! - 1999 Hyundai Accent
  By Anuj - March 14 - 2:55 pm

  I bought a 2nd owner Accent with 54K on it. I needed to for college and moving around the city. I used to drive it for more than 20 miles a day for 7 months and never and I repeat never did it malfunction. About an year now and I did not have to visit the mechanic once, sparing the routing emission test. To my surprise, the engine cranked to a start after more than 45 days in the cold. The pickup is not great, nor does it have a power steering, but it is simply awesome for the price. Go get one in a decent condition, you will not regret it..

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  Very Satisfied - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jim - March 14 - 12:20 pm

  We bought the bottom of the line with the four cyl. engine, yet the car is loaded. We have put 35,000 miles on the car and it has plenty of power, gets great mileage, responds instantly, has incredible attention to interior details, has the best suspension and ride of any car I have ever owned, and makes me laugh when I take the curves near home. When we first bought the car my wife took it on a three hour trip. She arrived in just over two hours. She admits that she looked down at the speedo and was doing "at least 95" but the ride was so smooth and quiet she just did not realize it (She still wont tell me her actual speed.)

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  Safe, comfortable, gorgeous - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sandi M. - March 13 - 4:39 pm

  I fell in love with my Hyundai the moment the salesman rolled it up to the showroom window for my test drive. I love the body type and color (gun metal grey)and the interior is roomy and comfortable. In December of 07 someone ran a light and T-boned me in my Hyundai. To be more precise they "attempted" to T-bone me...the side impact bars that are inside the door panels saved me from any harm whatsoever. I was hit by an SUV going at 40-45 mph their vehicle was destroyed it the front. You could actually see the outline of the steel bars because the impact was hard enough to wrap the metal of the door around the bar.Thanks Hyundai for saving my life!!!

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  Great Car - Not so great mileage - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By Lori - March 13 - 2:20 pm

  I love this car but expected better mileage. I get 260 miles per tank which is 21 mpg. Thats local/highway driving. This particular car is NOT good in the snow. It fishtails like crazy even if theres just a dusting of snow. I would highly recommend a different car if you drive in the snow. Ill be selling this car for that very reason. Almost slid off the mountain after less than 1 inch of snow.

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  A new car for the budget minded! - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By sburnell - March 13 - 1:29 pm

  So you envy that friend or neighbor of yours their new Toyota Yaris. You know that is what you really wanted, but you couldnt afford it. But you still wanted a new car, even though you are on a very tight budget. Well, friends, despair no more, because the perfect new car for us budget minded is here, and its the sporty, peppy and very spacious new Hyundai Accent hatchback. Its got everything you could ever want in a new car: A/C, a CD player, more room than youd ever imagine, a superb sound system and a very responsive engine that will get you on the freeway - FAST! Its steering is nice and tight and youll get lots of heads turning as you zip down the road in your new Accent!

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  A low-key yet VERY competent car, and a great value - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By driver1001 - March 13 - 12:40 pm

  Having come from a 300 horsepower Volvo S60-R (their attempt at a sports car), which proved to be quite unreliable, I was looking for a car that would be a great value, dependable, and still somewhat fun to drive. I knew at this price point itd be a challenge. The 2.0T "Sport" trim, is definitely a tighter ride and more power than the 2.4 non-turbo. Id call it "sportier" but not a sports car. However, I really, really it. By reconfiguring the engine to crank out torque around 1350 RPM, theres next-to-no turbo lag, and that much more usable power, especially in daily conditions. Very happy with this purchase. This car just goes about its job really well!

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  Smile - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Niall - March 13 - 5:16 am

  I have had absolutely no problems with my Santa Fe during the first year of ownership. It has a well thought out interior for space and is a comfortable long road trip experience.