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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  Hyundai surprise - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By BillG63 - February 14 - 10:00 am

  I was surprised by the value proposition of this car. Its fun to drive, gets good mileage (my mileage would be better if the car wasnt such fun to drive)and it seems to be very well put-together. And with the 10 year warranty you cant go wrong.

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  Great SUV - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By mejane - February 14 - 2:30 am

  Overall I love this vehicle. Have not been able to get the gas mileage promised. I have averaged 21 mph on hwy. (V6 engine) (although I do have a lead foot) But much better than my Durango I traded. I have been very happy with my vehicle so far.

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  Love it so far - 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By jay357 - February 13 - 8:13 pm

  Bought the last 2012 Hybrid on the lot. Incentives were good enough to get what I considered a "fair" deal. Rides better than the Chrysler 300 I traded in, but to be fair the Chrysler had 20" wheels and this has 16s so the difference in tire sidewall could account for a lot of the ride. Gas mileage on the first tank was only 28 mpg(still 7 mpg better than the 300) with an equal mix of city/hwy. I am sure it will improve although I havent fueled yet this week to see what the 2nd full tank will show. But just the fact that I have driven 1000 miles on two tanks of fuel is something the 300 would never have accomplished.

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  Moneys worth! - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mike M - February 13 - 11:12 am

  Chicago area, high way and local...lots of driving. Only problem so far at 155,000 is air conditioner went out. Change oil every3-5,000, basic oil change at WalMart...so far so good.

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  Bring back the XG350L - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By ncook1056 - February 13 - 10:00 am

  i absolutely love my car. I have over 116,000 miles and have never had a problem and still receive numerous compliments about the classy look and design of the car.

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  Best car every - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Keith - February 13 - 10:00 am

  I brought my car new in 2002. It has 20K miles on it. It has never given me problems. I drove it from coast to coast when I change duty stations. I still drive it to work. It will be my sons car in the spring. He will have fun driving it too. I would not trade it for anything. That is my Tibby.

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  Nice car but lots of problems - 2010 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Chris in Jersey - February 13 - 10:00 am

  We purchased this vehicle based on its features per dollar and it does excel in this area. It is quiet, comfortable, has a nice interior and is roomy. It could be a little more sporty and the stereo sounds like the 8 track from my 77 Caprice Estate Wagon but other than that we are happy with the performance. The problems are with the reliability. Had to replace the stereo(dealer did not return cds), a taillight, license plate light, brakes, "ESC off" control light is on constantly, resume bottom on cruise control does not work, key fob stopped working and the transmission stopped and stranded my family on the highway. This would make me think twice before purchasing a Hyundai again.

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  Best SUV for the money! - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Annette - February 13 - 10:00 am

  This is my second Santa Fe (I previously owned a 2004) and I still love this vehicle after 3 years! Although I did not get the third row seat this vehicle is very roomy for my needs. I like sitting up high and I still enjoy driving this vehicle and will keep it for a few more years. The only issue I have had is I needed to replace my tires already and found out that 18 inch tires for this vehicle are fairly rare and expensive. I also had a sensor that went bad, but is was covered under the warranty. I do not regret getting the special outer/inner coating that has helped keep the outside and inside looking fresh and smelling brand new. I wish it had an MP3 hook up.

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  Electrical system - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kevin Moran - February 13 - 10:00 am

  I have had serious issues with numerous sensors that make the vehicle impossible to inspect. According to the dealer there also appears to be a short in the air bag and they cant say for sure if it works. The dealer refuses to fix any of the electrical problems because it has 70,000 miles. As far as I am concerned the car is worthless.

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  Power steering pump - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By sante fe - February 13 - 10:00 am

  We had to replace our power steering pump at about 10,000 miles. because of a winding noise coming from it at start up. at 11,000 the noise had returned. Other than that vehicle is very comfortable. and responsive. I really love the new body style.