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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  Quick Initial Review - long term to come - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By INCOGNITO78 - February 5 - 3:57 pm

  I just bought my Azera back in December of 2007. I (like many other owners) researched car after car, month after month, & I finally decided to go with the Azera. It represents a good value for the dollar & a seemingly reliable & quality car. Though Ive had it for roughly 2 months now - I have over 4000 miles on it (mostly if not exclusively highway) and Ive become quite accustomed to my car. Though it needs some improvement to its fuel economy - I have to admit that it has gotten better over time (in the beginning averaged 19-20, now averaging 22-28). It does have good power but is slow to down shift (unless you use SportShift). Could use an improvement in handing BUT its sound

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  Definitely NOT worth $30,000 - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Stacy V - February 4 - 9:16 pm

  I chose my brand new Santa Fe over a used Lexis with 15K miles. WORST mistake ever. Just a months after owning it I had to have the carpet replaced twice and bumper repainted because paint was peeling off. Now after 20K miles the dash is peeling and the leather seats have rubbed down to nothing leaving a rip in the driver seat. Im 54", weigh 120lbs but they say its not covered under warranty because Im not entering my car the right way. The latches on the third row seat broke and had to be replaced. Im scared what the value is going to be if I decide not to keep it.

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  2nd Veloster - 2016 Hyundai Veloster
  By Deathsykle - February 3 - 5:16 pm

  I am sorry for the haters when I read the reviews out there... They are comparing apples to oranges. With all the mods out there and there is even a Hyundai Performance parts the car can be setup to run pretty well. I am a happy so far with my second Veloster..

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  Happy customer - 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Bob Garcia - February 3 - 9:02 am

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  Fun transportation - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Ed B - February 2 - 11:06 pm

  Having owned KIA and Hyundai automobiles since 1987 I found the Tuscon to be one of the best built. I expect that the Tucson will match or exceed the quarter of a million miles that I and my family have put on each of our other Hyundais. Well made, great value, as well as great looks.

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  So far so good - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By pazuzu67 - February 2 - 3:55 pm

  Bought the Car in May 2011 and have been very happy with it. I came from an Infiniti G35 and while this car inst nearly as lively or quick as the infiniti, it has a much smoother ride once you get going. I can definitely feel the "lurch" when i start to accelerate but this isnt really a big deal when you get used to it. I have read complaints about the brakes but i havent noticed any problems yet. I work about 25 miles from home so my daily commute is about 50 miles and I have been averaging 33.5 mpg and can get 36 if i feather the gas. I saw some reviews where people lose mpg when operating the ac but I keep my at 72 (econ) and it doesnt seem to affect my mpg to much.

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  Wheres the great gas mileage? - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By jw - February 2 - 2:36 pm

  Okay, definitely a sharp looking little SUV- HOWEVER, like many others, I am hugely disappointed in the gas mileage, have seen my city mileage dip into the 16s, and now its hovering in the 17 mpg range (drive in the ECO mode 98% of the time)- not even close to the advertised range. It is a cool looking, fun little car to drive, but would not have bought it if I had known the mileage numbers would be so far off. I traded in a Murano for the Tucson, hoping to get great gas mileage in a stylish smaller car- but the mileage is worse then the Muranos so far. Whats up, Hyundai?

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  Doing well at 3,800+ miles - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By maximize - February 2 - 10:36 am

  So far, the Sonata has been living up to most of my expectations. I bought a Pacific Blue Pearl w/ popular package. As I expected, the ride is between a Camry and Accord; not as floaty as a Camry and not as sporty as an Accord. The exterior design is better (in my opinion) than all the other midsized sedans out there right now. Interior cluster, layout is better also. The oil filter and drain plug position is great. I only hope that the carbon deposit issues found in direct injected engines that Audi, VW, and BMW have/had does not occur to the Sonata; time will tell. For $22,3xx.00 drive out, I believe this is the best bang for the buck right now.

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  Good looks-poor gas mileage - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By wbill130 - February 2 - 9:26 am

  Buzzy stereo speakers, horrible gas mileage, tested carefully at only 22 mpg, not the 33 mpg HWY as advertised. Very noisy engine when accelerating at 2500 RPM or above, excessive road noise over small bumps. Great interior looks & features (love the Blue dash lights). Need rear view auto- dimmer glass.

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  The Little GT That Could - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By DaBluz - February 2 - 2:00 am

  Ive had the car for about a month and I love it! Im glad I did my research before assuming this car was junk just because its a Hyundai. If you notice, there arent many on the road which makes me feel good. Its great not to be a sheep and follow everyone else to the Honda, Nissan and Toyota dealers. Im a lifer for Hyundai!