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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  Short Term Impression - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Donald Scharoff - November 15 - 4:53 am

  I have owned the car for 2 weeks and have driven it 460 miles. Ive had an opportunity to do some highway driving (approx. 200 miles)in addition to local and I have been very impressed with the experience. The car is roomy, handles well, and my gas mileage during this break in period has been excellent. I have only 2 recommendations, offer a passenger power seat and folding side view mirrors. These actually dont detract from the good experience. I have had Acura Tls for the last several years and I am impressed by the performance of the Sonata. I am still puzzled by the "low" price, Dont know how they do it, all in all a winner.

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  Im Impressed - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By paposdad - November 15 - 2:00 am

  I wanted another hatchback. To my surprise there are few true hatchbacks to choose from on the market. I read reviews on the Hyundai GT hatchback, and they were all positive. Then Hyundai did something that really got my attention; the $1500 cash incentive. The GT hatchback is already well equiped. All I wanted was a pewter color, auto trans and mud guards. Using Edmunds.com I formulated a price to offer the dealer if I liked the test drive. I took the test drive and the car sold itself. I am very satisfied with the car and with the service from the dealer. This car gives you the most bang for your buck and the warranty is icing on the cake.

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  very nice car for great price - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By joe from pa - November 14 - 9:18 pm

  I found this car to be highly attractive with a well designed interior. My color is black. I have been stopped in supermarket lots by people who cant believe how good the car looks. Great style lines! So many great standard features - full of airbags, great entry stereo, easy to use controls that light up with a dynamic blue glow at night. Fun to drive. Dealer gave a great price - I did the research. Personally, I like the style better than the Sonata!! Remember, I did not expect a BMW quality line for this price. What I got was a very good car with superb value that looks expensive! Im real good with that!

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  Best car Ive ever had - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Bruce - November 14 - 8:23 pm

  My six year old Santa Fe has 150,000 miles on it and it still has the original BF Goodrich tires on it, original front brakes. I replaced the rear pads and rotors in March 2010. I have always used synthetic oil and have had no problems with the engine at all. Average 22 MPG. I have had two problems. I have replaced the headlight and fog light bulbs four or five times, and the car has developed a short in the electronic odometer. Otherwise, I have had no problems with this car and have spent next to nothing on it.

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  Luv my Hyundai Santa Fe - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kim - November 14 - 4:03 pm

  I have been driving various Honda vehicles for the past 13 years. They have pretty much priced themselves out of the market(for what you get). And lets face the fact that a Honda drive like a Honda. I purchased the 2010 SE this past Saturday. I wanted something a bit more "luxurious" & want to feel that I am getting little bit more value for my money. Everyone I have spoken with who has a Santa Fe highly recommends this vehicle. I was sold after my test drive. Very comfortable & lots of space for everyone. I am impressed that the sticker said 20/26 for gas mileage. Very solid/safe/sporty suv!

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  Treadlightly - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By Treadlightly - November 14 - 12:04 pm

  The 2012 Elantra will eat up your rear tires. I purchased the car new, and by 20,000 miles the original rear tires were worn out. I thought it was a tire problem, but have come to discover it is a car problem. Replaced the original tires with new Coopers and 23 months and 16,000 miles later and the back tires have ended their life. Front tires look like new. Just spend an hour talking with HYundai customer service who were "shocked" at this discovery. What a bunch of baloney. Of course they tell me it is the fault of the tire. I purchased the tires at Farm and Fleet and they agree it is a car design problem and not a tire defect. Something about no adjustment on the real wheels which are set to a fixed -1.50 camber. Thus the inside of the tires will wear out quicker than it takes Hyundai "goodwill" services to manufacture an excuse. My advise, tread lightly when purchasing a Hyundai.

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  Love it so far . . . - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By EagleHeadEd - November 14 - 3:13 am

  We traded in an ML320 and were kinda concerned with what the differences might be. After fewer than 1k miles we have no complaints at all. The style, interior comfort, ride/performance, etc. are great. Did a lot of research prior to purchase and took test drives of Honda and Toyota. Both were nice but couldnt compare with the Santa Fe. Dealership folks were super to work with too. Havent had much of an opportunity to judge the mileage but anticipate it will be considerably better than the M- B.

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  Perfect Little Car - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Kim - November 13 - 4:53 pm

  I bought this car last weekend and i love it. the price was good and the quality is even better.

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  A Cheap BMW! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By livewiremd - November 13 - 3:32 pm

  I have owned this car for over a year now and it has been worth every cent so far. I was scared to trust a Hyundai after my sisters experience with a Sonata back in the 90s but the warranty made me take the risk. This car has operated flawlessly since ownership. Like all cars, there are good and bad but this car has been a winner. I am a previous Dodge Intrepid owner and was impressed with the quality, performance and comfort. My only gripe with this car is the shadow that hangs over the driver side low beam headlight. I have heard others complain about this and am still searching for a fix. Other than that, avoiding tickets is my main concern with this cruiser.

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  Great car for the money! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Happy owner - November 13 - 6:53 am

  A lot of car for the money. Comfortable on long trips and quite good on gas mileage. Got 37mpg on a recent trip. This is my second Hyundai, and Im pleased with both of them.