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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  Ruby is Her Name - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By R.A.H. - October 11 - 8:34 am

  As a 30-year (two Accords) Honda owner, my natural tendency when it came time to acquire a more compact vehicle which was also easier for us (ages 73 and 79) to get in and out of, was just to go out and buy a CRV. To be honest, we did test drive a couple of them - as well as Hondas smaller HRV - before "discovering" the Tucson, almost on a whim, since my impressions regarding earlier Hyundais had not been all that great. I did do extensive research on the internet, at least becoming aware of almost every compact SUV offered. With the Tucson it was a case of lust at first sight. The new sheet metal looks really good. My wife and I both had a hard time with the bulbous rear of the CRV combined with its non-matching upper window lines, giving the distinct appearance that the designers/stylists were not all on the same page. From some angles the CRV can look downright bizarre. Not so with the Tucson which, to our eyes at least, simply does not have a bad view. The Tucson interior is also really nice (we did get the Limited with the Ultimate package) giving the impression of a far more expensive car. Drivers seating position (Im 5-10") is excellent, and the cooled seats are the greatest in our 100 degree+ summers. There is ample seating room in the rear, which is also extremely comfortable. Cargo area is not huge, but we are empty nesters. The car is very quiet. Instrumentation (we especially like the simple, classic, white-on-black tach and speedo) and controls are just great, and fall readily to hand. Much of the design work was done in Germany which I think is a major plus. The 8" screen navigation system is crystal clear, and easy to use. Were not that big on the current music transmission (Sirius, etc.) capabilities, but we will learn. I do think they made a mistake by not providing a CD/DVD player in the Limited (lower trim levels do). A lot of people have a lot of music on CDs, and all of the "high-tech" music options seem to require a subscription. In addition to the three Hondas, we also test drove the Toyota RAV4 and the Mazda CX-5, and looked at the Nissan Rogue. We completely passed on the Ford Escape since it was not recommended by Consumer Reports this year, and because it did not fare well in the crash-safety tests. Im sure Ford will fix this, but we were in the market now. The Tucson, on the other hand, received the coveted IIHS "Superior" rating. Ive not yet really pushed it, but the spunky little 1.6 liter turbo and 7-speed DCT seem like they will be more than up to the task. The car is (at least from published test data) considerably quicker to 60, and in the 1/4 mile, than was my 1962 Austin-Healy 3000 (considered a fairly powerful sports car in its day). We do live in relatively flat country, and perhaps as a result are getting a little over 27 mpg, overall, so far (1760 miles). Originally (since I value function over trendiness) we had some qualms about the 19" wheels with the 245/45 tire profile, even to the point of considering requesting a swap to the 225/60x17" setup, at delivery, but in the end, we went with the larger wheels. Hopefully all will be well with them, and I do have to say the ride is still quite good, and that the car feels really planted on the road. At least so far, Id have rate our new 2016 Tucson at around 9.5/10 - based on the theory that nothing is "perfect". This could well be our last vehicle and yes, the longer than "standard" 3Y/36K warranty very much did enter into our decision-making. Note to readers: This review has now been revised three times, with VERY mixed results. Unfortunately, the list of auto-generated bullet-points (see below) does NOT show up before one submits the review, and so, the previously published results have produced both surprise and conflict. Following is MY list of pros and cons - if it agrees with what is produced automatically, fine. If it does not, at least you know what I meant: PROS: Acceleration, Roadholding, Braking, Instrumentation, Seating (front and rear), Interior design, Engineering NEUTRAL: Parking aids, Cargo storage, Bluetooth CONS: Purchase cost, No CD/DVD drive at Limited trim level TOO EARLY TO TELL: Reliability, Maintenance cost, Dealer service

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  Quality Ride at Value Price - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Dave - October 11 - 6:03 am

  Quality finish and added value is what this car is all about. My version is the Limited Edition with Ultimate Package. High points include plenty of features and quite ride. Power with the V-6 is good and theres plenty of interior room for 4 adults. Great car and with the warranty, you really have a confident feeling of making a great purchase.

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  Better than most - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By superz3161981 - October 10 - 3:43 am

  2003 Ford F250, 1999 Subaru, 1995 Isuzu, 1995 Honda, 2001 Honda, 2004 Honda, I can go on and on about cars and trucks Ive owned. This Hyundai however has to be the best vehicle that I have ever owned. I would recommend this SUV to anyone who has a small (2,3,4) size family. Its good in and around the city and even when we take a trip from Daytona to Washington DC. Personally, Ive told my wife that I want a newer model 08,09,10,11,12,ect. I know this is the 1st so there are some minor flaws.

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  what a ride - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By ken - October 10 - 2:33 am

  all the car you need in todays crowded world. comfortable gas easy loaded features and safe.

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  35 MPG is awesome! - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Wa - October 9 - 2:09 pm

  This car is awesome! It was at fiore VW for $5000 with 50000 miles and it is a 2002.It gets 35 MPG on the highway.

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  Great car - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By Scott - October 9 - 1:01 pm

  Ive had this car for 5 years now (>120k miles) and other than a wheel bearing replacement, have had no significant problems. The car is comfortable and most importantly, reliable.

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  Best Affordable SUV - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Karakas - October 8 - 10:10 pm

  I got my Santa Fe in January 06, and have been driving it since then. It is free of maintenance and very comfortable SUV. I got aaround 19-20 MPG in city driving. It is probably the best SUV you can get wity your money. It has 4 disc ABS, 6 airbags, tiptronic transmission as standard options. I got mine for 21k $ and also included 6 disc CD changer. It is a very comfortable SUV and handles much better than most of the SUVs (wider). The back is very roomy as well compae to Jeep Liberty and any ofthe SUVS at its class. If you are looking for a non-expensive 4WD, Santa Fe is definitely the best you can buy.

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  Im 74 and wanted an a/t - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By darken - October 8 - 10:00 am

  Very pleased with the dealer. It is an eyestopper that everyone seems to like. Tight until broken in, but releases as it acquires mileage. I have just 5000 on it so far and am well pleased. Mine is grey, a color that appeals to many. I find the suspension a bit hard, four wheel independent, and the webbing on the steering wheel bothersome. I think I will get a pair of Isotoners for driving for comfort and a bit of class.

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  Great design, great ride. - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By David L. Cattanach - October 8 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned only American built cars for fifty years, and the fully equipped Hyundai XG350L is a pleasant discovery for me. It gives me the same ride and comfort as my earlier Buicks, Pontiacs, and Chevrolets for considerably less money, and it has great styling and appearance. The large volume dealer sells more Hyundais than any of five General Motors products, yet of 16 mechanics only 2 are assigned to Hyundai repairs. That should tell us something about Hyundai reliability.

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  What a surprise - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By bshartley - October 8 - 10:00 am

  Bought this for my wife a year ago. She likes is better than her 1996 Saturn which we now seldom drive since it has become the dingy for our RV. We both feel with higher seating and more leg room up front it is more comfortable than the Saturn on both short and long trips. It is well appointed with all of the controls in easy, logical reach. Its peppy and handles well in traffic. Our friends who are rather tall even have room in the back seat. And to top it all off, it looks great.