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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  My review - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By coldnose - October 29 - 10:00 am

  A very nice car that is very comfortable to ride in for long distances. Does great in snow and rain and has good traction on ice.

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  2015 Sonata - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mark Finsley - October 29 - 9:57 am

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  Well done Hyundai - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By BigGuy - October 29 - 8:30 am

  Could not be more pleased. I test drove all makes of Mid size amd Full size SUV and have no doubt we make the correct purchase. Style,ride,performance and value the only question I have is relaibility and with the Hyundai track record I fell good.

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  Bought this car and they erred in pricing, =) - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By RedneckSavant - October 29 - 12:28 am

  The Hyundai dealership realized there error and sold it to me for the lower price anyway. Its a great car and we absolutely love it. I got 40.4 MPG on the way home at 5MPH under the speed limit. The only thing I dont like is that the android auto app requires a USB connect and doesnt work over blutooth. (The kids blew out my HDMI ports by hot swapping cables on the 72" TV so I worry about these things now.)

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  Best car Ive ever owned! - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By rossk - October 28 - 12:32 pm

  I have owned nearly 30 cars, and the Genesis Coupe is by far my favorite. Its comfortable, fun to drive, reliable (no problems after 30,000 miles), and it looks great. Hyndai name or not, this is one of the best values for the money, and one of the best sports coupes - period - on the market today. It may not be the fastest 0-60, but it sure is quick, and it has amazing handling characteristics. If you are looking for a PURE sports car that is liveable & reliable, this is the car for you. I cant wait to drive this car every day!

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  I DONT LIKE THE WAY IT SHIFTS GEARS - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By keith - October 28 - 6:57 am

  i have been driving this car for 2 months, and I thought I would get used to it but it just drives me crazy the way this car shifts into 4th gear at about 35 mph and then has no power. When you slow down it will shift fine. This is really annoying to me because I drive during rush hour traffic and the flow of traffic usually moves around 35-50 mph

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  Reliable cross country, in city, and in snow - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kyle - October 27 - 6:55 pm

  I bought the car used in 2005 with 18000 miles on it in New Mexico. Today I have 213000 miles on the car. I drove the car cross country over the mountains of Colorado and California and the high deserts of New Mexico. In New Mexico I easily made 31 MPG in this car because I do not speed and accelerate easily. However in 2007 I moved to Wisconsin. I towed a Uhaul cross country from New Mexico to Wisconsin without a problem. In Wisconsin I can not get better than 26 mpg no matter how easily I drive. The octane in NM was 86, here I use 89. I attribute the loss in MPG to ethanol. I have spent LESS THAN 2000 dollars total in maintenance and this includes planned maintenance at 150000 mile with a tune up, belts, hoses, and timing chain. (No issue just replaced them all at 150000 miles.) This car has been a superb and reliable vehicle for me. There are quirks in the vehicle that are not important to me but you may find of interest. The faux wood trim is peeling away from the central air vents, the paint has completely came off all 4 door handles, my drivers side rear chrome ripped off in a severe wind storm later claimed to be F1 tornado. All these issues are not important to me because in the last 11 years EVERY TIME I started the car (EVERY TIME) it has started on the first try and has performed excellent. A few cosmetic issues for this quality of operation is worth it to me. The only concerns I have for this vehicle are: The A.C. seals failed at about 150000 miles. I moved from New Mexico to Wisconsin so guess what I never fixed it. It does not get hot here. If I lived in New Mexico still this would be a problem. The fuel gas cap solenoid failed and Hyundai wanted 95.00 JUST for the solenoid labor was extra. I finally fixed it after enough people chased me down to let me know my gas cover was open. (Nice people up here, tired of worrying them) The headlights burn out quickly in the car and the springs that hold the lights into the headlight fixtures could have used some simplicity instead of elaborate spring design. I have to remove the battery from the car to change the driver side headlight because my hands are too big for the small space. Other than this, the car has been excellent! If you can live with these superficial issues and want a car that has the quality where it counts, the 2005 V6 is a definite SURE THING for me. I once thought of looking for a 2010 V6 to replace this one, but the car still starts every time and why pay for a newer car when this one is still so darned reliable.

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  Bill - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Bill Koukos - October 27 - 12:23 am

  Looked at the Toyota Highlander and the Sante Fe is a much nicer vehicle with more features at a much lower cost. The interior of this vehicle is outstanding and I would recommend it to anyone interested in a Mid Size SUV. I did not purchase the AWD but wish I would have.

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  A great sports coupe for a great price. - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By John - October 26 - 8:43 pm

  The 2005 Tiburon is redisigned througout. This car performs as good as it looks. I highly recomend this car to anyone in this car types market. The engine is awsome and the interior is superb. You have to get this car in the 5 speed it is lots of fun to drive. The fuel economy is great as well with a 2.7L V-6 the power is there for you to use as well. The GT model has 17 inch wheels and great handeling tires as well. The suspention on the Tiburon is tight and great for the drive. Being a front wheel drive car it dose suffer from some torque steer but nothing too sever.The 2005 Tiburon is an excellent buy for far less than the competitors.

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  Good Buy - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Overall A Good Buy - October 26 - 7:17 pm

  I was very impressed with Hyundai when I took the Entourage on a test drive. I was shopping for a Honda mini van, and saw a Entourage. I drove a Honda Odyssey, and then drove the Entourage. The Odyssey did handle a little better, but it lacked power that the Entourage had. The main thing that sold me on the Hyundai was the price, and the awesome warranty that the car came with. I mean come on 5 year 60,000 Bumper to Bumper, and 10 year 100,000 miles powertrain, how can you pass that up. The Honda did not offer that. You had to pay thousands for that extended warranty on the honda. The MPG could be a little better, but that may be my habut related problem. I highly recommend it.