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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  Very Good with One Stinking Flaw - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By 702south - December 20 - 1:40 pm

  A very good dependable vehicle with a couple issues. The ride is nice. Handling is very good. The 3.5 V6 has plenty of power and speed. Fuel mileage is good too. It doesnt feel or look cheap. I have been in comparable Lexus and it is just as nice. Why pay double the price just to drive a Lexus?? It is comfortable except it needs a little more leg room in the drivers area. I feel too close to the pedals. Other cons may be freeway noise at high speeds. The one major flaw is the odor from the A/C that many owners seem to have. Hyundai needs to step up and fix this.

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  BUYER BEWARE - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Second Thoughts - December 20 - 12:59 pm

  Okay, so I was one of those extremely pleased individuals who purchased a Genesis and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread, AND rolled my eyes at bad reviews. But my electrical system hasnt been right since I drove it off the lot. So just be aware that the system is intricate, and new, so when things start going wrong, you may find yourself visiting the dealership MANY times to give them a chance to get it right. Ive been at least 6 times since I purchased the NEW car, and its still not fixed. The difficult part is that in fairness, its a car that gives a great driving experience, when it works the way its supposed to work. Be aware - bugs, bugs, bugs and more bugs.

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  "CUTE" SUV - 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By sweetpe - December 20 - 7:45 am

  The Santa Fe is a "cute" SUV, especially in Red, but its not very comfortable when it comes to seating. The front seats are hard, the seat itself is too short and the power seat is very hard to adjust to a comfortable position. Actually the passenger seat is more comfortable than the drivers seat. The ride is way too stiff. When the back seat is flipped in the down position it does not lay flat making it hard to haul flat items or even packages. They keep sliding toward the back of the vehicle.

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  Favorite vehicle to date - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By bristol6 - December 19 - 8:43 pm

  2005 Santa Fe LX AWD. The first car i ever owned was a Hyundai. Since then i owned a BMW, a Dodge, a Mazda, and a Chevy, and I have returned again to Hyundai. My Santa Fe is reliable, capable, comfortable, and relatively easy to maintain. They are fairly common vehicles so parts arent hard to find. Plenty of space inside, and enough room in the cargo space to stow whatever you want. Folding the back seats down is easy and quick. I put some Toyo All-Terrain tires on mine, and i am comfortable driving it across fields, through mud, snow, ice, and sand. If youre looking for a reliable fun midsize SUV that you can take anywhere, this is your ticket.

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  Good Car , Dealer Service Questionable - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sonata GLS V6 - December 16 - 10:40 pm

  Car seems to be above average, but service dept. stinks. Engine warning light problems, ABS noise, and transmission concerns. Not sure if hyundai will be my next car. Jury still out.

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  Lots of Extras however, they are cheap - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By carlweber - December 15 - 5:30 pm

  At 101K miles I had the following problems: The ignition failed on the care at 70k I had that replaced. The radio failed. The left side window had to be replaced. My keyless entry paid rusted out. They said it fell in the water. Other then that it has been normal stuff.

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  A Jag for HALF - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By Brock Reiss - December 15 - 2:00 am

  Jag S claims a 5.3 second 0-60 vs. a XG350 0-60 of 7.7 seconds. Being an avid driver I have done the unoffical test myself and the Jag will beat the XG but by less than 1 second... $47,096 vs. $24,000 for similar performance and comfort is hideous. I found the Jag to be tighter in turns and grip the corners better but the ground clearance is 20% less so suspension is not the only factor. I liked the styling of the XG and was happy with the materials inside. Since the warrany is so comprehensive the risk is minimal. I remember the Toyotas of the 70s retaining their value...until everone woke up...WAKE UP!!!

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  engine knock and random codes - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By bigal78 - December 14 - 1:52 am

  Bought 2013 in January 2014. One week later heard knocking in the engine, took it to dealer was told that the GDI engines make this noise, normal. 2 weeks later took it back as knocking is not normal and there has been numerous reported engine failures with same noise, vehicle throws random emission codes which there is a tsb for but not all dealers know this so I have to put up with a defective SF. I loved it at first but that ended within 3 weeks. I think the 6 cylinders are more reliable than the 4s.

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  Junk Vehicle - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Harvey Gosser - December 12 - 1:42 pm

  purchase used with 29000 miles. Vibration at 45 miles per hour. dealer adjusted transmission. still vibrates shakes. Door locks quit, dealer install new lock. Now valves are clattering at cold start, left overnight at dealer twice so they could hear noise. Still clattering, must return to dealer again to try & find out problem. Obviously the clattering is metal to metal until oil gets to the valves. Feel every single bump in road like a truck. Car now has 34000 miles & I am real worried it will continue to fall apart. wish i had spent a little more & got toyota or honda. Compare to a yugo. never ever consider buying this car. i read many reviews but most only owner for about a year. beware.

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  Big Red - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Big Red - December 12 - 12:34 pm

  Difficulty entering and exiting for those with mobility issues due to the high rise of door inside door seals.