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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  No Complaints - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By FormerHondaPerson - February 22 - 2:00 am

  First half year....No problems. Great ride, Looks, and Gas Mileage. Very Happy

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  Dealers are rip-offs - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By KK - February 21 - 11:45 pm

  Previously, I wrote my review about the transmission braking at 69,000 miles and the dealer said they wont honor the warranty because the transmission wasnt flushed. I went to AAMC for a replacement and paid $2800. I wrote a letter to Hyundai Corp. telling them what happened. I received a call from the corp. office. After I sent all the documentation to prove I still owned the car and the receipt from AAMCO, I received a check for the full amount I paid for the transmission. I found that its not the Hyundai Manufacturer, its the DEALER that rips people off. If you have any problems, go directly to the manufacter not the dealer!

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  Comfy but not practical - 2008 Hyundai TUCSON
  By nomer - February 21 - 8:23 pm

  Bought this 10 months ago and am looking to trade it in even though I know I will take a loss. has tons of cargo space and leg room, but the motor works too hard. Doesnt feel like it shifts properly. Not very darty--takes a long time to accelerate. Gas mileage for me has been consistently at 18 miles and less. I have never gotten even 19 mile per gallon as stated. 14 gallon tank is small--feels like I am always at the gas station. radio and amenities are positioned well for a comfy ride. Great heat and A?C but is hard to hear radio over it--not strong speakers

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  Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5 L GLS AWD - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Dave - February 21 - 9:16 am

  This has been a good vehicle since buying used. Great interior layout and features for the price. Gas consumption and braking could be better. No problems so far. Would recommend this vehicle to anyone wanting a good comfortable SUV.

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  Inherited Azera - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Dave - February 20 - 2:48 pm

  I inherited a black Azera Ltd from my mom. She asked me about Hyundai before she bought this & I told her that Id rented a Sonata & thought it was a great value. This Azera easily surpasses the Toyota Avolon that I test-drove. The fit and finish is comparable to my partners Mercedes and Lexus. Some early reviews complained about uneven gaps in the dash, hood, etc. I compared mine and theyre all within 1/16th of an inch, which I consider excellent. My only complaints are why only a single-disc CD player and why no plug for an MP3 player (it only accepts MP3 discs)? Oh, also, the manual shift will not allow you to hold it in gear to the redline, shifting early at about 6500 rpm.

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  More than I could afford - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By BG - February 20 - 12:41 pm

  Got car used w/11k miles on it, have had nothing but problems with it.I dont know how many sensors this thing had but I think I have replaced them all.Also, transmission went at 77k mi after I brought it in several times for the same problem (over a couple of yrs), either that or the dealership got tired of trying to fix it, it was not covered by the warranty. Horrible to drive in the snow, its like rubbing crisco on the tires then driving in the snow. I spent more time getting it fixed and money on this car (seemed to be something every 3 months)than what it was worth. Traded it in w/the check engine, brake & battery lights on got $1400 for it, though I would have paid them to take it.

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  Worth The Money - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ardiemuse - February 20 - 2:00 am

  A fine vehicle to date. All the amenenities at an affordable price. Fit and finish very good. I live in northern NY and the Santa Fe has served me very well in this last rough winter. The AWD feature is sure footed for safe, comportable and reliable transportation. The 3.7 V6 is powerful and very quick when passing another vehicle. I would buy another in a heartbeat but I would buy it somewhere other than a Fucillo dealership. The reasons for that decision would be material for a book.

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  Love my Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Pharmdoc77 - February 20 - 2:00 am

  I was looking for a sporty SUV that is reliable and efficient. I got it with the Hyundai Santa Fe. No need for 4WD as I purchased the 4 cylinder model with front wheel drive. This baby plowed through 12 inches of unpaved snow without a buckle with no problem. On dry roads, this automobile gives a smooth and solid ride and takes the bumps effortlessly. The interior is stylish and well thought out. The 4 cylinder engine gives plenty of pep. I couldnt be happier with my purchase.

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  Great Little Car! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jay - February 19 - 4:46 pm

  I have enjoyed this car greatly. It is much better than the Accord I used to have. I drive mostly city and consistently average around 28 mpg which is not bad. One of the best things about this car, though, is its performance (especially with a manual). This car actually has torque (unlike my previous vehicle). This makes for a peppy car (that gets better with a few modifications). Overall a great value.

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  Shark attack - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By John - February 19 - 4:06 pm

  I just bought my Tiburon SE one week ago. The prices that they are selling these things for is crazy, mine is a brand new 2008 SE with 22 miles on it when I drove it off the lot, all for only $16,000. I sold my 2008 Accent SE and bought the Tiburon. It has a sports tuned suspension which makes it very stiff but handles well, interior is very nice with leather and cloth, nice dash layout, but the car does sit very low and so will you when driven. The exterior is outstanding, looks great, nice lines, dule exhaust, projector head lights, 17" wheels, and it all comes with the best warranty in the business, mine has the remaining 4 years which is still better than GM or Ford.