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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  Great small SUV - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By JTB - January 22 - 3:43 pm

  It is really nice, and comes with a lot of options standard. Great for the price and very well built. The V6 has good pickup and it drives very well. I had a 2 door sports car before this one. It was a big change but I am really pleased with the Tucson. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a SUV that has a lot of options yet affordable. Gets good MPG too.

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  great little car - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By mitch - January 22 - 11:52 am

  2 dr gt hatchback, auto. 53k on the car, only 1 minor problem covered under warranty (rear windshield wiper wouldnt turn off). gas mileage could be better, but is acceptable on the automatic. VERY versatile, i had a 7 foot christmas tree inside the car (with the trunk door closed). very comfortable, love the lumbar on the drivers seat. drives very well, corners are fun with the sport tuned suspension. turning diameter is great, about 32 ft. engine noise is pronounced, but its ok on the highway. bought it brand new (GT trim & power package) for 11,262 OTD. GREAT car, will definitely buy another hyundai.

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  All this for just that? - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By James B Beavan III - January 22 - 11:06 am

  This car is totally loaded and I only paid $25300 in January 2007 for it brand new with the Ultimate package. The Azera is very beautiful from the outside and has a lush interior with wood grain throughout even in the rear. There is tons of room up front and in the back for 6 foot+ occupants. This car has so many features and my only complaint is the gas mileage and lack of pedal feel in automatic mode. However, when using the auto-shifter you can definitely have more fun during acceleration. This car is very comfortable and definitely blows away the bloated in price BMW/Mercedes/Lexus/Acura cars that it was trying to emulate. Hyundai is no longer a follower, they are now a leader!

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  Dont let the looks fool you! - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Eddie - January 21 - 6:37 pm

  Hyundai Bluelink service is horrible. Works sometimes and alerts you when you have a issue. But does not elaborate on the issue. Customer service is horrendous. The dealerships service departments are terrible at least here in NYC. My friend started having issues with his 2015 sonata at 2500 miles. My check engine light started at just under 5500 miles. TPMS issues as well. Going off for no reason. The sunroof creaks and rattles. The leather is nice until a few months later and I always clean and moisturize with meguires wipes. Rearview camera doesnt always kick in. I can go on and on but I think whomever is reading this got the point.

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  Great Value safety and luxury - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Bob Breen - January 21 - 2:34 pm

  This car is an amazing and luxurious ride. Reliability, good looks, leather heated seats moon roof and power everything. Its a 2004 and all the accessories still work like new.

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  Nice car, but problem with poor MPG - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By Norm - January 21 - 1:08 am

  Much better car than previous model (traded in a 2001 hatchback 5-sp that we were overall very happy with, including good MPG): it looks good, is solidly built, fun to drive, and has a very nice interior. But right from the start, with mostly highway driving, we only got a poor 23-25 MPG (U.S. gal.). Looking at website reviews, most owners get the rated 35+ MPG, but 3 reviews describe the same problem and same answer by dealerships: a “longer break-in” is needed to get good MPG. Now, at 5000 miles (and after dealer tried fixing by changing spark plugs) MPG is still the same. Seems Hyundai may have a problem with a small percentage of Accents that they havent yet figured out and/or admitted.

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  Great small car - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By heyjoe - January 20 - 5:58 pm

  Great gas mileage 36-37 mpg highway. Best vehicle Ive ever owned when it comes to reliability, only 1 small repair charge in 100,000 miles. Interior design and style much better than other cars in the size range that I considered buying. I will probably drive it for many more miles, still looks great inside and out.

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  LOVE IT - 2012 Hyundai Veloster
  By rn3 - January 20 - 1:24 pm

  I love this car!! It is comfortable, stylish and love the touch screen. I have no problems with with acceleration. It is a 1.6 4 cyl, so it is what I expected. The inside is very cool and has the quality of a high end car. I have the style package and am completely happy with it!!!

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  GROWIN 2 LUV HYUNDIA - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By NESSA709 - January 20 - 10:00 am

  IVE HAD MY CAR FOR TWO YEARS NOW AND I MUST SAY IM VERY IMPRESS WITH MY CAR IT HANDLES VERY WELL. HYUNDIA HAS COME A LONG WAYS FROM THAT TACKLE LIL SPACESHIP CAR BACK IN THE DAYS. THE ELANTRA IS MORE LUXURY AND COMFORTABLE TO AFFORD.

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  Very pleased! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Tom - January 20 - 4:56 am

  Excellent car for the price. First time buying a foreign car and very pleased! May buy another in the future!