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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  Inexpensive Luxury - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By masterling - January 4 - 3:37 pm

  I have been used to driving high end/expensive cars. But I took a leap of faith, ignored the Hundai logo and bought the Azera. I find that the ride is smooth and the interior is very comfortable. It is appointed nicely and appears to be well constructed. I have also gotten many complements from coworkers, customers and friends who have been in it. For the price it cannot be beat.

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  Needs Improvement - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By ems1 - January 4 - 11:28 am

  I bought the car because I thought it was a good value for the money. There are a lot of great features even in the base model. Steering problems and poor paint along with the dealers inability to fix the problems make this car unacceptable. If you are thinking of buying one, go over everything like you would if you were buying a used car. Quality control is not where it should be. Be sure do do a long test drive and look for steering problems, especially right or left pull.

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  Awsome Car! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By djaz89 - January 4 - 6:53 am

  This car is amazing, recently traded in my jeep compass for it. Love the leather, it does not feel cheap some other models do. Love the gas milage as well, i am avering 27 combined highway and city. All the features are nice such as the steering wheel controls and reverse camera. I love the metallic paint, i have a white sonata and it glistens all the time. The only problem as stated before, is that it seems to want to pull to the left a little on its own. It happens more often at speeds between 20-40 though. Overall, great car with a smooth ride and great luxury features. I get asked all the time if it is really a hyundai, or a lexus or bmw

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  One more thing! - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By coconut - January 4 - 4:20 am

  Forgot to add. Gas mileage from the get-go has been close to 23 mpg in mixed driving. Works for me!

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  A lot of SUV for the money; very happy! - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By JH675 - January 3 - 11:56 pm

  I came from a 2008 Mariner Premier, this SUV is superior in every way. Smooth ride, quiet, and very comfortable and the included amenities are unbelievable for the price; avg mpg, outside temp, steering wheel radio controls, blue tooth, wood grain trim, storage everywhere. These seats are VERY comfortable, this was the biggest surprise for me. This is also a very, very smooth transmission. At 70 mph in central FL, I am getting between 23.5 to 24 mpg on a brand new engine...but that is also what I get in city driving. The vehicle is better than the 20 mpg city rating but less than the 28 mpg highway rating; Hyundai ought to address this and not use calculations. Give this SUV a look!

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  better than people say - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Jamie - January 3 - 11:36 pm

  I bought my 03 tib in late 05 with 64,000 miles. The only problem I had was the drivers side window motor went ( which also happened the following year) and the passenger side wouldnt unlock. But that was cheaply fixed. The following summer my ac was leaking somewhere, but if you fill it it lasts you through the summer. Now at 108,000 miles I have replaced the belts and such that goes with that, and have had no issues. I feel the transmission is going slowly but thats it.

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  No! - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By Todd - January 3 - 4:13 pm

  Get something else. Not reliable - needed new door locks TWICE, water pump, exhaust. Now the mechanic says it needs a new engine. I have no pressure in one of the cylinders. Airbag light is on, dealer cant fix it. Cruise control doesnt work. Stock CD player wouldnt eject anymore and had to be replaced. Transmission searches for correct gear on the slightest of hills. Headlights burn out every 2 months (yes, I am installing them correctly without touching the glass). Car now has a very loud squealing noise when turning the wheel in a parking lot. Traded it in for a Civic today.

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  Beware of Hyundai - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Tom Larson - January 3 - 10:00 am

  I would STRONGLY advise against purchasing a Hyundai. I purchased a new 2003 Elantra hatchback last July, and 18,000 miles later, the clutch failed. I was just informed by the dealership the clutch is NOT covered by the warranty, and Ill have to shell out $900 to get it fixed. Ive been driving other various manual transmission cars for 20 years with no problems. The Hyundai is a poorly made vehicle, and the much vaunted warranty is total sham, if not fraudulent. Again, I would stay away from Hyundai!

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  My Tuson - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Steve G - January 3 - 3:30 am

  The tuson is one of the nicest small SUV I found. I looked at a lot of them including the RAV4 and the Honda CRV, the tuson has lots more room and the the ride is one of the best I found. Was able to get the gas millege up to 25 city and 32 hwy with amsoil 0W-30 and a K&N airfilter.

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  The Sonata is a Winner!!! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ron - January 2 - 6:53 pm

  It drives flawlessly and stops on a dime. It is quiet and fun to drive. I wish I bought it sooner. The car looks great. Gas mileage has been great for the break in period. I have gotten 26 miles per gallon on first tankful- combining city and highway mileage. Thats great for breaking in engine. This car is heads above the competition. A winner. I made a great choice purchasing the car. The warrantee is the best also.