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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  still satisfied after 20000 miles - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By steve - November 27 - 12:46 am

  I bought this vehicle in september 2006 and have over 20,000 miles on it so far. For an SUV with a V6 I can say it is pretty good on gas (overall 22 MPG). Still drives like a car and is very quiet on the road. I live in Massachusetts and my wife has never had any issues driving in the snow (we live in the second hilliest city in the US). I dont have any interior failures or defects as stated in other reports. I can honestly say that I have no complaints with this SUV and was looking at the Pilot and highlander also at the time. I wish I had purchased the 3rd row seat.

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  1 Year with My 2016 Azera - 2016 Hyundai Azera
  By Joe N. - November 26 - 11:24 am

  Im now one year in with my 2016 Hyundai Azera Limited and I still love it! This a fantastic luxury automobile without the luxury price tag. Like others have stated, I dont know why Hyundai has not talked about this car. Ive never seen an ad for one and actually discoverd the Azera when I visited a Hyundai dealer a year ago to look at a Genesis. The salesperson recommended the Azera because I could get all of the Genesis luxury features at a significantly lower price point. Of course now that Hyundai is launching its luxury Genesis brand seperate from Hyundai they are not bringing the Azera back for 2018. This decision allowed me to buy my Azera at a deep discount which was a win for me. This car has everything you could ever want in a luxury sedan and its beautiful inside and out with sleek styling and a very well thought out cabin of comfort and conveniences. Living in hot Texas, I love my ventilated seats and automatic sun shade for the rear window. I dont think I can ever drive another vehicle that doesnt offer ventilated seats! My only gripe with this car was the oversensativity of the lane departure warning system. Luckily, the car gives you option to deactivate lane departure warning which I did. I mightve liked that feature more if it actually corrected the stearing rather than just beeping at you. Blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic control with the backup camera are terrific features. I would also have preferred the front seat adjustments to be placed on the side of the seats as in most cars rather than on the doors and slightly difficult to reach and adjust while also sitting back at the same time. You wont find a better luxury car in the price point.

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  WOW WHAT A CAR - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Barney - November 26 - 9:23 am

  research prior to purchase indicated this is a good car. Took a trip through the rocky mtns. just after purchase, great performance,lots of room,comfort, safety features, and the 5 year warranty. I love this car. Have had lots of positive comments from passers-by, friends etc. Great value for the price.

• 

  OSO SUV - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dososos - November 26 - 2:00 am

  Workmanship & quality control great.

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  Great suv at a great price - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By donna - November 26 - 2:00 am

  Let your misguided friends spend twice as much on an overpriced, unreliable domestic SUV. THIS SUV is for the smart consumer who wants a great car, style and a superior warrenty at a great price!

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  The best choice for the money!!!! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Extremely Satisfied - November 26 - 1:00 am

  I had read about the Sonata before buying it and this car has surpassed ALL my expectations. You cannot get better value for the money right now, period. I test drove a Lexus, the Sonata is 3 times cheaper but it is NOT 3 times less the car. I have had it for almost a week and a couple of people could not believe this was a Sonata, a guy even said it looks better than his aunts Lexus. The warranty is a killer who cares if anything breaks, it even includes free courtesy car!!! You can ride in serious style without being flashy. Handling is impeccable with the 17" wheels, massive tires, excellent braking distance, awesome metallic paint, very powerful and smooth V6. Outstanding!!!

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  New owner impressions - to be updated later - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By wrigh003 - November 25 - 1:21 pm

  Just bought my ’13 Sonata SE on 12/31/12, and so far I’m in love. The gas mileage calculator is ticking up steadily as I get past the initial leadfoot (it’s plenty fast, even without the turbo…) test drive miles, so I’m curious to see where it levels out. I hear that it takes up to several thousand miles worth of driving before the mileage really gets where it’s supposed to be, I will likely update this in a few months with that knowledge, as well as doing manual calculations when I go to the gas pump. I commute back and forth a total of 80 miles a day, 99% in highway traffic; even with the SE suspension and the low profile 18” tires, the ride is pleasantly firm rather than harsh- even over expansion joints and through construction zones along the interstate. It’s likely that a GLS or Limited would ride softer, with the slightly different suspension and taller-sidewall tires, so if cloudlike ride quality is a concern, consider that. For my money, I prefer the SE. Radio display could maybe be a little better. I’m still not 101% used to how it’s all laid out, though, so my opinion here may change. Blue backlighting is nice, auto-adjusting to ambient light conditions as the automatic headlights go on and off I could take or leave, I think. I will be digging into the manual to see if that is a setting I can adjust. That said, my phone paired to the stereo in about 10 seconds and calls through the mic/speakers in the car are easy to hear and easy to be heard, which is a good thing. Stereo on my particular SE sounds good and although it doesn’t seem to really crank (I think I have the 104 watt base stereo), that’s OK, the car is quiet enough at highway speed that it doesn’t have to. Need to read the directions and get all my stuff figured out and set up there, find some XM stations I like, etc. I’ll wait a while before I tear into the radio like I tend to do in most of my vehicles- but again, it’s 100% serviceable as is, and with plenty of connectivity (Bluetooth, aux input jack, etc) besides. My particular vehicle also has the BluLink connection – to be honest, beyond “Hyundai-brand OnStar,” I don’t even really know what this is or how I’d use it- another thing to look in the manual for. Nice touch if you’re looking for it and/or had something like it on a previous vehicle. The driver’s seat is comfortable and easy to adjust, and the cloth material on the center section of the seat has kept me in place well, no sliding around like a full leather seat can sometimes cause. Heated seats are a nice thing – never would have picked that as an option living in AL like I do, but my wife loves them and during our brief winter I’m sure I’ll love them too. Used them this morning. Also worth noting is that Hyundai is smart- lots of people with Sonatas are going to have a kid or two (three in my case) in back, at least occasionally. The back side of the driver and passenger seats (at least in the SE) appear to be leather/leatherette – that way you can wipe off the marks from dirty shoes, etc., if any happen to get put there. Cloth might have been cheaper to install, but that one little touch will cause the car to look nicer, longer. Same story on the armrest areas on the doors and the armrest on the console – all appear to be covered in material that will wear well, which is a good sign in my book. While I’m on the interior, I’ll note here that I’m 6’2” and generally automatically move any seat, in any car, all the way to the back. My new Sonata is the first car I can ever remember not needing to do that in. Front legroom is excellent, and even more to the point, so is REAR legroom, even when I have the seat where I’ll need it. If things go according to plan, by the time I get rid of this car, those little boys won’t be little any more, so this was important to me. As a lifelong manual transmission prefer-er, my left foot keeps looking for something to do, but I am enjoying the paddle shifters just as well as manually rowing the gears- and I’ll admit that it’ll be nice to be able to let the car do the shifting whenever I happen to get stuck in the occasional traffic jam. One of my reasons for preferring a manual transmission is the simplicity argument- it’s one less thing to break years down the road. Here’s hoping I never have to use it, but the long powertrain warranty Hyundai offers was one of the reasons I was able to get my own head around buying an automatic- the paddle shift ability is just a bonus for me. The trunk is utterly cavernous. I don’t golf and don’t really know anyone who does, so I won’t use the usual “holds _ golf bags!” metric, but those three boys I mentioned earlier like to eat. Groceries for our family are sometimes a two-cart affair coming out of the store. The old Montero Sport we had before had plenty of space for anything we wanted to put in it, but I’d be amazed if this car had any less- comparing the space below the back of the rear seats in the Mitsu vs. the trunk in the Sonata, just from looking at it, I’d say the Sonata probably actually has more space. I won’t be throwing any sheets of plywood in here (I have an old pickup for that…), but I don’t think I’ll ever wish for a bigger trunk for anything one could reasonably expect to transport by car. These are my initial impressions on a car I’ve had only a couple days, but I shopped casually for a long time (18 months?) while squeezing the last utility out of our old SUV, and I drove the Sonata back to back with an Accord and a Camry. The Hyundai was every inch the car as both of those, and better in most cases. Hyundai is for real. If you’re like me and remember with amused horror the Excel and other terrible mid-90s Hyundai’s, do yourself and your wallet a favor and drive a new one. I think you’ll come away pleasantly surprised. Leveraging last-day-of-year and having Edmunds.com TMV looked up on my phone, I was able to confidently negotiate a great price for a great car that should serve my family for years.

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  New car wont start - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Diane Flynn - November 25 - 1:26 am

  We bought this car on October 29 and had to have it towed on October 30 because it would not start. It supposedly was repaired on october 30, but on October 31 it would not start again. On November 1, it would not start until we worked with it for fifteen minutes. On November 2, it is being towed again because it will not start at all. Be very concerned about the electrical system in these cars.

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  Love my car - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By petvetmom1 - November 25 - 1:00 am

  I researched quite thoroughly before buying my Sonata 2002 used in July 06. Reliability and Safety scores made the difference for me. Since Ive bought it I couldnt be happier. The car is beautiful have gotten comments from friends and strangers about its looks--"looks like a Jag". Besides that I love the car it looks great, ride is smooth and powerful, very quiet. The interior is comfortable, spacious and beautifully appointed, the stereo system sounds great. This is probably the nicest car Ive owned even though it is 5 years old, and Ive owned an a new Accord, a Celica and a Mazda 626. First used car I buy and best buy I ever made.

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  Disappointment - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By sidney - November 24 - 12:00 pm

  Went with Hyundai for the warranty. Wanted a Tucson, went with the bigger engine that is only available in the Santa Fe. I do mainly city driving, stop and go. Mileage isnt even close to what they stated. Dont even get 13 miles to a gallon in town. Highway 20 to 22. Transmission is sloppy. Standard stero stinks. Had it replaced already. Had a Chrysler Concorde with a 3.3L engine for 10 years. Thought the mileage would at least be close to what the Chrysler got, 17 city. Still drive the Chrysler when I can, gas mileage is so much better. Will trade in vehicle as soon as I find something. So annoyed with gas mileage that I really dont like the vehicle.