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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  3.5L.........A must have!!! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Bdyardboy - August 7 - 10:00 am

  All I have to say is "wow"! Every Santa Fe should have the 3.5L. I bought this for my wife and now I get the 02 Elantra GT. Not to make the GT jealous, but I think I like the Santa Fe more (shhhh). Even if you already have the GREAT Santa Fe with the smaller engines, you need to just go test drive the 3.5L. It will bring a smile to your face.

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  Wish I would have saved my money - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Candy - August 7 - 1:01 am

  This was my first car and Im not happy with it. 1st year was okay but after that all down hill. Check engine light keeps coming on after car has been worked on. Back seat is cramped. Warranty would be good but the only dealership that is close to me does horrible work if any at all. Gas mileage is great when car doesnt over rev before I even shift it out of park. Handling is okay as long as the road is not wet. Car tends to fishtail on any road with more than a few drops of water on it. The breaks squeak like crazy when it rains and after it rains. And forget about decent pick up. Also for some reason the performance of the car plummets when AC is on.

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  Great mid size veh. - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By tony - August 6 - 2:43 am

  This veh is wonderful! Drives great has better than average gas milage and plenty of pep. Handels like a sporty model and it looks great. Any one would be happy with this veh.

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  Great look, and MPG - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By jemini48 - August 5 - 11:53 pm

  This car has the looks, performance and ride of others that are priced 2- 3K higher. Whats not to like about that ? Smooth ride, big interior cabin, handsfree BT on steering wheel. MPG for me is 39 Hwy, and 30 around town. Pretty amazing for a car with 200 HP.

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  A quantum leap from the old version - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Franc - August 5 - 11:03 am

  Traded-in 2002 model for new one. 2007 is so much better. Loaded model with everything except the third row seats (you get a really neat under floor storage system instead). Quiet inside with tons of comfort features. Good leather seats front and back. Not a barn burner re. performance but plenty of oomph for daily driving. Handling is sound and much improved over vagueness of previous model. Taking comfort in substantial safety features. MPG within EPA rating.

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  Bad Mileage....Worse Customer Support - 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By badsaturn - August 5 - 8:33 am

  I own a 2012 Sonota Hybrid Limited. I am currently getting 24mpg in city driving. I have done all of the service upgrades recommended by this forum and its readers. I met with a field rep today to discuss the poor mileage. He told me as long as I get 23mpg or better Hyundai wont do anything for me. I have spent numerous hours on the phone with Hyundai and several trips to dealerships without any effect. Sorry, that is not good enough...this is the third Hyundai we have purchased since 2010. One would think Hyundai would value me as a customer. Apparently not. Too bad....I like the car other than the mileage. Hyundai does not stand by their customers based on my experience. Wont buy again.

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  My first Hyundai. - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By Cutter - August 4 - 12:52 pm

  This is my first Hyundai and it certainly will not be my last. For a smaller car it relly has pich-up when up need. and fuel the economy is wonderful. It has been quite awhile since ive owned a compact and my experence wasnt very good to say the least. This car has everything I want in a car ie...(ice cold air, power windows,locks,keyless entry).It also is very comfortable to drive.Thanks for renewing my faith in small cars and making such a wonderful car

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  Hyundai Veracruz Limited AWD - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By carbuyer11 - August 3 - 9:46 pm

  Purchased a Veracruz for my wifes birthday. Im a Honda guy so buying a Hyundai was a "leap of faith". Also considered a Pilot. Despite the $5K savings for purchasing a Pilot, the VC is simply a better, more refined vehicle for my needs. Build quality is outstanding. Quality of materials is first rate. The VC does everything well. Everyone thinking about a CUV should give this vehicle a chance. Throw out any pre-conceived notions about the brand and enjoy the Veracruz.

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  Stay away. - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By jheoaustin - August 3 - 1:21 pm

  I bought this piece of junk in 2002 from the original owner at 11K miles. It started troubling a week after the purchase, from the minor power window break. Then I had to visit dealership about 10 times to fix the symptoms from check engine light to stall on the road. 4 months after new car warranty expired, it now refuses to accelerate, which was fixed 2 years ago. Dont believe Hyundais good rating. I believe you would regret if you did.

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  Harry Hyundai, part of family - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By C.Ash - August 3 - 10:00 am

  Great car, usually we buy toyota or volvo, but took a chance with hyundai. Ive been very pleased with the car, rides great, sits comfortable, but upholstery lacks class. Had a few problems with passanger seat clicking and timing belt clicking, but dealership fixed. Did great this winter in the snowstorm. Car came with many standard features. Acceleration is excellent from 0-40, but 40-70 slows down quite a bit. Expected better gas mileage, but I only get around 18 mpg in town and 21-22 mpg on the highway.