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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  Never buy another one - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Nik Wis - July 6 - 6:30 pm

  I brought my Sante Fe two years ago in 2004. It was ok at first and then at 27,000 mies the clutch started to stick. It would lock up in 2nd gear. Well, I took it to the dealership and thet were supposed to fixin the problem. Well guess what! One month later when I got it back it ran smoothly for 2 weeks now Im havin the same problem again after they claim to hav replaced the Transmission, well in addition to that! Ive spent 300 dollars on tires not to mention the brakes has some issues! All I have to say is Im done with Hyundai! I will either trade it or get rid of it!!!!!

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  th only bad thing - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Tara - July 6 - 11:43 am

  i live in nyc the only bad thing about this car is the rims i usually get 2 flats a month for going over the pot holes they do not realy hold up other then that i love my car

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  Santa Fe SE - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Coco - July 5 - 10:13 pm

  I am very pleased with this vehicle. I read the online reviews, did research and its great. I have averaged 24.5 miles per gallon, not bad for an SUV. Very comfortable, smooth and quiet ride. Excellent vehicle with a great warranty.

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  Great Value - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Seabrina - July 5 - 1:33 pm

  Overall this has been a great car! Love the appearance. The interior is very nice. Its a really great car for the price and the warranty is awesome. The ride is fairly smooth and I havent noticed any road noise. Ive had no problems with it.

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  Transmission Failure - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By gotshafted - July 5 - 7:51 am

  2010 gls with 34954 miles transmission went out with a bang 600 miles from home and now waiting for a replacement. Hyundai expexts me to drive 1200 miles to pick up the car when ready... UNREASONABLE !!!!! Buyers BEWARE.

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  This vehicle is terrible - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By john_stone37 - July 5 - 4:30 am

  This car is fun to dive, but if you dont have a ton of money, dont buy it. Bought one at 99k miles, it now has 124k. In the span of that 25k, Ive replaced all tires twice, replaced the clutch twice, replace the shifter cable twice, replaced the transmission and flywheel. All tiburons after 2003 are crap. Also, any transmission repair (clutch, shifter cable, flywheel, etc.) is 1000$ more than with most cars because it takes extra work in a tiburon to get to the transmission

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  So far ,so good - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By Mark M - July 4 - 4:05 pm

  So far, so good. The Mileage is better than I expected. EPA rates the manual @ 32/35. I have been getting 35.79 average mpg after the first 2500 miles. This is with a 30city/70hwy commute. This is driving 65/70 on the hwy. Purchased this vehicle for a daily 130 mile round trip commute. I could only afford to spent a set amount. I asked my mechanic about choosing a vehicle. Asked him about a brand new Accent, or a one year old Corolla. He said buy the Hyundai. This came as a shock initially. But he has family memebers with Hyundai vehicles with similar commutes. Frankly I really expected to be led to the Corolla, having reservations about Hyundais reputation from the past.

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  Good Experience - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By billylyons99 - July 4 - 11:19 am

  60K miles in and no major problems so far with my Sonata. Overall it has been a reliable car and plenty fun to drive. I have had no mechanical issues whatsoever. The only items I have had to replace are the pads and rotors (at 60k), everything else is doing just fine.

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  Rear ended - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Ebleb - July 4 - 10:00 am

  I was rear ended and the car held up beautifully. The under carriage reinforcements needed to be replaced and the bumper. I was hit at 50mph. I was sitting at a stop light. I was very impressed. The Honda that hit me was totalled.

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  Surprising Quality! - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By gpribula - July 4 - 10:00 am

  Very comfortable to drive. Quiet ride with moon roof open. Controls are fairly well laid out and easy to access. Very good dash, center console, and rear seat storage. Wood grain accents give an expensive feel to interior. Sound system and components are easy to manage, while sound quality is adequate. Split fold down seats allow me to put a wheel chair, rolling walker, and several bags in the trunk. A FULL SIZE SPARE TIRE WITH 12 SPOKE RIM STANDARD. The spare tire alone retails for about $120. The manuals, I repeat manuals, are well laid out and easy to understand. They come in a nice leatherette folding cases with pen and paper.