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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  Worse Than a Yugo - 1992 Hyundai Elantra
  By Mark Palmer - August 30 - 2:00 am

  This was the worst new car I ever owned, and I never drove it hard. It was at the dealership for repairs over 15 times in three years. It started out with numerous electrical problems. The 5 speed transmission was rebuilt at 15k miles. The throttle body went at 30k, the front end components at 40k. There were many other numerous issues also, too many to mention. Finally, its timing belt broke at 50k miles, which threw all of its exhaust valves into the pistons. It was rebuilt, but I was fed up with it at that point and sold it. Way too much downtime. DO NOT buy a 1992-1995 Hyundai Elantra as a used car. They are horrible!

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  Oil Leak & Trans Issues - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By NDPA - August 23 - 6:13 am

  This is the first and LAST Hyundai I will EVER buy. I typically buy Honda (Accord, CR-V), but I bought the SF based on good reviews (Consumer Reports, etc.), enjoyable test drive, and apparent bang for the buck over the new CR-Vs. After 8K miles I have had 2 oil leaks (Timing Chain Cover Seal + cracked oil filter housing), & the intermittent transmission issues (hard shift, banging, lurching, etc.) that so many others have had. I will now crawl back to Honda for my next new car. Its a shame because without those MAJOR, inexcusable issues, the Santa Fe is an otherwise enjoyable vehicle. I thought Hyundai had done a 180 from the laughing stock it once was, looks like I was wrong.

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  it is OK suv - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Alex G - August 18 - 2:00 am

  well it is a suv after all and i am kind of a sedan person.... but it has never made me any problems at least big ones

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  BRING BACK THE 05 - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By bring back 05 - August 14 - 9:10 am

  Personally I loved the 2005 sonata.I am a couriour and drive over 350000 miles a year.The 2005 gave me very few problems and was comfortable and easy to drive. The 2006 is still easy to drive however hyundai got rid of the more classy look that the sonata had.They gave it a sport look trying to copy honda instead of jaguar. The seats make your back hurt when u drive alot and the armrest in the middle will make your shoulder hurt.The armrest also has a spring in it that makes it a pain to closse when your driving.The transmission slips all the time and i think there may be a recall later on.I also think there may be a recall on the shift lever because it will slip out of park with littlpressr

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  Accent GL 4 door sedan - 1997 Hyundai Accent
  By reddy - August 12 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Hyundai 1997 with 50850 miles from a dealership .i get around 36-37 mpg on regular highway driving. I had a bad crash with the car.. The water pump was faulty. This was within the first week of me driving my car. I had the dealer look into it and engine gas casket had melted due to the heat. After that I have put 4000 miles on the car highway city driving and not a single problem.. I wont recommend it or unrecommend. I yet have to drive it on the snow or test it on a long shot

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  Poor Quality - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Disappointed - August 11 - 6:50 pm

  I have owned my Veracruz for two weeks and it has been in for service twice for the tire pressure monitior system light malfunction. This how the vehicle was delivered to me. I am a first time hyundai buyer and if this is any indication of their quality and customer service, I will stick to american made cars.

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  Elantra experience - 1999 Hyundai Elantra
  By mythoughts - August 6 - 2:00 am

  I bought the Elantra because I needed an inexpensive car quickly. The price was right and you certainly cant beat the warranty. It is a great value. That being said, Im at the dealership FAR too regularly. The check engine light is often on, but they never find a problem. The A/C works sporadically. The temperature gauge registers hot though the technicians claim it is not running hot. Theyve advised me not to operate the A/C above setting 2 (4 settings available) as the motor burns out. The motor in mine has been replaced twice (6700 miles and 24000 miles). The radiator blew up and had to be replaced at 14000 miles.

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  DEFECT - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By TUCSON - August 4 - 9:36 pm

  I enjoy driving this truck, its fun, looks good, but in 4 months of owing I had to get towed in because a hose under the hood stopped it from moving. This hose melted and twice came loose causing the truck to stall or not move forward. 3rd time its been "fixed". Ive been given a loaner vehicle each time, but I really want my truck to work well - I dont want a defect 2005 truck. It could be roomier, better on gas for city driving. Mp3 system is nice but no one at dealer could not explain how to use it. I like having a cassette and CD player. A lot of great standards for a great price.

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  below expectations - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bob Slobbins - July 29 - 2:00 am

  The standard equipment list and aesthetics of the Sonata were what led me to choose buying it over the base model Accord. After 12 months of owning it, I have just a few complaints. I needed new brake pads and front tires at 15,000 miles of mostly city driving. The wiper fluid pump and front headlight fuses needed replacing. And the window trim is already peeling. Also, Ive averaged 17 MPG in 95% city driving with automatic.

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  NOT HAPPY - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jinxy - July 29 - 2:00 am

  The first 3 months of ownership were wonderful. From them on it has been a complete nightmare. I have had an oil leak in the front differential; the ignition went out; the fuel tank doesnt register properly and only fills above 3/4 of a tank; the crank motor sensor went out on the freeway while I was in the fast lane; the center console broke twice and not the front bushings have gone out. WHAT MORE CAN I TAKE!!! This vehicle has been in the shop 21 times since I have owned it and I am currently waiting for my 22 visit once the parts come in.