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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  warranty issues - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Lee F - July 6 - 1:53 pm

  The 2007 Azera appears like a great buy due to the features and warranty. However, the car seems to be built with cheap questionable parts and design. Weve had trouble with door locks, airbags, and accessories. All were under warranty. Then the engineer covers under the car actually came off while we were on the highway -- huyndia is not covering it. So, buyer beware.

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  too many problems - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mantza - July 6 - 10:00 am

  Since I purchased this car, I have had problems with the rotors and the lift gate latch. The rotors are constantly needing replacement. At first the lift gate would not open at all, and then it wouldnt lock. I wish that I hadnt been so hasty in my decision.

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  fun car - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By John Ber - July 6 - 10:00 am

  Performance is fun. Love the auto trans with sport shift. styling is a knockout. Quality is a real surprise. If it lasts it will go down asa one of my best cars

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  New Owner! - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Amanda - July 4 - 10:26 am

  Ive wanted a Santa Fe since they debuted. Im a previous Hyundai owner & adore the warrenty. I never had a problem that wasnt covered by the bumper-to-bumper warranty & when it expired, the cost was pretty minimal for the add. 15k miles that I drove it. I did my research & waited until my finances allowed for a new car payment. I did all of my price negotiating via email with three different dealers. This is difficult, but Im email savvy & was persistent/firm (but courteous) with the sales people. Using the quotes (everything in writing), I was able to negotiate $3000 below invoice. Do your research, get everything in writing, be firm & know what you want to spend (down & monthly).

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  My first Hyundai wont be the last! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tom B - June 29 - 6:52 pm

  I was on the fence about Hyundai until I read about the Sonata and how it was built in America. So I bought the first V6 Sonata LX fully loaded to arrive in San Diego and paid invoice! Had to settle for Black as that was what came in. To this day I have ZERO regrets! The car is amazing and looks fantastic. It has really held up great with just a few oil changes and 30K service. Ive replaced the tires and front brakes and thats it. I highly recommend this car to anyone. The only downside is gas mileage..typical driving will get you about 19 mpg if you really drive it light around 23mpg... I see it averaging close to 30 mpg on a long highway trips.

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  Good van for what you need it for - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By shanks - June 29 - 6:02 pm

  Ive owned this van for over a year now, and have not had any problems at all with it. I purchased it used with 20k miles, and Ive since put on 10k, mostly on the highway. The van is large and spacious, similar to Odyssey, Sienna and Caravan (Ive driven all of these). The performance is very good considering its size, and you have to remember that its a minivan, not a sports car. I think the build quality is good, not quite up to Sienna or Odyssey levels, but on par with the Caravan. The 5 year 60k mile warranty is a reassuring factor, but I have not yet had to take advantage of it. Also, I think gas mileage is pretty good, I get about 26 mpg on the highway, with a moderate load.

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  Update - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Frank - June 28 - 10:06 pm

  Now have over 27000 miles on my 06 Sonata and still love this car. It has been bullet proof so far. What impresses me the most is how smooth and quiet this car is. Except for the noise that comes from water spray on the undercarriage when it rains, this car is extremely quite. My friend owns a Lexus LS and this car is nearly as smooth and quiet as his car! Power is very good for a 4 cylinder, but is noticeable slower with the A/C running. ESC is great in the snow. Overall mileage has been 24.9 mpg with about 31 mpg on highway. Way more car for the money that with Toyota or Honda. Only issue is poor resale value. But that should improve as more people discover Hyundai.

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  drcar - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ftspec - June 25 - 10:00 am

  have had this vehicle for over a year. great car. does what i want it to do and more. excellent buy

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  Great Car! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Hyndi03 - June 23 - 3:47 pm

  Bought the car pre-owned with 50,000 miles on it and it now has 88,000 and never had a problem. Had the car two years and constantly commute state to state. I can put $35 of gas in the tank (which is about 14 gallons if you really push it) and get around 450 miles to the tank. Drove from Philadelphia to Vermont without filling up and still had gas left over! Keep up on the oil changes, transmission flushes, and the tune ups and this car will never leave you stranded. Reliable, simple, and has good pickup.

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  great car poor gas mileage - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By jerry palmeiro - June 23 - 10:53 am

  I fell in love with the car the moment I saw it, it has nice styling and you get alot for the money, (options, air bags, etc.) however Ive been extremely disappointed with the gas mileage only averasging about 10mpg considerably less then I was promised. When you speak with the dealership they tell you it takes 10000 miles to break in the car. Who ever heard of such nonsense. The car also pulls to the right and they tell me thats from the angle of the road for water drainage. again nonsense answer. Very pretty and roomy car but very poor service from the dealewrship which is very disappointing. To make this a better brand Hyundai needs to rein in its dealers for better service.