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:

• 

  just gotta love her! - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Love my Tibby!!! - May 12 - 8:36 am

  I have had my Tibby for 3 years now and she has been the best car I have ever had (I have only had 4 until I got the Tib.) I dont experience ALOT of noise, there is some, I have only bought tires once, that was 3 months ago. I have driven on the hwy at 150km no problem and in the city I have no problem accelerating. And its cute as a button!

• 

  Great car with some hesitation - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By rla444 - May 11 - 10:21 pm

  Ive owned this car since July 2011 and have over 64000 miles on it. My mileage has varied from a 35MPG low to an amazing 56 MPG for a 15 mile trip. Average MPG for the life of the car until I changed tires this month was an actual 38 MPG. The car MPGgauge reads falsely high. My driving is 90% highway, though this is my daily driver. Like others, I had a check engine light issue when I first bought it and was reimbursed for my time and trouble by Hyundai. The mileage is very dependent on style of driving, speed (the slower the better). I really like the regular transmission over a CVT like the Honda Civic Hybrid I owned.

• 

  My second Tiburon - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Willa Fuller - May 11 - 7:20 pm

  Before this I owned a 2001 Tiburon and I put 133,000 miles in 4.5 years. I had one repair or the timing belt at 125,000 miles. This one of course is new, but I am loving the ride and some improvements and extras on the base model. I was disappointed that Cruise Control is not base in this model but it has keyless entry and an alarm and a couple of other nice things that the other one didnt have. Also the interior of the 2001 was jazzier.. but overall I love it!

• 

  Great Car! - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By Angie - May 10 - 6:32 pm

  What can i say,this is one great car that others try to imitate but dont quite match up.Hyundai is really moving up there and this car proves it.The overall build quality puts some higher end models to shame.Best choice ive made.

• 

  Never again!! - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Linda Resh - May 10 - 3:26 pm

  This is the biggest piece of junk I have ever bought. I am now going on my 4th fuel pump. The 1st one left me stranded at only 2 weeks old. The last one is only 5 months old and under warranty but now they are telling me its my fault that the fuel pump went out because I got bad gas. so now they want to fix it for 800.00 and no warranty. I will never buy another vehicle from these rude people and they dont stand behind any warranty they give you not to mention I had to replace my tires at 25000 miles, and my arm rest broke. I will tell anyone who listens not to buy a Hynundi its a piece of JUNK!!

• 

  Best New Car I Ever Owned - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By dct - May 10 - 1:23 pm

  Wanted an economy car to replace an eleven year old Pontiac. Got more than I wanted... Fun/easy to drive... Great economy (21/35)... Surprisingly good acceleration for a 4-cyl... Almost luxury level interior. (heated seats, cabin air filter, dual air/heat controls for passenger and driver, I- pod plug-in for sound system, XM radio, bluetooth for cell phone, moon roof, steering wheel radio controls, telescope/tilt steering wheel, heated side mirrors, tire inflation warning system, air bags everywhere, lots of storage compartments, leather seats/steering wheel, 5-speed auto or use it like stick shift, compass, dimming rear-view mirror, home-link garage door openers (3), 8-way power seat)$20,900.

• 

  would recommend - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By jimmyd5 - May 10 - 1:16 pm

  what a great car! much more reasonably priced than Camry, Accord, Altima and equal options and performance. Total cost of ownership is much less considering insurance, excise tax and sales tax. People get spooked by the name, but if you just plan to drive for 100K, why buy anything else. Folks gloat about driving until 200K, but who actually does this. Couldnt be happier with Sonata.

• 

  9 month review - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By littlesscatz - May 10 - 3:24 am

  I purchased my 2011 Sonata SE in Aug 2010. I have been averaging about 34 mpg driving 130 miles daily. The car has met all my expectation. Smooth ride, spacious, responsive, and great standard equipment. I currently have over 14K miles and the car still seems new. The paint is exceptional and I really like the split leather seats. I was skeptical on purchasing a Hyundai, but so far, the value of this care is great. I really recommend this as a family or first car.

• 

  The Best Car/experience - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sue in A.J. AZ - May 9 - 7:43 pm

  Love this SUV!!! Apache Junction, AZ Hyundai is the BEST! Marshall made the buying experience the BEST!! I smile every time I get in this car. The service has been excellent at the dealership. The car is comfortable and very responsive on the road. I do very much freeway driving and I feel safe in my Santa Fe. I would have sworn I would never own a SUV until I drove the Santa Fe. It drives and feels like a luxury car.

• 

  Great Car - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By MGary - May 9 - 10:00 am

  You cant beat the features, quality and price. The fit and finish of both the interior and exterior are excellent. The ride is smooth and quiet. The engine is so quiet and smooth that you actually have to look at the tachometer to see if it’s running or you’ll end up trying to start it again (very embarrassing). The acceleration is smooth and powerful. I read one review here where someone was complaining about the transmission. I think it shifts flawlessly. Every time I try to describe a feature of the car the word smooth comes up. The one problem I have is getting my wife to let me drive it. We bought it for her. Only mistake I made…..