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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  Stay away from this car! - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Barry Lynas - May 8 - 10:54 am

  The turbo engine and dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT) are downright dangerous. On numerous occasions, when beginning to accelerate, the engine will rev while the car doesnt move for several seconds before the transmission kicks in. Sometimes it never kicks in and you have to put it in "P" and back to "D" to go. Took it back to the dealer, who told us several Tucsons have come back with the same problem. They reset the computers and said dont bring it back. Hyundai is "working on it." Yea, right. Ive complained to everyone who will listen: Hyundai Customer Care, Consumer Reports magazine, Safecar.com, and the state Attorney Generals office. In the meantime, Im warning everyone to stay away from Hyundai.

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  Great Little Rig, but Thirsty! - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Sari - May 7 - 11:23 pm

  I have to admit, the Tuscon was my 2nd choice. I wanted a Rav4 Limited, but the Toyota dealer lost the sale. The Tuscon has actually turned out to be better in all aspects, except fuel efficiency. Its comfortable, sure-footed in all terrain/weather, and a pleasure to drive. The only things I could wish were better are the gas mileage - Im averaging 17.5 in town and about 21 on highway trips - and the durability of the plastic interior surfaces. I traded a 10 year old Mazda 626 for this and even after all that time, you really couldnt see a lot of surface mars on the interior/trunk plastics. It seems the Tuscons scratch easily. That said, I really do like my little black beauty!

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  Hyundai Tuscon 2007 - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By MDW - May 7 - 8:13 am

  Impressed with the solid build quality and reliability to date. Lacking somewhat in interior space, but then it is a compact, so not surprising really. Handles well in snow and on dirt roads, and the ESC works well. Privacy glass in the back is a good feature. WE tested the RAV4, CR-V, Escape and Patriot, and felt this was good value for money, with a similar feel of quality to the Honda or Toyota, but cheaper.

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  Hyundai Knows What We Want - The Bare Minimum - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By Jordan - May 7 - 12:09 am

  I want to send out a big public thank you to Hyundai for making the 2009 Accent the most low-tech car of the 21st century. Do yall realize how much extra car companies are charging us for unnecessary features? This was my first car, and all I wanted was a reliable car with good fuel efficiency and cheap. Yall would be surprised to know how elusive that combination is in modern automobiles. I didnt want key faubs, or Bluetooth, GPS, or side view mirror turn signal lights. Nuh-uh! Thankfully, the 09 Accent was designed without all these useless amenities. Not only that, they got rid of features I didnt even know I didnt need. No cruise control? Well, how hard is it to just keep your foot on the accelerator? With most newer cars, you can press a button to lock all the doors at once. Not so with the Accent. Youve gotta lock each door manually just like our 20th century ancestors did. Hey - If Im saving a few bucks, I can do that. I can crank the windows by hand, no problem. I will say, though, that I did want one specific feature. I really wanted my car to have an AUX port so I could listen to tunes from my phone through the speakers. And guess what? The Accent has it! This car is perfect!

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  Love This Car! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By tkattt - May 5 - 10:50 pm

  Recently purchased a GLS. Love the styling in and out. The car moves effortlessly though traffic and looks good doing it. I get constant compliments and looks from others when Im out.This car far out guns my previous car a 2010 Nissan Altima, and with the Hyundai warranty i dont think ill ever buy anything but a Hyundai. They really hit a home run with this car. I recommend you test drive this car before buying any other in its class!

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  Not a bad little car... - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By John - May 5 - 7:58 pm

  ... and, much to my surprise, they backed the warranty to the max! AND the RoadsideAssistance was very, very well done. With these warranties, I have recommended these cars to friends and family. Great little cars, practical as all hell and solidly reliable.

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  Wow, more bang for your Buck! - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By nikenri - May 5 - 5:13 pm

  Overall the ride is smooth and comfy, some bad freeway spots however bring out a little to much bouncing. Gas mileage is not a strong point but the ride and style and great price makes up for the shortfall!

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  Love it - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ken Dunyak - May 5 - 9:27 am

  First Hyundai was a 1991 Excel. Got 36 mpg. This 04 Elantra GLS with Automatic is fun to drive. It just wants to go!!!! Got it with 28K miles and Im getting 35 mpg. Better than rated.

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  Best we have ever owned... - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By boderman - May 5 - 4:45 am

  I purchased this car after a major exploration project starting with the successes of Hyundais new engineers and this sophisticated beauty. It screams of value, value and yes, more value. Thanks to Audi for allowing Hyundai to hire some amazing engineers....!!! Just look at the crazy safety features like the rear cross traffic alert and then the pixilation on the backup camera is second to none...hands down. Then combined with the best warranty in America, and the new multi-link suspension - it is a CHAMP!!!

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  Best in its class and then some... - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mazzy Star - May 4 - 10:40 pm

  I have owned BMW, Mercedes, Acura, Toyota, Lexus. This car is in that class of fit and finish I assure you. Went to the car show before it hit the showrooms.I was really impressed with exterior looks and the interior. I knew if the car drove as good as it looked I would buy one. I take a long time to make a decision, research everything, test drive all possibilities . This car replaced my 25K 2007 Camry. I paid 24,700 for Sonata, used Costco buying program worked great! This car is twice the car as the Camry, and feels as good as my BMW 528 did. You will be very happy with this car... Buy it!