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:

• 

  Great - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Gena - March 28 - 5:33 am

  I love my elantra, and I love Hyundai

• 

  Unbelievable Value - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By joeschmoe - March 27 - 7:16 am

  After researching the customer comments on the Santa Fe, I test drove a loaded LX even though the lease on my 1999 Honda CRV still had 6 months to go; I could not resist this SUV after the test drive and paid off the lease on the Honda just to get it. Its ride, comfort, and amenities makes it feel like it is in another class when compared to the CRV and trust me; I drove the CRV for 2.5 years.

• 

  2 hot 2 be stoped! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By J.A. Howard - March 26 - 3:09 pm

  I love my Sonota. After trading in my 01 Toyota Echo, I had to get used to having power everything. Powerful 2.7 L V-6. Recived X-Type luxury for thousands less. I love my Sonota, however I have had to get my antenna replaced twice.

• 

  Worst Clutch Ever! - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By abominablejohn - March 25 - 10:25 pm

  I bought a 2008 Tiburon SE V6 in May 11 with 13,000 miles in a Hyundai dealership in sunny South Florida. Over the course of 7 months, I put on about 6,000 miles on it mostly highway driving and driving it up to NYC. I am the second owner of the car and with less than 20,000 miles, my clutch has gone. My old Honda Civic was driven over 100,000 miles without ever having a new clutch. Dealership says clutch is not part of the warranty because its a wear & tear item. How can Hyundai build a credible reputation for reliable when so many Tiburon owners are complaining of this defect with the clutch? I will send my complaints to all agencies and websites I can. Shame on you Hyundai!

• 

  Surprised! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By DoubleT - March 25 - 2:26 pm

  Bought the car for the value, but was surprised at the overall quality of everything. My wife and I both commented the car is very much like our Infiniti I30, handling, ride and all. I30 in 1996 cost us about $10,000 more than what we are paying for the 2007 Sonata. Have only 450 miles on it so far, but hope the reliability is as good as I30. Potential buyer should expect that this car has a firmer and stiffer ride than a boat-like ride of the Camrys. On a rough road, it does give a lot of dull thud sound (not thumps as some people describe in various forums). I hear this types of thuds in almost every car. It is just a matter of degrees, depending on the suspension design.

• 

  Expectations Met - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By iSpec - March 25 - 4:53 am

  We just recently added a Santa Fe to our family fleet with our Honda Pilot. We are very pleased and our expectations are met completely. The interior of the Santa Fe is far better than the plasticky Pilot. We are receiving 21 mpg in mixed driving

• 

  Almost perfect, but... - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bobundai - March 23 - 10:23 pm

  I really like the car - two beefs: it doesnt get the fuel mileage Hyundai advertises and theres a winter problem with the steel wheels. I get about 28 mpg (Canadian - bigger gallons) and Hyundai says I should get 45. It replaces an 02 Accord (4 cyl. 5 spd.) that got 34 mpg. The steel wheels pack with snow (when the car is sitting and the snow drifts in. The snow cant escape and the wheels get horribly out of balance. I carry a special skinny stick with me to unblock the wheels, but its a design issue that Hyundai needs to address.

• 

  Great value for the money - 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Denny Wanlass - March 23 - 11:16 am

  This is a great car. It looks nice, rides nice, and has great features. The only thing I would say is that the navigation system seems a bit pointless with Carplay/Android Auto and you cant get some of the more advanced features without spending thousands on navigation. Other than that, I am happy with the vehicle. The seats are comfortable, power is nice, ride is smooth for a SUV crossover. I have no complaints. There is very little room for cargo if the back seats are up but that is to be expected.

• 

  Gearshift - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By karenbel - March 22 - 5:21 pm

  I had my 2012 Sonata GLS for 4 days when I suddenly could not move the gearshift. I was parked at a restaurant, went to leave, and could not put the car into gear. It started up ok, but all the dashboard lights came on and stayed on indicating I had problems that I didnt have, like the emergency brake was on when it wasnt. Long story short, I had to be towed back to the dealer. Its Sunday, so I have to wait for an answer, but I am terribly disappointed. Reliability is the most important feature for me when it comes to owning a car. Hyundai needs to exchange cars and give me another one. The car has 204 miles on it!!!

• 

  Outstanding! - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By L. Gehr - March 22 - 2:36 pm

  I never thought I would ever consider buying a foreign vehicle but, with the new Cash for Clunkers stimulus package, my wife and I decided to take a look at the 2009 Sonata GLS. All I could say was... Wow! It won us over immediately. With its over-all sleek design, great handling and large interior comfort; we looked at each other and knew it was the car for both of us. The price was right (well within our budget range) and the the total feel was unmatched in other cars I have owned. This car has added new excitement to our lives. Two thumbs-up here. My wife chose the Camel Pearl color (her favorite) and I purchased the Powdered White Pearl.