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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  Had a 2011 Tucson. 2016 not worth it - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By DM - May 26 - 6:10 am

  I traded in my 2011 Hyundai Tucson and regretted it very fast. I had never had an issue with my 2011, so I decided to get a newer and better version and it was a big mistake. Within 2 weeks it was in the shop. It stalls occasionally which is extremely dangerous, the air condition starts throwing out hot air and then goes back to cold after a while. the RPMs go up and down, but the shop hasnt found anything wrong with it. It is in the shop again, and hopefully this time they will be able to fix it and find exactly what is wrong with it. It also has a few recalls which are said to cause accidents. I do not advise anyone to but this car until it is completely fixed.

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  Wandering Sonata Syndrome - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By gotstogo - May 9 - 11:44 am

  Ive had my Sonata SE for 3 week. Next week is the third visit to the dealer for what Jalopnik called "Wandering Sonata Syndrome". Search "wandering" on Jalopnik for a full explanation. I would not buy a Sonata until this fix this issue... if they can. Its been an issue since 2010. The dealers have no idea how to fix it. Its a serious design flaw that causes your car to wander on the road and not drive straight. My car pulls right when you let off the accelerator. And, it pulls left when you are on the accelerator. Needless to say, I am happy to live in California with a good Lemon Law. Too bad Hyundai still has issues... I thought they had moved beyond their past.

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  Transmission and Steering Problems - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By Mr. Pitt - April 30 - 2:00 am

  For owners or prospective purchasers of an XG350 be aware that Hyundai is hiding some information. The erratic automatic transmission may be caused by an "accelerator position senson" which I just had replaced. If you are having problems with wheel alignment or tire wear as I have be advised that they have had to install adjustable rear ball joints on some of these cars because they wheels cannot be properly aligned or wont hold an alignment. I speak with personal knowledge and my source of information is highly placed.

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  tire towing problems - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By markxs - April 9 - 1:43 pm

  There is a definite front tire alignment defect on this vehicle. The tire warranty is bogus since no tire store will pro-rate remainder of warranty claiming it is from hitting too many potholes.

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  Its falling apart - 1995 Hyundai Sonata
  By jonsie - March 28 - 2:00 am

  I bought my hyundai one week and the next week my timing belt blew, mytrunk lock broke my glove box lock broke my passenger side door handle broke. never buy a used hyundai

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  good product, bad performance - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By jeromey - March 21 - 8:33 pm

  would be a great product if they could get a larger 4 cylinder, and a little bit more comfortable seats.

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  Twice is to much - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dick - March 12 - 3:10 pm

  Transmission went at 78,000. The 2nd Hyundai Transmission to go. Have a 96 Accent & also lost a transmission after the 60,000 mile warranty. Just $2000. The last time and especially from this dealer. They could care less about your business. You might as well drive it until it croaks. You could not get a decent trade on a Hyundai if your life depended on it. Most dont even want a used Hyundai on their lot. Give it away or drive it until it drops.

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  I hate my car - 1994 Hyundai Sonata
  By DeadMilkMan - March 6 - 4:15 pm

  The only advantage ive found is the car confort, its really confortable but at wich price... It drinks fuel like a Mustang 5.0L. IÂ’ve spent 2000$ dollar in 8 month to repair this car and it still have a lot of thing to repair (ie: 1 power window, suspension) Sometime my car just stop at a STOP and its an automatic. ive change the spark plugs, the cables, the rotor, ive washed the injectors and it has change nothing to this. Well my final verdict: i will never buy a Hyundai again in my life

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  Want to Love it. - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Brian Allen - February 25 - 1:56 am

  I purchased the Sonata Eco with the tech package. I am a 64" tall and weight around 240. I purchased this car because I felt the vehicle fit me well and was built with quality. I have owned the car for about 6 months and have liked it but not loved it. My main complaint is with the driver seat. I am still not comfortable in the seat, though it is getting better. When I drive it for an extended period (up to a 1/2 hour) I get out with upper back pain. This has been very frustrating. I have loved MPG I am getting with the vehicle. If I have the vehicle in ECO mode and drive conservatively I can get 40 mpg on the freeway. I purchased the vehicle for around 24K the price dropped to around 23K a couple of months after I purchased it.

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  Bad Rack and Pinion - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Anthony Lupo - February 4 - 5:33 pm

  Had to replace rack and pinion three times. Also, inside door liners, had to replace rubber twice. For all those who own this vehicle, make sure you have the rack and pinion checked. If the steering wheel doesnt stay straight once its aligned, it could be your rack and pinion.