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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  Going very nicely - 2008 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Tom - November 28 - 2:46 am

  Very sharp turning circle. Entire vehicle well constructed. Firm ride but sporty. Gas mileage so far for mixed driving is 23-25 mpg. Good view of road and the rear. Nice high driving position. Quiet for a 4 cylinder.

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  impressed - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By venus - November 28 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car as a gift for mom, from a dealer in New Jersey. Car had 11,000 miles and is in excellent condition. This is where the depreciated value is a good thing. I walked away for $5,000 cash, and the warranty. wow! This little car is excellent on turns and is very responsive to the road at all speeds. The stick shift was a breeze to drive. Gas milage is excellent as long as you stay around 55-60. Above that you are really using it up. All in all I highly recommend this car.

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  What a buy! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By JEB - November 27 - 2:46 pm

  Compared to the Toyota Corolla, or the Honda Civic, a real buy. Much more "bang for your dollar".

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  Fly, drive and relax in traffic...a smooth ride - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By PL - November 26 - 9:24 pm

  Test drive and feel the difference between the base Sonata and the Sports 2.4L. Theres a difference in acceleration. Also, quieter ride. Get the optional upgrade for sports suspension and then you also get the sunroof, tire locks, etc, as part of a reasonable package. Its a joy to travel in, especially when stuck in rush-hour traffic. Fuel economy was a major consideration - averaging 20,000 miles / yr, with less than half being highway miles.

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  2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited with Ultimate Package - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Vince - November 26 - 1:18 pm

  Bought 2016 Hyundai Tucson after extensive research. Im very pleased with it. Likes No issues getting gas mileage numbers advertised in mixed driving, averaging about 26-27. Straight forward and fairly simple infotainment system to use. Sunroof is just flat out awesome. No issues with power, seems to have plenty for normal driving. Ventilated seats!!! Fairly quiet ride, especially compared to the rest of the class. Quirky stuff While driving slow, transmission seems a little jerky. When going down a steep hill, transmission doesnt seem to upshift so RPM runs pretty high which is easily goes up to 2500 or so. Easily fixed by manually upshifting. Blind spot monitoring button is very bright. Not sure why there isnt andoid auto or apply car play available for Tucson yet. So, going through all the items that Edmunds wants, I gave it 5 stars because I had to check something for value and reliability. I cant judge either of those 2 items yet because I havent had the car for long enough. Anyways, so far I love the car. When it comes to the competition, the only vehicle I liked more was the 2017 Kia Sportage because it had a regular transmission and engine as opposed the the 7 speed dual clutch and 1.6 liter turbo that is in the Tucson. The killer was the 21-25 city/highway gas mileage that is associated with the Kia Sportage. The Honda CRV was very nice but for about the same price, no ventilated seats and the ride was not as quiet. The CRV has more storage space in the trunk, a longer history for strong resale value and reliability. The Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, and Subaru Forester had too much road noise for me. I enjoy driving the Tucson. I feel the acceleration is pretty strong and I dont feel it ever lacks power. I drive pretty normally not too aggressive. The ride is fairly quiet. I love the entertainment system. I almost bought an Audi Q3 but after they showed me how to use the infotainment system, I was totally turned off. The sunroof is so awesome. The blind spot monitoring system works great. It lights up when someone shows up in your blind spot. If you turn your blinker on, it will give you an alarm. The ventilated seats are just awesome for warmer days. This is my first vehicle with a DCT or a Turbo engine. I enjoy both of them at this point. The engine/transmission combo will take a little getting used to but once you are use to it, you know what to expect. I keep the care in normal. Ive seen some videos that people have issues and they always have it in ECO mode. So, Ive read about some people that have had horrible issues with their Tucson and I hope to never experience what they experienced. Its horrible. I also understand that they probably sell quite a few of these vehicles so a couple of bad ones is always a possibility. I ended up paying extra for the full 100k/10 year bumper to bumper warranty just incase. I normally buy Hondas or Toyotas and have never had a problem with them in the past. Overall, very happy, excited, and feel good about this vehicle. Good luck on your decision.

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  The Best Kept Secret in the Auto World - 1999 Hyundai Accent
  By David V. White - November 26 - 2:00 am

  I consider the Hyundai Accent to be an exceptional value compared to similar sized economy vehicles, such as the Nissan Sentra or Ford Escort. It came with a 10-year manufacturer warranty that transfers as a 5-year warranty on resale. It is roomy for passengers, with ample rear seat leg room. The rear seats fold down to give plenty of cargo space. In three years, the car had no mechanical problems whatsoever. My only complaint was a pesky "Check Engine" warning light that came on twice for no apparent reason.

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  It IS Better than the Lexus RX!!! - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By momof2 - November 25 - 6:10 pm

  We have owned a 99 Lexus RX300 since it was new. When we were recently faced w/my husband losing his company car, we assumed wed get the RX350 because weve been so pleased w/our first Lexus. Well, in our opinion, our new Hyundai Veracruz has blown the Lexus RX out of the water! The smooth, quiet ride, the very many luxury features and the gorgeous body style cant compete with the Lexus, or its over-blown price tag. We have 2 months before we give up the company car - the Lexus has been collecting dust in the garage while we take our awesome Veracruz everywhere! I never thought Id be a Hyundai owner, but I couldnt be happier with it. You MUST consider Veracruz if buying a crossover!

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  So far so good - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By New Santa Fe - November 25 - 4:30 pm

  Test drove CR-V, RAV4,Mazda CX-7,Ford Edge,Suzuki XL7, Mitsubish Outlander, Chevy Equinox all very nice CUVs, but the Santa Fe just stood out. We narrowed it down to 2 cars the CR-V and the Santa Fe. Hyundai won with its warranty, size, extras that Honda didnt have as standard, and most of all price! Paid quite a bit below invoice. Drives like a car. We still cant understand why Consumers Reports recommends RAV4, not nearly as nice. This is my husbands car for work, but I think Ill be stealing it once in a while. Anyone who paid a fortune for a upscale CUV just wasted their money.

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  Best in its class Great Value for money - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Suresh A - November 24 - 11:20 pm

  I was driving a Hyundai Tucson, I drove it for 3 yrs and around 50000 miles I did not face a single problem, I was happy with it. I trade in my Tucson and went for Santa Fe for a bigger vehicle. I was surprised to see the features and MPG for such a big vehicle. I test drove Toyota Highlander, Toyota RAV4 but the drive in Santa Fe is awesome and a great product for great price. I got around 26 MPG on highway with 70 MPH and around 18-19 in the city. My car is limited with GPS and 3rd row seating. Dealer gave me a very good price of 25250 what else you need. Very calm cabin, excellent control on the road with excellent safety features it took my heart. I am so happy with my purchase.

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  The best suv I have owned - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By SANTAFE08 - November 24 - 10:00 pm

  This is the best suv I have ever owned, coming out of a lease of a denali which sucked gas I have never been so happy, it first started when my mother purchased a 2008 sonata limited and I thought Hyundai mom why did you purchase a sonata and she replied it drove better then the competition and I have to say it does down to the options Hyundai offers, well I am spoiled and I have to have every option so I purchased a 2008 Santa Fe limited with navigation and bluetooth and every option you can get including every accessory down to the wheel locks, mud guards tubes and the cross rails front bra and cargo tray etc, I love this vehicle so much I would definately repurchase again way to go!