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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  Great Car - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Hyundai Man - October 31 - 9:21 pm

  I got my 05 Elantra last month, and have put over 700 miles on it. It is a great car-much better than any of its competitors. Purchase price was $11,600, and it is the best value for the money. It has a peppy engine that has a nice growl, and handling is similar to a Jetta. Its very agile around tight corners, and really holds well to the road. I would strongly suggest this car, and think the world of the great warranty!

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  Great Car with Some Flaws - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By bobs66440 - October 31 - 8:27 pm

  With almost 63,000 miles, Im really very happy overall with the car. The only real issues are: 1) A problem with the cloth upholstery. It started to show signs of wear only a few months after purchase. It now looks like a 20 year old car seat. The dealer took photos and sent them on to Hyundai to see what they can do. 2) Since day one, the highway stability has been a little sketchy. Its ok until you are around other vehicles when the wind buffeting can move the car around. Im used to it now but at first it was unsettling. 3) The fuel pump went bad at 62,000 miles which I thought was premature. But the dealer took care of it under warranty, no problem.

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  Not bad - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By renaer - October 31 - 5:00 pm

  I purchased this car 2 years ago from a licensed independent dealer. My car has 188,000 miles on it and its still kickin!!! Its been in the shop twice for minor things...lets just pray things stay that way.

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  Uncompromised comfort and refinement - 2014 Hyundai Sonata
  By gemigniani1 - October 31 - 4:02 pm

  I rented a base model with only 300 miles on it. Im a tough reviewer, but this car really impressed me. I loved the dash - Hyundai made the controls very simple and intuitive - so youll never get angry at the car because you cant figure out how to work the climate control, cruise control, etc. At highway speed there is zero wind noise (amazing). The quietness, ride smoothness, comfy seats, cold and powerful AC and the quality look and feel to everything are reminiscent of the 1990s Camrys we all loved. Toyota doesnt make a Camry with uncompromised comfort and refinement anymore so its neat to know the Hyundai does and its called the Sonata

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  Still breaking it in - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Austin - October 31 - 10:43 am

  So far I have not experienced any of the transmission issues that others are talking about. I have nothing but good things to say about this vehicle. I have custom 2 tone leather seats in it and they are fantastic. Have no issues with any of the instruments or controls. Im averaging about 16.8 mpg (only 400 miles on the vehicle and nothing but city driving, no hwy miles really). The torque and hp is a LITTLE low but all that does is teach me to accelerate without a sense of being in a race all the time. That saves gas anyway so I think its fine. At speed I have no problem getting in and out of traffic. By the way my previous vehicle was a VW Jetta VR6 and this gets better mpg.

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  The sum is more than its parts... - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mbanas1 - October 31 - 10:20 am

  Wow, has Hyundai come a long way since the early 90s cheapo cars! Fit and finish of the Santa Fe are top notch, very solid and stable feeling on the road, great 3.3L engine (powerful and Im getting 24.5 mpg avg., mostly hwy), best balance between interior space and exterior dimensions (between a CR-V and Pilot) for a family, and huge value for the price (beneath the CR-V). Almost a perfect "family roadtrip" vehicle that is also nice in the parking lots and side streets. However, if you do a daily commute in heavy traffic you might not appreciate the best parts of this car (its quiet ride, 5-speed automatic, comfortably supportive seats), and you will definitely get worse mpg!

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  A Great Experience All Around - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By JayCee - October 31 - 10:00 am

  This is my first experience owning a foreign car and so far, its been a great one. My Elantra has been a ot of fun to drive. I have 20K miles on it and the only problem so far has been a burned out headlight which was easily replaced. I have the smooth shifting 5 speed and get great gas mileage. My friends call it the K Beamer (as in Korean BMW). Great looking exterior fit and finish, a very functional and well though out interior and a larger then expected trunk. My Hyundai dealer has also been a pleasure to work with. I plan to by the larger Sonata for the family later this year. Way to go Hyundai!

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  A Great Experience All Around - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By jaycee - October 31 - 10:00 am

  This is my first experience owning a foreign car and so far, its been a great one. My Elantra has been a ot of fun to drive. I have 20K miles on it and the only problem so far has been a burned out headlight which was easily replaced. I have the smooth shifting 5 speed and get great gas mileage. My friends call it the K Beamer (as in Korean BMW). Great looking exterior fit and finish, a very functional and well though out interior and a larger then expected trunk. My Hyundai dealer has also been a pleasure to work with. I plan to by the larger Sonata for the family later this year. Way to go Hyundai!

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  Best Value SUV - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By JOSE FERRERO - October 31 - 12:50 am

  Since I bougth this Santa Fe, always Im finding new features and excellent things of my car. The last one was a lot of covered space under the back carpet. I drove from Fort Lauderdale, FL (33312) to Chandler, AZ (85248) with a trailer on the hitch and the ride was smooth, I didnt feel back pain. The only bad thing is stopping every 230 miles to refuel.

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  What a wonderful surprise - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Don Hooton - October 30 - 9:10 pm

  I never thought Id be driving a Hyundai. But, I walked into the dealer, took one look (and drive), and fell in love with the Azera. Ive had it for 8 months now - I have NO regrets! Plenty of power, smooth (quiet ride), not one problem.