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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  Its ok not more - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By baba - June 21 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned my XG300 for one year and have had it in the shop at least four times for non routine maintance issues.I would still suggest for a low budget car its not bad overall.The so called options like Leather seats, wood grain accents, etc........are not up to par with the more expensive makes and models...This is obvious after after the excitement wears off.............

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  Good overall car, some bad features - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By gofalcons - June 17 - 5:04 am

  Overall this car seems to be a good value. Fuel economy is excellent, i average 33.5 mpg on 50/50 mix city/highway. Few negatives though. 1. The driver seat is extremely uncomfortable. I could not find a good position no matter what I did. My legs and hips hurt after 3 weeks of owning. I need a pad on the seat and a pad on the lumbar to make driving tolerable, otherwise pain is unbearable. 2. Engine is rather noisy during acceleration. 3. Cloth seats and some interior trim cheap looking. 4. Bad sight lines. I anticipate getting rid of this car sooner than expected, it is just not comfortable to drive.

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  uncomfortable - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By D. McFadden - June 16 - 12:41 am

  I have a Sonata Limited 4 cylinder. The seats are extremely uncomfortable after an hour of driving. Car is way under powered.

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  Listen to the Expert Reviewers - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By familyfour - June 9 - 2:00 am

  I was a little nervous at first because the expert reviewers gave the XG300 at best an average review. Wish I had followed my instincts. Four times in seven months towing the car to the shop. I know someone else that still has a 300, she is having the same problems I did. The car did get me more comments than any other Ive driven but looks dont guarantee dependability.

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  Nice looking inside & out - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By Suellen for Kimberly - May 17 - 12:02 pm

  The battery didnt last too long & the wheel alignment was easily knocked out so had to replace tires too early.

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  Car Failed At High Speeds - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mary - May 15 - 10:00 am

  My Sonata has been great for the 8 months I owned it until last week. While driving at 65 mph on a highway, the car died, completely shut down. Nothing I could do but wait to be hit from behind, which I was. The dealer inspected the car and told me the battery cable connection was very loose which probably caused the problem. The car lost its power connection. Today I learned that this may have been a dealer error as the car battery is charged just prior to turning it over to the buyer, and no maintenance on the car in these 8 months would have involved doing anything to this cable. Dealer wont take any responsibility. Another case of screwing the consumer. I could have been killed.

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  I am not satisfied overall - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By bsonata13 - May 11 - 7:46 pm

  I leased this vehicle 16 months ago. The main reason to buy this vehicle is for better MPG. However, it is pretty disappointing to see low MPG (I get 22/28) average of 24 or less. They reported 24/35, and average is 28 MPG. Issues: I had to replace the blue tooth and speaker system twice and speakers are noisy, however it is covered under warranty. I have changed 4 tires already. They wore out fast and not sure why. MPG is biggest concern - I have asked for mileage inspection test twice, both the dealers gave wrong numbers, however, I am not sure how to prove them wrong. Overall it is not comfortable to drive Customer service - average Financial services - More than worst.

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  If theyd just fix it - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By jackehrlich - May 10 - 10:00 am

  Its a great car, but I have had a lot of problems with the transmission and the way it shifts. The problem is intermitent. They reprogrammed it, which helps a little, but still problems. The service advisor, Ron Johnson, told me I should use Amoco gold gas, but so far that has done nothing. I could love this car, if theyd fix it!!!!

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  Issues - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Shawn - May 3 - 11:40 am

  Anyone else notice these issues? Tire noise! Steering gets quite heavy above 60 mph. You have to work on it to keep it going straight on freeway. Suspension a little too stiff.

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  Dual clutch problems - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Beetle - April 30 - 3:43 am

  I purchased my 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited at the end of May 2016. For about five weeks, I enjoyed the comfort, smooth ride, quiet cabin and features. Unfortunately, after about five weeks, I had to have the vehicle towed to the local dealership because of problems with the “dual clutch transmission” (DCT). It appears that I am not the only person experiencing problems with the DCT (the Eco, Sport and Limited models of the Tucson). You should check out the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration “safercar” web-site to see the over 100 complaints 2016 Tucson owners have reported about the DCT before you buy one for yourself.