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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  My honest opinion - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jose Santiago - July 21 - 10:53 pm

  Good sturdy vechicle. It is slow to accelerate but when it catches up it will blow you away.

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  Great Car, Great Dealership - 2016 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Maxx V. - July 21 - 10:52 pm

  I bought my car brand new with only delivery miles on it. I test drove an Automatic Ultimate 3.8 and "Blind Bought" my R-spec. There were a couple minor factory defects with this car, but between Lisa Adamsons diligent response time to schedule repairs, and Micah Lawleys great Salesman support, Superior Hyundai in Anniston Alabama had me back on the road in no time. since then I have had no issues with my car and the maintenance team is super cooperative. Here are a couple things to be aware of though: 1) the traction control is very intrusive. 2) this car is not made for long trips to a vacation spot. its a ready to run racecar (to a degree) 3) this car is the best bang for your buck considering the amenities from the dealership and the manufacturer. 4) the transmission takes some getting use to (if you drive it hard, you WILL eventually grind a gear. thank you shift lock out!) Overall great purchase and very satisfying on an open road.

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  Good little hatch with surprising room - 2012 Hyundai Veloster
  By bretpk - July 21 - 8:39 pm

  I bought the 12 Veloster in NYC and drove it cross-country to LA on my move, packed with two dogs, a girlfriend and more bags than I ever thought it could handle. I stopped mid-way on the trip at my parents place and as I was unloading, my mother commented that it was like a clown car with the amount of luggage coming out of there. If you pack right, its truly remarkable what you can fit. From a looks perspective, the Veloster was a little ahead of its time. People thought it was fantastic or ugly as sin. Now 3 years later I see a ton of them on the road in LA. Clearly, its catching on.

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  Read before you buy - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Josh - July 21 - 7:33 pm

  Beware of a problem. the ignition system is designed very poorly. every 20k miles the car needs plug wires and/or ignitoin coils. $200-$550 every 6 months for us. 2.4l engine design is bad. Hyundai does not help except charge us every 6 months for the same replacement parts as they do not warranty these. BE VERY BEWARE!!!!!!

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  Went from always having a car to the Tuscon Sport - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Debra Miller - July 21 - 12:06 pm

  Okay, so I never had an SUV before and never planned on it, but when my lease was expiring on my Sonata it was time to look. The Tuscon Sport looked so great and sporty I had to give it a try. The heated seats and the way the seat hugs you is so comfortable! I tried the Sante Fe, but the Tuscon seat comfort was much better to me. The ride is quiet and pretty smooth considering I live where there arent very great kept streets. I drive mostly in ECO mode and have turned it off and noticed the huge difference in power, I have also played with the manual shift and might experience some more as I can drive a manual. Brakes work great and I love the back up camera and was surprised when it warned me a car was coming up the street and not to mention I love the lane change indicator for the blind spots. So now Ill never go back to a car again... And I love Hyundai as their warranty is to die for....I have owned a 2003 Elantra, then the 2012 Sonata, but the Tuscon by far the best. I didnt even bother looking at other SUVs, Im glad I read the other reviews about the other SUVs out there..confirmed to me I did not make a mistake in buying my Tuscon. My SUV gets great compliments...1) mailman was like wow that has a really great trim line, 2) dealership the person installing my remote start said what a beautiful vehicle, 3) my friend was wowed by the appearance....was not expecting the first 2 at all and never had anyone say anything about my Sonata. So go for it, if thinking of buying....I love mine!

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  Replaing tires after 20,000 miles? Ridiculous! - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By Amy - July 21 - 6:34 am

  This is the second time we have leased Sonatas. Total of four cars. We had to relace the tires of all four cars in two years. This time the dealer told us we should be rotating the tires every 7000 miles. Thanks for the too little too late help. I am in my 50s my husband is in his 60s. We have owned a lot of cars over the years and the Sonata is the first and only car that required the tires to be rotated this much. Because, they are crappy tires. Moving on to another car manufacturer. We have been buying or leasing hyundais for the past 16 years (both of us). So done with them!

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  My wife is very happy - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Ron Maugeri - July 21 - 5:31 am

  very pleased with this vehicle. My wife is extremely happy with this vehicle.

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  Tucson 2011 MPG - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Buck - July 21 - 3:40 am

  Hyundai advertises on TV that the 2011 Tucson gets 30 mpg. My experience for the first 2000 miles is 21.9 mpg. Most of the driving is highway and short trips (5 miles) to town.

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  Reliable, Smooth, and No Regrets - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By carfan2011 - July 21 - 3:20 am

  Ive had my Santa Fe almost 3 years and have put almost 45,000 miles on it. The only time its been back to the dealership is for oil changes! The car is such a pleasure to drive, its so smooth you cant feel the transmission shift even under hard acceleration. The engine is whisper quiet even when underway, merging into traffic. The interior is holding up beautifully and the cloth seats are proving to wear very well. I love the adaptable transmission and how it adjusts to your driving style. Im averaging about 27 mpg on the highway and overall its a great car that I plan to drive it for a long time.

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  Overall Good Experience with this Car - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By CCM - July 19 - 7:09 pm

  I had a good experience with this car overall but not good enough to buy another Hyundai. On the plus side, you get a lot of features for the money on the down side, you tend to get what you pay for. In 3 years, I never had any major problems (other than clutch going out after 12 months due to San Francisco hills), but had lots of minor problems: brake lights constantly going out, cruise control went out, CDs stuck in CD player, worn-out floor mats, paint dinged easily. That said, the car was mechanically sound and suited my needs well as a basic city car. Wouldnt buy another Hyundai, a) because I can afford something better now and b) because I cant get past its inherent cheapness.