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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  Good car for the money - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Matt - March 10 - 1:50 pm

  I traded in a CX7 for a 07 Sonata SE, and me and my wife love it. It is so quite inside and drives really smooth. With all of the safety features included this is tough to beat for the price. The 3.3 v6 has all the power you could ever want in a "family" car and has decent gas mileage as well. We are getting around 22 city and 28-31 Highway. Overall I would recommend this car.

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  Cheap Wheelwells / Mudguards - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By Darrel - March 10 - 1:45 pm

  After only 3 weeks and 300 km of winter grid road travel, all 4 wheelwells and all 4 mudguards are damaged. 1 mudguard has a 4" diameter hole clear through it. I am fortunate enough that my dealer is replacing all 4+4 free of charge in addition to coating them with a rubber compound calling it a "Goodwill" repair. For your information, the temperature has been ~-30°C. My maximum grid road speed was always less than 100 km/hr. The odd thing is, there is basically NO gravel left on the road since its not graded in the winter... currently the maximum particle size is only ~5mm.

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  Lots of research paid off - 2009 Hyundai Azera
  By Dick - March 9 - 6:09 pm

  From the initial test drive, the car didnt inspire a lot of "oh-wow!" comments, but it was an interesting design. Seats leave a little bit to be desired in terms of thigh support, and the leather stitching on the black (gray) leather is ugly. But, I basically love this car. Bluetooth works great. Trunk size is very good. I have some problems with the transmission at slow speeds, as I drive the Washington DC beltway each day. But, overall I would definitely buy this car again. Without doubt, this is one of the greatest values available.

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  Defintely Worth the Money - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By cmc - March 8 - 1:04 pm

  I bought my Accent new in 09/01 and now have 120,000 miles on it. Still get 38 mi/gal and it is one of the best purchases Ive made. Only problems Ive had were minor - broken door handle, power window cables broke, and an ignition sensor (covered under warranty). My only current issue is a break/leak in the original exhaust (8 winters in Wisconsin will do that), otherwise Ive been very pleased with its quality. Because of our new baby, Ive looked into a replacement car. Putting a toddler into a car seat in the back is becoming tedious. I wouldnt recommend the Accent for families of four, but as a 1 or 2 person commuter car there is nothing better.

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  Good car for the money. - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Mark - March 8 - 1:43 am

  Traded a 05 Chevy C1500 to my sister for the car. Wife is main driver of the car and she loves it very much. Rides smooth and feels solid, not tinny like a small car. Decent power(I am used to V8 cars with manual trans) and will out run most similar type cars. Has almost every otion you can think of except HID lights and navigation. Has 45,000 miles on it now, only warranty work was replacememnt of a sensor for the emissions system on the gas tank. Brakes are good, no problems with warpage of the rotors even driving down moutains every day. Decent radio, good enough to get the job done but no DB drag winner. Best car for the money in its price range. Check it out first when looking at cars.

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  Buy it! - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Love it! - March 7 - 12:43 pm

  Rented one after totaling my 2001 Infiniti I30, was curious about a crossover and was hooked! I had to drive the V6 because I like to be able to pass another car on the freeway and the 4 cylinder is too weak. Im under 5 feet tall, and this car makes me taller in the seat and on the road! It also fits my 510" husband well. Great value for the money and now I can go to Home Depot and not rent one of their trucks!

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  Mrs - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Carol - March 7 - 6:06 am

  I like how high I am to see the road clearly. I like the smooth ride.

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  2007 Hyundai - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dennis - March 5 - 6:16 pm

  I have always been a Honda Accord person. The automatic transmission had problems in my 2001 Accord. Dealers wanted to replace for $4k. After a lot of hassle, Honda sent me a check. The Sonata is a superior car. They have thought of every detail. From the clean looking engine department, to the roomy trunk. Pnuematic hood and trunk supports. I dont have to worry about bumping the stick when I check the oil.Plenty of room, cupholders in the back, and plenty of airbags. Nice car,at a nice price. I bought as a 2007 clearance. The new accord was too big and costly

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  the good and the bad - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By carcommenter - March 4 - 5:41 am

  The good: Am in my 3rd year of ownership and the car has been reliable so far. It is amazingly spacious and has a clean interior design which I find appealing and uncluttered. Good visibility all around and the car handles well. With quality winter tires (I prefer Michelin) it has been very good in winter (am driving in Canada). I like the manual shift even though it feels odd sometimes. Has unusually good pulling power on hills in top gear (5th). If you flog it, it will respond willingly and feels quite sporty. Responds harshly to bumps (see my comments on tire size).

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  great little car - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By drumthumper - March 1 - 8:57 pm

  I bought my Accent to replace a 2000 Saturn that failed me only after not even a year. I drive over 100 miles a day and this has been a good car for that. I have had the check engine light on a couple of times for a random misfire but it goes out after a couple of starts (I did have the dealer check this and they said it should be fine). I compared this with a Yaris and found the Yaris was more expensive considering the features (and warranty). It is not the most comfortable car but again I drive a long distance each day. I would and have recommended this car as a cheap commuter (though I could have gotten it even for less if I could have been able to wait a few more months).