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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  Love it - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Stephanie - July 3 - 10:16 am

  I traded in my 04 Civic for this car last week and so far Im loving it. The Hyundai has a lot more features for the same price as the Civic, and its better looking and more fun to drive. I also read that Hyundai is rated second only to Lexus for customer satisfaction. Although Honda is known as a very reliable car, I think Hyundai is just as good and pays more attention to the little details that make you love your car.

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  Buyer beware! - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dj - July 3 - 1:20 am

  I agree with previous posters, very bad transmission that definitely bogs and slips when cold. Hyundai has a horrible warranty service because they will always try to discount the problem. Poor quality. Gas mileage is about 20% lower than the sticker averages on the vehicle. Just another falsehood.

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  Stepped Down from a Genesis to a Sonata - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By Paul Nord - July 2 - 8:59 pm

  Love it so far! My first new car in 7 years, and I am impressed at all the different safety features, the expanded bluetooth, etc.

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  "Honey" the Hyundai - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dave Huffman - July 2 - 12:48 pm

  I bought my 2001 Elantra on an impulse while out looking to replace my gas guzzling Cadillac. It caught my eye on the lot and I wanted to drive it but didnt think it would be in my price range. I test drove it and noticed it only had 45,000 miles on it & it felt tight like a new car. The seats were and remain firm yet comfortable and it had surprisingly strong acceleration. Ive had it for 2 years now, and had 2 probs. One was a sensor that was fixed under warranty. The other was a wheel/hub bearing that cost $400.00 to fix. Other than that it has been great! Now when I look at or test drive other cars and get back into the Elantra I find myself asking why I am looking at other cars.

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  Tuscon GLS 4wd - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By John - July 2 - 6:33 am

  I bought it a few weeks ago and love it. We had a big snow day beofre Thanksgiving and it went right thru the worst of the snow like it was nothing. Had a blast driving it. Very roomy inside, very comfortabke seats. Almost like sitting in a living room. Tons of standard cool features. My only gripe is the gas mileage. It was estimated to be 20/27, but I am getting 18avg city/highway, and most of my driving has been highway! Whats up with that? Otherwise, it was better than I expected.

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  A car to be reckoned with - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Tony T. - July 2 - 2:30 am

  I traded in my XG350L with a bit of worry about the Azera living up to the XG. Well. no more worries. The Azera rides, handles, accelerates, and has the interior of many $40K cars. Hyundai is on the road (no pun intended)to leaving their mark on the U.S. market. Advertise more and youll sell far more of this very impressive automobile.

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  Better than my TL! - 2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Kenswift - July 1 - 10:00 am

  WOW! Just picked up a new 2011 3.8 GT! This car is simply awesome. It drives better than my Acura TL that I just sold. It is so much fun to drive, it looks so sweet, and is quick as hell. The quality of this car is tremendous. Do not HESITATE to get this car if you are interested in it!

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  Good compromise - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Richard - July 1 - 10:00 am

  There is nothing exceptional about the Santa Fe, however it looks nice, accelerates briskly, has a great warranty and gets decent fuel economy. The interior is mediocre but functional. The seats are comfortable and the ride quality is acceptable. Heated cloth seats on the SE are a bonus. Over the initial 3187 miles, I averaged 21.53 mpg with about 50% highway driving. Prior to purchasing, we test drove the Pilot, Highlander, RAV4, Murano and Forester. The Pilot and Highlander were more desirable-- but would have cost several thousand dollars extra with similar options. After the incentives, we paid $24,000 for the V-6 SE and feel like it was by far the superior value.

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  Bad Transmissions - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Bad Transmissions - July 1 - 10:00 am

  I am extremely disappointed in my Santa Fe. I purchased this vehicle due to there popularity. I immediately noticed that the transmission was slipping and making a loud banging noise when shifting from 1st to 2nd and so forth. I have since found out that this is a huge problem with the new Santa Fe and Hyundai is doing nothing about it as far as a recall. New transmissions are replaced with ones with the same problems. The Santa Fe must need a complete trans redesign. Just Google Hyundai Transmission Problems.

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  Out of this World - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jim S - July 1 - 10:00 am

  Since I bought my Sonata, I have grown to love it more each day. I used to have "sexy" sports cars in the past, but never have gotten the looks and comments I have about this car. I have gotten on average 34 MPG since I got it 11,800 miles ago. I actually drove from Bangor ME to Sparta NJ on one tank of gas (480 miles). The interior is thoughtfully designed, feels like a fighter cockpit at night, and the XM, GPS and Bluetooth integration is incredible. I dont think you can get more for your money than with this car.