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:

• 

  great car - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ucla123 - January 24 - 10:00 am

  Feel extremely safe and it is fun to drive

• 

  Much better value than X-3 at 52K - 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By bobnoxious1 - January 24 - 7:49 am

  Bought the Limited with every option, navigation, tow package great stereo etc.. Tested SUVs from every maker from Honda, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Acura, Subaru etc.. and compared all makers with the features they offered compared to the final price they charged. I found the Hyundai Limited offered the same options as BMW X-3 and the mercedes. One difference was the Hyundai had more power, more legroom and was $23K less out the door than the other two for the same options. But some people just have to have that name on the front. The stereo was fantastic and we ended up subscribing to XM satalite too. The I-pod hook up and phone sync were better than beemers too.

• 

  My Tucson - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By fotopro - January 23 - 4:56 pm

  I have been followng this car since it was intorduced ant the 2004 Auto Show. I knew all that was to know about the car before it hit the dealership. When it finally arrived I was at their door. Bought the car on the spot. I love it and would recommend it to anyone. By the way......I also own a Santa Fe. Two fantastic cars.

• 

  Hyundai Santa Fe Limited Ultimate - Great Deal! - 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Darren G. - January 23 - 11:19 am

  This mid SUV has all the bells and whistles for a very good price. Go in and do a test drive. The second row captain seats make this vehicle super comfortable for 4 adult riders. Small adults and children can easily sit in the third row which has its own A/C control and USB outlet. When you fold down the third row you have a great amount of space. If you want to flip down the second row captain chairs (which you can do from the rear hatch) the space is massive. The controls are very understandable and with Infinity speakers this car has a very nice sound system. The Hyundai Bluelink for remote start, Google location search and monthly health reports make this vehicle easy to maintain and get to where you want to go. It even has Android Auto and Apple Car Play for the ultimate in getting text and replying to text messages using your voice. Bought it for my wife and she absolutely loves it.

• 

  Great Car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jon - January 19 - 12:20 pm

  My wife and I bought this car because of the reported fuel economy and so far it has not disappointed. The first week of suburban driving we have achieved over 28 mpg, truly amazing for a car of this size. Having come from an Acura TL, we bought the limited as we wanted all of the bells and whistles that came with it including the navigation/backup camera. In comparison, I found that the steering is overly sensitive and the seats are a touch hard, but those are my only complaints. I am hoping that this car will be as reliable as my TL was. Having driven only 500 miles, I cant fairly rate the reliability.

• 

  Sonata Update - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By vanman - January 18 - 7:33 pm

  Have had this car going on 6 mos now. Have a little over 3000 mi. Have not had any problems to date. I was waiting to update my review until I had driven it in the snow. It did not disappoint me. The traction control & ESC seem to do just what they were designed to do. And the Shift Tronic feature is helpful, so you can use engine braking to slow the vehicle down on slippery roads. This car continues to impress me. Im averaging 32-33 mpg. If I get "Sporty" and use the Shift Tronic a lot. Ill drop down to 26-28 mpg. I honestly cant think of anything I dont like about it after 6 mos.

• 

  very impressed - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By stephen thomas - January 18 - 7:00 am

  Love the smooth and powerful 4 cyl. Most impressed with the new interior design and quality. This vehicle matches toyota and honda in all respects for significantly less money.

• 

  I LOVE IT! - 2009 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Di - January 17 - 1:40 pm

  I had been shopping for a new vehicle for around 3 months. I had it down to a Nissan Morano, Toyota Rav4 (6cylinder) and the Toyota Highlander. Driving home from work one night I noticed a Veracruz in the lane next to me and I liked the way it looked and decided to test drive it that weekend. I wound up buying it that day. Driving is a pleasure. Brakes are great, steering it agile, ride is smooth for a SUV. Its quick with its 3.8 engine and it doesnt take premium gas like the Morano. Why arent there more of these on the road? I tell everyone its a hidden secret. Until you test drive one youll understand why.

• 

  Lovin it. Going to upgrade ^^ - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Nick - January 17 - 9:00 am

  I bought mine in July 07. I bought the lowest model because I had some doubts about the maker. But Im very very pleased with this car with 15000 on odo. No problemo. Doing about 19.5mpg mostly in the city. The only regret is that I..We (actually my wifes car) didnt buy higher model. We should have bought at least the SE. We test drove all and yes, ALL suv and cuv in the similar class and it came down to VC and Highlander. Highlander was a nice suv also but we have no regrets whatsoever about choosing VC. Those who are in the market, I highly recommend VCruz. Test drive and see for yourselves. I cant wait to trade for higher model.

• 

  wow - 2016 Hyundai Veloster
  By herb - January 16 - 9:32 am

  i bought a fully loaded turbo with the 7speed auto.i took this car for a long test drive before i purchased,and i can tell you that the negative reviews on here must be from people who bought the regular veloster.the turbo is a real pocket rocket.ride can be bumpy,but i knew this when i test drove the vehicle.i love the hyundai blue link,its awesome.