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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  2002 XG350 - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By Peter - August 16 - 7:26 am

  We were looking for a new car with a good warranty. My wife fell in love with this car and that was it. The 60000 mile or 5 year warranty and 100000 mile drive train warranty were major reasons for purchase. I have received numerous compliments about this car. It is a very comfortable ride with beautiful interior features. Luxury cars costing many thousands more dollars are no better than the XG350 as far as I am concerned.

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  One of the best balanced Midsize sedans - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Moocow1 - August 15 - 8:50 pm

  This is the car to get if you want an extremely cost efficient mid-size car. Hyundai improved the interior majorly over the original 2008 model. The seats are more comfortable, the controls are almost perfect. The engine and powertrain are great with a 5 speed auto matched to a PZEV 2.4L. This is certainly not the most sporty car, but it has plenty of power for a 4 banger. Highly recommended over almost any other mid or compact sedan.

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  Love - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Vanessa Carpenter - August 15 - 10:41 am

  I love my Hyundai Santa Fe I have had it for about 5 months so far and never have had a problem. I hesitated when buying because I didnt know much about them but I can say I am very glad I choose it. I know all cars have there ups and downs and there are good ones and bad ones. I have to say I got luck I purchased my 2002 with 123,000 miles on it and she has ran perfect for me. One thing I would like to give this car props on is the four wheel drive I go any where in the snow I live in Ohio.

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  Greatest Car of the Money - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Lt Bob - August 13 - 5:36 pm

  I am just amazed at this car. The features for a small car are unbelievable, even has side airbags! The engine has all the power needed for automatic, PS and AC. Would recommend to anyone.

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  Review of my Santa Fe SE 3.3 - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Tom Hilton - August 13 - 4:43 pm

  The Santa Fe SE 3.3 is an outstanding value. Lots of pep, strong engine and transmissions is excellent. Road noise is minimal, and wind noise is minimal. I love this SUV, just the right size, and good comfort, plus all the safety conveniences such as side and front airbags, stability control etc.

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  pleasant surprise - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By ncs - August 13 - 7:23 am

  From a previous Honda & Toyota minivan owner, our first months experience has been a pleasant surprise. We have found the vehicle responsive, comfortable and enjoyable to drive. Ours is a baseline model with no add on packages or upgrades, but it is quite comfortable for a family with 3 teenagers. Weve experienced better then the advertised gas mileage.

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  So far so good. Excellent value - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By RFIT - August 12 - 2:57 am

  If luck continues this will be one of my best car purchases. Bought with 11k on odomoter and previous owner changed oil every 3k. Car looked and smell like new, literally flawless. Paid $ 12,200 at dealer. Seemed like a great deal compared to lesser kept Hondas and Toyotas. We usually only buy Honda and Toyotas but this was a second car and we just really liked it. The intertior feels higher quality than our Toyota Venza which cost over 30K new. It rides great and has all the latest tech. The gas mileage is phenom!

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  SE 4DR (2.0 4cyl Automatic) - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By chet - August 11 - 3:10 pm

  Fuel Economy - EPA rating and actual ratings are correct. I received 23.5mph city, a little less in sport and regular modes. Performance - Acceleration, Braking, Road Holding, Shifting, Steering I tested all modes of performance and found none lacking in performance. Some people complain about power but I found that using the proper mode for what you want the car to do resolves all issues. Comfort - Front and Rear Seats - At first I though the seats were a little uncomfortable but they are ok once you get used to them after all you used to your old cars seats. Getting In and out - I had no problems and did not have to use the handles at the top of the door. Comfort getting in and out all depends on your size on any car. That said my friends range in height from 56" to over 6 and they all had no problems. Noise, Vibration, ride and comfort - The car is great I tested it over rail road tracks, uneven surfaces, pot holes. All bumps were absorbed very well. Noise was minimal compared to other more expensive SUVs. Interior - Here is where personal choice comes in. Cargo/Storage- Lets face it this is not a full size SUV but for the size it is great. I put a medium size dog kennel in it and still was able to put up one of the rear car seats. That left 1 passenger in the rear and a lot of space behind the kennel. Instrumentation - Once you get used to the different control modes it is fantastic. Interior Design - No complaints everything is easy to reach. It would be nicer if the center console was just a little bigger but I am being picky. Logic of Controls - Everything is easy to get to. If I had a suggestion it would be to move the transmission mode switch to the dash board, if it were possible to put it on the steering wheel that would make it amazing. Quality of materials - Some reviews said it had a lot of hard plastic and that is true but for me the car was fine. Safety - As far as I know everything is great. Technology - Fantastic but it depends on what you want. For me having the radio, blue tooth phone, cruise on the steering wheel is great. The blue tooth phone mode sounds great on both ends. The regular display size is also good. The sound system is good for most people again a mater of taste. USB ports are in a perfect place. Climate control on SE in manual and works as designed. Reliability - It is really to early for me to tell. But based on all the reviews the 2.0 with the regular automatic transmission is much better than the 1.6 dual clutch automatic transmission. Dealer ship support - My dealer is wonderful but again this depends on who you get the car from. One of the dealers 20 miles away I would never go to. Value - Fuel economy is great compared to full size SUV and other models of this size. Maintenance Cost - To early to tell, depends on were you get your car serviced. I tend to things myself or use a local mechanic I know. Some things like rotating tires and break checks can be obtained free by having a credit card at places like Firestone. Purchase price - Excellent when compared to other companies with the same options. Knowing how to negotiate very well can save you thousands. Warranty - Best warranty I found. I also purchased the Portfolio warranty that turned it into a 10 year/100,000 warranty for almost everything but wear and tear items because I will be having the car for at least that long (my last car had 174,000 on it and was 16 years old, (they do not make them like that anymore).

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  Hyundai Turns Out A Winner - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Steve K - August 11 - 6:40 am

  The restyling of the vehicle is just the beginning of how incredible this vehicle is. Its very nice on the outside and (the Limited trim) comes with all the options a driver would really need for comfort, sophistication, pleasure and fun. The standard safety features (Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control System, ABS, air bags all around, Tire Pressure Monitoring System) are included in each level trim unlike other manufacturers who will often charge extra for such safety features. There are too many other standard features to list and any consumer would be surprised to see what the list is comprised of (available on the hyundaiusa.com website). Worth a look if not a purchase.

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  Love it - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mom in nc - August 11 - 2:00 am

  We have had our Santa Fe for just a week now and we love it. It is roomy enough for our family with two young children and while the gas mileage is not as good as a car, you cant really expect that with any kind of suv. But I can say that we almost bought a Honda Passport last year, we had it for 3 days and we had to fill it up like 4 or 5 times, it was ridiculous! We took it back to the dealer and waited until the time was right to buy another, and Im glad we did! I did alot of research on the internet before we bought and while we have been joked with by family for owning a hyundai, I think it will be a good value