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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  Great Ride so far! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Keith Cohen - June 22 - 10:41 am

  Great price point and ride is just what I was looking for. Just wish the fan was more intense.

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  2008 Limited FWD 25k mile update - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Brandon - June 22 - 2:46 am

  So far I have nothing but praise for this car. Its my wifes daily driver, and with 80% city she averages 20-21 mpg. I do my own service and run synthetic oil which helps a little. Have averaged 27 mpg on a trip, but mpg drops off above 75 mph to around 23 or so. The oem tires (bridgestone dueler h/l) lasting surprisingly well with pressure checks and rotation, expecting to get 35k-40k on the set. No problems, and knock on wood, not even a single trip to the dealership. It still drives and sounds just like it did on the way home from the dealership. 3rd row seat is tolerable for an adult for a short trip, but you wouldnt want to stick your grandmother back there. Great car!

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  Love my sonata - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By fred - June 21 - 9:56 pm

  The 2011 sonata is the best car for the money. I like everything about it,

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  Great Car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By TWA - June 21 - 7:53 pm

  Time will tell. Weve had this car for less than a month and the fuel economy is incredible!! We went 445 miles on one fill-up. Impressed with this vehicle.

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  Great Choice - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Usernum8 - June 21 - 1:46 pm

  Although Im hesitant to say this, Hyundai as a brand never interested me until I actually took the time to research and drive one. The warranty is unbeatable and the luxury features you get for the price fall nothing short of making Acura and Nissan a look like a rip-off. Both the ride and engine feel solid. Gear shifts are smooth and fuel economy surprisingly good. Drafting a semi-truck at 55mph, I averaged 35 highway on the way home from work the other day. Although drive normally (70 mph, not behind a semi) and youre looking at 28-29 mpg highway. Remember when gas was $5/gallon? The 2010 Tucson is ready for that.

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  Great, Dependable, plan to keep it. - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Richard - June 20 - 6:30 am

  I bought this car new in 2006. I am retired so the vehicle only has 26,000 on it. I change the oil and required maintenance done twice a year due to the low mileage driven. The car has been very dependable and the only major costs I have had was replacing the battery in the past year and now was told it was time to replace the tires (26,000). The V-6 is no barn burner but gets the job done. I would recommend this car to anyone but would explain that I have only driven it 26,000 in ten years. Gas mileage is and never has been great. I would say 16-17 in town and maybe 25-27 on highway. It has never seen 20 and 30 as advertised or rated.

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  Great ride - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Velda - June 20 - 5:13 am

  I purchased a 4 cylinder 2 liter automatic. It has a very comfortable ride like a car, smooth not bumpy. A lot of interior space. It is just me in it most of the time but I dont have to rely on asking someone to pick up large items for me. Once youve had an SUV, it would be very hard to go back to a car. This is perfect size.

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  Had to replace sensor - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Wheeler123 - June 18 - 10:00 am

  My Santa Fe came from the factory with a bad sensor in the gas tank which caused the check engine light to come on less than two days after I had it. Needless to say... that was a bit discouraging. However, I think it was just "one of those things" and I was the "lucky" person to get that particular vehicle. Other than that, I LOVE my Santa Fe! The 3.5 has GREAT pickup, although the gas pedal is VERY touchy. (Im not exagerating about this!) The ride is really quiet and extremely solid! The radio reception seems to be a bit below par, but not terrible. I notice people turning their heads all of the time, straining to see what kind of vehicle it is.

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  One year of ownership - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Just me - June 16 - 8:33 pm

  Weve owned the Santa Fe for just over a year. We have had ZERO issues. Very happy overall with this vehicle. I was a little concerned when we bought the vehicle, as we had always owned Toyotas/Hondas. If youre contemplating a Santa Fe, I would highly recommend this vehicle.

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  Hyundais New CUV - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Lenny - June 15 - 4:43 pm

  Its a very well put together truck. The designers did a great job with the new 170 hp engine very fuel efficient! The navigation system is touch screen and it also has a back up camera with grid to show if you are too close. I own a 2010 Veracruz and am very impressed with this 2010 Tuscon that I borrow it on a regular basis from my wife(its her car). I have owned many Hyundais with very few dealer issues. After all in the beginning Mitsubishi was Hyundais engine and transmission suppler with many problems ans now Hyundai makes all there own cars with very few problems. I have owned 10 Hyundais and this is the best one ever!