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:

• 

  Dont Waste Your Money. - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By nomoretiburons - October 15 - 3:23 am

  Bought a 2006 Hyundai Tiburon in 2007 with 9k on the odometer. Ran fine at first. Less than a year later, O2 sensor went out. Replaced that, a week later another, replaced it, a week later another... replaced it, a week later guess what. This thing eats tires despite the fact that the alignment is good. The wear is even across the tire but we get less than 16k out of 30k tires. Have replaced the brakes, Sunroof no longer works, lock motor on driver side door went out, radiator hose started leaking at the thermostat housing, replaced the hose clamp and fixed it, a few days ago the radiator cracked in a spot that I still cant explain why.... Buy a Pinto your repair bills will be cheaper.

• 

  Great Value and good looking - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By flashman - October 15 - 2:00 am

  After owning a Toyota Celica and Mazda 626ES, was talked into looking at a Sonata, and finally test driving a Soata. I was very impressed when we began to talk price I was really Impressed. So much for so little. It is every bit as good as the Mazda, and although not as sporty as the Celica it is every bit as nice as a Camry but for thousands less. I would highly recommend buying one. I was hesitant while reading reviews of poor gas mileage but doing predominately highway driving I get 30mpg.

• 

  Great Car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Rick - October 14 - 1:40 am

  Ive had my Sonata for 5 months, no problems. This car is great.

• 

  I like it !!! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By wesren - October 13 - 10:00 am

  Elegant, excellent, reliable...fun to drive. She has also a "look". I have noticed other drivers turning their heads..what is that? a SAAB? The car runs great and if you know how to use the shift, even with autotran, you can pass others if you need to. I like it, and my wife likes it. Its loaded with the features like leather, sunroof, cd player, etc.not to mention 4 disc breaks, heated side mirrors, rear wiper... I like it..

• 

  Hated It - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By elawhy - October 13 - 6:20 am

  Traded a 2005 4WD Santa Fe which I loved. The minute I drove this car off the lot, I could not stand the ride. Overly felt every road bump. The entire driving experience was nerve wracking. Felt a vibration through my hands on the steering wheel, my foot and up my leg from the gas pedal and in my seat. Drive 20 miles to work and arrived so nerved up because of this. Dealership maintains this is normal. Traded it after 4 days for a 2009 Sonata. Too Bad !!!

• 

  Nice for the price - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Shepherdmommy - October 12 - 3:43 pm

  I really like this SUV since it has everything I wanted for a decent price. The warranty is also a fabulous plus. Cons: I have a problem with the location and noise level of the heating/AC unit. Its very loud and you have to crank the stereo up to hear it over the noise of the fans. Its also not easy to operate. My least favorite feature is the gas mileage. Its horrible. They could have done better with it.

• 

  Overall... Impressed - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Hyundai NJ - October 12 - 12:33 pm

  DRIVING: The most obvious difference in the 2009 is the tighter suspension system, which can take off-ramps at 50-60 mph without feeling like the car is going to roll. I also own a Mercedes-Benz and can say that this Hyundais suspension is remarkably comparable (never thought I would say that). Also, the transmission shifts much smoother than the earlier edition. Theres also a more robust engine which delivers oomph when you touch the pedal. Cabin noise has been reduced substantially, as compared with earlier. INTERIOR: They finally got the interior right! It looks like, and may very well be, a high end car now! Color combination in the Camel interior is beautiful. Dash is remarkable!

• 

  More for the Money and then some! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By redswd - October 12 - 12:30 pm

  To start with its beautiful has a V6, 5 speed automatic, Electronic Stability Control, 4 wheel disc brakes with anti-lock, traction control, Etc.,Etc. But these and the other standard features would be ho hum without the thunk when the doors close, the quality feel as you operate levers and switches, the supple ride with almost no wind noise. Then kick the V6 in the butt and the grin widens as you remember you bought all this for so little!

• 

  Getting alot for a little - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Johny B - October 12 - 2:00 am

  Its amazing how you get so much in this little car for so little. The same features on any other car would cost you thousands more! Things like the airbags, leather, sunroof, the tripometer (I love that thing), heat mirriors, the seat, and the good cd/soundsystem. Another cool thing is the great handling it has for small car. I can drive that thing like I never thought possible! For only having one hundred and some horsepower it sure does have some go. And above all that warranty is the best!

• 

  Satisfied Elantra Owner - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By A. B. - October 12 - 2:00 am

  Have had Chrysler, GM, Honda and Toyota cars, as well as one of first Sonatas sold in this country. The Sonata was in the middle of the stack in terms of quality, but towards the low end. However, it appears as though Hyundai has made a lot of quality improvements on its more recent vehicles. With 13,000+ miles on it, the Elantra has thus far been a trouble free car, and has been an easy car to get into and out of, as well as drive, for this 62" driver.