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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  The issue is MPG - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By ritpg - August 22 - 6:04 pm

  As the former owner of a 2003 Camry XLE, I would not say Hyundai is quite up the the Toyota standard. For example, the the buttons on the steering wheel feel flimsy compared to the Camry. There are times when some buttons have to pushed more than once to activate such as the unlock button on the driver side door. In the case of the Sonata hybrid, my conclusion is that this model was rushed to market and not ready for "prime time". The gas mileage has deteriorated significantly. There have been many service calls (all paid for by Hyundai). So far Hyundai is not standing behind this car as I continue to navigate through their service maze.

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  A solid automobile with stylish class - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By HanlonTim - August 22 - 1:53 pm

  My backbacker magazine introduced me to the Tuscon and I stopped in the local dealer on a saturday night and took a test drive, wow this was it, I ended up buying it a week later on a thursday night when a fresh delivery arrived with the exact model i wanted, silver with a sunroof. The ride is very stable, the suspension and tires are firm and smooth riding. Spacious interior. The only thing I dont like is the gas mileage, although it may be just that it has an accurate guage. my other cars never dipped off of full in the first 50-75 miles. But this dips quicker. so maybe its just accurate. Thus I dont have any complaints. I opted for the 10/100 all around bumper to bumper and powertrain.

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  I REALLY wanted to love this car... - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Christine Snyder - August 22 - 6:29 am

  I really wished these reviews had been on this website before I decided to lease this car. I REALLY REALLY wanted to love this car. I chose the 2016 Tuscon over a certified pre-owned Santa Fe and now I am regretting that decision. I got this car March of this year (2016) and everything seemed great at first. Oddly enough, I never noticed the hesitation when accelerating from a stop when taking the car for a test drive. I read a review on here that said that it was normal for a turbo engine but trust me, NOTHING about this engine is normal or safe. The dealership and Hyundai will also try to tell you over and over that the engine is normal. I receive BlueLink reports every month and EVERY TIME it has told me that the engine needs attention even though I have been getting regular oil changes and service performed. This never happened with the Sonata I leased before this car. Everything other reviewers have said about this car is true. It is extremely unfortunate because I love everything else about this car. I get compliments constantly on the look (I got the Caribbean blue) and the entertainment and safety features are awesome but I just absolutely hate the engine. Almost every time I try to accelerate from a dead stop, the car hesitates for a good 1-5 seconds and this leaves you completely stuck on the road. It feels like Im being rear-ended whenever Im in stop and go traffic on the freeway because the car is so jerky. It is also very jerky sometimes when accelerating. Its a nightmare!! Now Im a person who gets motion sickness but usually I dont get car sick as long as Im driving but I swear this car makes me feel sick! I was really hoping the software update would fix it but it didnt....Im afraid it only made it worse because the car feels jerkier than ever. It also feels like the car isnt going to brake sometimes which is extremely scary. I have also had weird computer glitches. One time I turned the car on and the navigation system was stuck on the screensaver and would not work. Just recently, the car warned us that the back right tire had low tire pressure but my husband checked all of the tires and they were fine. I am also disappointed that it doesnt have a CD player....Im sure most people wouldnt mind since everyone uses an iPod these days but I noticed that the other Hyundai models do and theyre the same year. This seemed a little odd to me. It is VERY disappointing that Hyundai refuses to acknowledge this very serious problem (the transmission, not the CD player lol). I considered myself a loyal Hyundai customer before but I think Im going to have to look somewhere else for my new car. I plan to transfer my lease and get into a new car ASAP. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!!!!!!!!!

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  why "hyundai" Ill tell you why - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jim - August 22 - 3:00 am

  ill have to say i was skeptical when i bought my first korean car.but i convinced myself that the quality was there and I have not been disappointed. i fIrst bought the Azera, the absolute finest car I own..and i currently own a Lexus and BMW(big family)..all are recent models..these are both great cars..however..I needed another vehicle and chose to look at the sante fe for my wife..she loves it and so do I. I totally agree with the other reviews on gas mileage,and i get as advertised..on the first 3-4 tanks. i just bought on 12-31..but the styling and ride as well as the price i was out the door for 21500... it has close comparisons to the RX-330 and blows away competion at price/warranty

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  Great little wagon - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By jslthetsl - August 22 - 2:00 am

  This car has been a pleasure to own. Bought it new in winter of 99 and have minimal problems (2) First had the speedometer go bad (under warranty) and second, had a front wheel bearing replaced at 72k (under warranty). This little wagon can haul just about anything. Have hauled tons of stuff from the garden center, hot water heater, dining room set, and a refrigerator! It is comfortable on a trip and gets anywhere from 33 to 38 mpg. Got 42k out of the factory tires and the second set seems to be wearing even better. Besides two warranty repairs, just the usual wear items of tires, brakes and tune-up.

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  got all i paid for - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By idwi2000 - August 22 - 2:00 am

  i,ve had this vehicle for 1 year now and i,ve not had to return to the dealer for any warranty work. i will make an appointment for on buzzing speaker in the rt frt area of the stereo. aside from that, i feel i got a very good vehicle for a very good price. i bought the 2003 accent gt with 5spd manual trans and i,m satisfied with all aspects of the car. i will look into another hyundai when i,m ready to trade or upgrade. thanks hyundai for a fine product.

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  Way to go Hyundai - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Tommy Van - August 21 - 10:10 pm

  An all around fun vehicle to drive. Impressive change from the previous design gives the appearance of a high class vehicle. The standard equipment and options will satisfy anyones desires. The ride is smooth and it holds the road well.A+++ for Hyundai This is my 3rd new Hyundai vehicle and I recommend it highly.

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  Great Car! - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Robert Demick - August 21 - 4:56 am

  Went to a local auto show to look at buying a Camry, Accord, Altima, or Malibu. I kept going back to look at the Sonata vs the other cars and concluded it was every bit as well built for thousands less. I did some more research and bought the Sonata. If all the cars were the same price I still would have picked the Sonata. The fact that it was thousands less was just a bonus and it has a warranty that the others wont even attempt to compete with. The car drives very nice and is very comfortable and quiet. The 4 cyl. engine delivers more than adequate performance and on a recent highway trip I got over 35 mpg. Great Car!

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  Isabella- thats her name - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By KATHY RAMSEY - August 21 - 4:53 am

  I love my car, the only thing I do not like is the pick up at a full stop. It is very slow at first but then is fine once you are going. Pulling out is traffic is not my favorite thing to do with this SUV. I have had a problem with getting shocked every time I get out. Passengers have too. The dealership has twice now said there is nothing wrong. Anyone else having this problem? Winter was very bad, summer not as bad but still happening.

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  Great car-SW Elantra - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Kelvinator - August 21 - 2:00 am

  I decided to buy a station wagon that was economical and yet could cruise at 120 kph in the BC rockies and be confortable in big city traffic.I did my homework and ended up buying a sandle wood coloured SW Elantra, fully loaded, with additional roof rackage and a black bra to highlight its pleasingly nice looks and a disabler alarm system was free.79,000 km later it has not disapointed as there has not been a single hickup, even the brakes recently checked out at 75% remaining. At 145 HP and 35 MPG I could not be happier. Extremely low maintenance.