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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  May be a repeat buyer - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Artifax - November 29 - 10:00 am

  My 2001-5 speed Santa Fe sticker price was the same as some other used vehicles I looked at. Styling is sharp, interior space is best in catagory, performance and handeling are good for a small SUV

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  Good car for SUV withdrawal - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Gearcrasher - November 29 - 5:43 am

  Lots of interior room for SUV owners like me looking for better gas mileage. Steering is a little strange but getting used to it. Power to weight ratio is not very sporting but can keep up with traffic. Drivers leg room is shorter than specs suggest. Ive never had a car that stopped as well. Styling is very Euro and to my liking but doesnt turn heads. Nice exterior finish and good quality materials on interior,(no mouse fur). Some sloppy workmanship in more hidden areas, i.e. messy chauking in door jams. Wiring looms hand wrapped with cloth electrical tape,(didnt know they still made that). Getting 23mpg in suburban driving. Thats almost double my Hemi Durango!

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  disappointing purchase - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By georgina - November 25 - 1:39 pm

  When you own it for over a year...I bought my elantra dec 08/2000. Within 1 1/2 years had to replace right front bearing - not on warranty. This car has been a money pit. I kept up on my oil changes and warranty work at the dealer. The motor went @ 5000k over the warranty - used motor, towing and rentals - @ $5500. Hyundai did nothing to stand behind the car. Among many other things, i.e. struts, other bearing, cv joint etc., transmission went on 5th anniversary of car - $3000. I paid $15,000 for this car and have spent that much in various repairs. I have spent close to $30,000 on this car. My Mazda 323 was 7 years old before I had to spend $$$ on it. Buyer beware.

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  Air Bag - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By A. Stewart - November 25 - 8:05 am

  On October 14, 2008 We hit a deer with the car and then also hit a cement culvert before driving into the ditch. The car was a complete write off. The air bag never deployed and the appearance of the vehicle was of minimal damage. Though there was a twist to the frame from the front right impact, and cracking to interior rear door panel (nothing noted damage wise on the outside of this same door). It concerns me that a crash that was enough to bend the frame would not deploy an air bag. I have since replaced this vehicle but did not repurchase another Hyundai.

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  2008 Hyundai Accent - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Dewayne - November 23 - 10:02 am

  Bought my 2008 Accent new. It now has almost 5000 miles on it, and 90% are high speed highway miles. I have had no problems with the little car at all. At 75 mph it gets 31 mpg. At 60 mph it gets 41 mpg. At 80 mph its turning 4,000 RPM. Its a 5 speed manual, and I had a cruise control added. Service these guys correctly, and they should run several hundred thousand miles.

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  Reliable and Luxurious - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By Nick - November 19 - 4:00 pm

  I had purchased this car new in September of 2001. The current mileage on my XG is about 42K. I can honestly say that this is car has been the most reliable car that I have ever owned. While putting aside routine scheduled maintenance, this car has only been serviced 2 times. The 1st problem I had was that the glove box light would not go off when it was closed. The 2nd problem I had was the transmission shuttering, which was mentioned in some of the other reviews. The problem was a faulty trans. sensor which was replaced at 25k miles. The trans currently operates perfectly normal. Overall, this is a great car for the money and would definitely conside buying another one from Hyundai.

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  Bad to the Bone - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By backtoblack1 - November 18 - 8:20 pm

  Bought the 2.0T after an extensive search and reading reviews. Test drove the 2013 Equinox, Grand Cherokee, Highlander, RDX, Pathfinder, and Edge and Escape. All were good vehicles but the 2.0T was the most impressive - size, space, speed, gas mileage, amenities, looks and at a decent price. Out the box the 2.0T is an excellent redesign. I am getting about 24 mpg combined after about 700 miles but my goal is to get closer to or exceed the EPA estimated 27 mpg by playing more with the ECO setting. Took a road trip of about 500 miles last weekend and the 2.0T never struggled (no whining at all) when going up hills or passing vehicles going up hills at 75 -80 mphÂ…I was thoroughly impressed.

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  3 years later! - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By n1luf - November 18 - 7:35 am

  After 3 years of driving this car I can say it still is a joy to drive. The out side of the finish still shines. The motor is just a little loud when you give it the gas. Better yet is the mileage for me in Connecticut, 33 city...45 highway. I found using Castrol edge or Quaker state ultimate pure synthetic oils produce better mileage. Inside of the car remain about the same. Satellite radio in car works well. All the gages have work and light up. Seats and floor still in good shape. Overall car works well.

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  Nice car - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Lloyd - November 9 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I enjoy this vehicle. It is fun to drive and a good value for the money. We are a little nervous because so many items have had to be repaired in the first 10,000 miles.

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  First year review - Good car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By GregInOttawa - November 7 - 7:28 am

  Have driven the car one year now, including a record setting snowy winter for snowfall. The vehicle is very comfortable and quiet on the road. The performance is mixed, with lots of HP but mushy in corners. Fuel economy is ok, given the use of HP mentioned above. Only complaint is that all brakes needed rework after only 12000 miles.