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:

• 

  Our Sante Fe - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Gloria - June 24 - 10:06 am

  I love this vehicle. Its dependable, has great seating space and carrying space. We travel back and forth to our daughters home 2 states away often. Our city miles are about 2/3 of our annual mileage. The car is dependable. We never worry about it. Our dealership is very good about service. Since we bought our Sante Fe, several of our family members and friends have purchased one also. We would recommend one to anybody.

• 

  A Super Vehicle - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Joe Zerges - June 24 - 2:00 am

  Ive, in the past, alway purchased american automobiles. After careful review of all models of small SUVs I decided to try the Hyundai SantaFe. Have not found one thing bad about the vehicle and would definitely buy Hyundai again. The dealship is tops in all aspects.

• 

  Great Car Check it out - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By Cheech - June 24 - 2:00 am

  nice vehicle i recomend one for everyone

• 

  What a fun car!!! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Angelina75 - June 24 - 2:00 am

  The car drives wonderfully, its quick and fun, very responsive. The seats are comfortable, the sound system is the best Ive had in any car Ive owned. I highly recommend it! With the standard warranty, you cant go wrong.

• 

  Rons Rally Red GT - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By RGW - June 24 - 2:00 am

  Excellent car! As a college graduation present, we gave our daughter our 2001 Elantra GLS sedan. So, Dad needed a new car! Having compared it with other cars in its class (of which there are none!), Elantra GT beat them in overall value, standard equipment, horsepower and interior room! Not to mention euro- style and looks! I chose the Rally Red over the other colors, just to be different. If you ever make one in yellow, Im there! I put almost 9,000 miles on it in less than 6 months. Love to drive it? Yup!

• 

  Great Value - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By TXSF - June 24 - 2:00 am

  I have 3500 miles on my 2003 Santa Fe and am very pleased with it. It is an excellent value, and has very good build quality. No problems so far. The SF has a great ride, great visibility, and the engine is acceptably powerful, although not overly so. I have never needed more power than the engine delivers. The SF is also quieter than some of its Japanese competitors. Its even quieter than my 2000 Honda Accord 4 cyl.

• 

  Bigger and better but rides rougher - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By loveourhyundai - June 23 - 5:33 pm

  I recently purchased a used 2007 Santa Fe GLS. Im impressed by the improvements over my 2002 Santa Fe GLS, except in one area: the ride is rougher. I can feel every little bump and pothole. Im not happy with the Bridgestone Dueler HT 684II tires on this vehicle. They are noisier than the BFG Long Trails on my 2002, and ride rougher. Hyundai should have road tested the 2007 with these OEM tires on New Englands challenging road surfaces.

• 

  Be prepared for issues if you buy the 2.0T - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Oilsoaked - June 23 - 5:05 pm

  3 times in 3 years the turbo has caused issues. The first 2 times, the engine lost power due to the turbo failing. The 3rd time, the oil line from the engine to the turbo is leaking oil all over the place. We only have a little over 64,000 miles on this car and Hyundai will not cover the repair under their extended power train warranty.

• 

  So Far So Good - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By bamafan42 - June 23 - 7:03 am

  We just purchased a 2011 Tucson GLS in Chai Bronze. We traded a 2008 Malibu 2LT that we loved, but the warranty was out, and Hyundai offers a great one. We also needed a little more room, which the Tucson delivers. Its not a huge suv my any means, but it gives us what we need with one four year old. The interior in the GLS (Leatherette with cloth inserts)feels more high end than the leather in the Malibu. The soft touch interior surfaces are much better than the plastic in the car. With the popular equipment package, the GLS has great options. So far our bluetooth and satellite radio are great. We are getting between 26 and 31 MPG everywhere we go with only about 2200 miles (very impressive).

• 

  Good Value - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Chuck - June 22 - 5:53 pm

  Bought this car in Jan 2010 to replace a 1997 Escort Wagon. Overall, Im satisfied with the value ($16k). There were a few things that took a little getting used to vs the Escort. For me, the over the left shoulder blind spot of the frame behind the driver windows is in a really bad spot. In moderate traffic I have to bob my head and look several times before I change lanes left. I highway drive usually at off hours, so I probably average 70 mph. I figure Im getting about 25 mpg vs around 30 for the Escort, but the Hyundai is heavier. The window ledge is higher, for arm hanging purposes. Steering is tight, the cars gonna go right where youre looking, so keep your eyes on the road.