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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  Not happy - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By tuna6 - June 16 - 5:26 am

  I bought my 2012 sonata SE new in January 2012. About 2 weeks ago my car stopped working properly and they initially thought it was the push start ignition. Replaced the push start and the problem still persisted. They then removed the oil pan to discover pieces of metal in the oil. Long story short the engine needs to be replaced and the car has 16,500 miles on it. I am not happy with the overall experience and being without a car that I need for my daily commute. No car should have to have the engine replaced after being driven for only 7 months.

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  08 Santa Fe SE FWD joins the family - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By wamba2000 - June 16 - 3:13 am

  Just added the SF to our group of cars. We have had an 06 Azera for 1.5 years and it has been a trouble-free and enjoyable car to drive. When adding a vehicle due to a teen driver coming of age, I passed my 04 Element to the kid and was looking for the right blend of space, comfort, performance and value. I drove the Rogue, Murano, Pilot, Sequoia, Sportage, Tucson and Veracruz. The Santa Fe offered me the best combination for the qualities I wanted. The SE is very well put together, quiet, roomy and my first tank of spirited suburban driving returned 20mpg...surprised for sure at that. Hyundai has gotten the build and materials issues handled. Well watch durability over time.

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  Whats wrong with you people - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By atblis - June 16 - 2:00 am

  This car isnt that great(actually its junk). I want to like it, but I still wish (more now than ever) Id bought a Honda/Toyota. The handling is quirky, but adequate. The brakes are weak (try panic stopping). The clutch is weak and touchy. The motor does make adequate power. Fuel mileage is the bottom end of mediocre. Also, plan on putting new tires on it every 10,000 miles (or less) once it gets older. The dealer has been worthless. They wont even look at the car. "It needs aligned." I just had the thing aligned 1000 miles ago (and this is the 2nd time because of tire wear).

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  Great car!! - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By pericles xynos - June 15 - 7:10 pm

  I just purchased my new 2010 Tuscon and I absolutely love it!! Edmunds.com helped me pay the price I wanted to pay and the whole experience at the Hyundai dealer was great!! The car is much more than I expected. It is fun to drive, comfortable, and the interior is dazzling, touch screen and voice activated commands are a plus!! Great stylish exterior. Get one!!!

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  Excellent Car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By mrcisco - June 15 - 8:56 am

  My family and I loved this car so much. My mother bought a fully loaded "limited" and my brother and I bought a fully loaded "se". We even bought an extra 2011 gls. Are we crazy. "yes". Crazy about this car. It has the looks, fun to drive and all the goodies that put its competition to shame. Go test drive each one. All (3) have a little difference in the way they drive. Also. In regards to the recent review about a "failed transmission". Hyundais warrantys would fix his transmission issue or give him a new car. Because he didnt mention this. Makes me Wonder if it is a "bogus" review.

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  Great Car - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By dzizak - June 15 - 7:10 am

  Just bought this car about a month ago and its awesome. My wife bought a Tucson a few years ago that we were very impressed. So Hyundai was the first choice when it was time to get rid of my gas-guzzling pick up truck. The inside and outside of the sonata looks very sporty and new-age. It is a perfect car for someone who needs more space for the family but also wants to keep the sporty look. Sound system is nice and blue tooth is a great feature. For the price you cant beat it. The only complaint I would say is the gas mileage is not as good as I had hoped. I am getting around 26 mpg mixed city and highway. Hopefully once the engine breaks in it will be a little closer to 30mpg. Great car.

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  Pretty, but not reliable. - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By crundq - June 15 - 2:00 am

  Not reliable. Even though it has a good warranty, I had to service it 6 times per year. Too much of a hassle.

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  Love my 2007 Sonata Limited - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By aauummm - June 15 - 12:13 am

  The car is a great performer, comfortable, quiet, smooth and great looking at a very reasonable price. I get compliments on it where ever I go. Cabin space is very ample and the trunk is very roomy. Interior design is very well done and the location of instruments is very good. The automatic transmission can be shifted manually if so desired. Electronic stability control is a very nice feature.

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  Transmissions.. a re-occuring theme? - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By zoeykids - June 14 - 10:34 pm

  After repeatedly complaining about the jerking shift on our 2010 SF, the dealership finally replaced the transmission. The replacement was okay for a while, but it seemed as soon as the cooler weather hit, we started having a new problem. Now the vehicle seems to shift "down" when coasting in lower gears. Now the downshift is accentuated by "missing", causing the engine to red-line when attempting to overtake another vehicle attempting 15kpm speed increase. Waiting to hear ... again ... how Hyundai will be resolving this. The SF has 45K on it. Our previous vehicles had 250+km and 350+km on original drive trains. This is not what I was looking for in a new vehicle.

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  We love it!!! - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By wbarnes - June 14 - 8:30 pm

  We have been looking at the Genesis since they were first announced here in the US. Always thought they were a great car for a wonderful price. Well the deal we got last week was just super, and we could not be happier with our new vehicle. Acceleration is super, really puts you back in your seat. The handling is spot on, very tight in the turn and you have a great feel of the road. Best of all we love all the gadgets. We got the tech package and it is worth every penny. The sound system is unmatched and the drivers information system is as good as Ive ever seen. Lexis, BMW, and Benz need to really be worried. Same quality and service for 2/3 the price.