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 Most Underrated Crossover in the Segment - 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By AMS332 - June 7 - 6:11 am

  I believe this car is the best value, most overlooked, and totally underrated in the three row segment. It is smooth, quiet, has a nice V6 engine, the interior ergonomics are well thought out, and it is pretty solid to drive. The cargo space is extremely usable. I have owned Hondas, Acuras, and Volvos. This is by far my favorite car I have ever owned. There are really only a few things that I do not love about the car. The headlights are not very good, even with the HIDs from the factory. I upgraded to a better bulb which helped but sideward visibility could be better. I think they may have fixed this for 2017. I wish the transmission shifted a little quicker and crisper. Its a little to laxed for my taste but its not so frustrating that I hate the car. I wish the engine was tuned for a little more low end torque rather than high end horsepower. This would help with everyday fuel economy which is about average. Lastly I think visibility around the side mirrors and A pillars is sub par. Having driven Acuras and Hondas forever they really have that down. Otherwise the car is an exceptional value for the money and the recent 2017 refresh makes it even stronger. This car will be overlooked by many because its a Hyundai. I took a lot of grief from people for going from an Acura to a Hyundai. Then they ride in it and are blown away. It is truly 95% of the car for about 75% of the cost if you shop around. It really has changed my whole impression of Hyundai.

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  Nice SUV - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Lone Eagle - June 6 - 5:16 pm

  This is a nice SUV, for those not needing a huge vehicle. The outside is very attractive - sleek. Not boxy like other SUVs. I chose Nordic White and had black pinstripes added. I love it. Special features that cost more on some SUVs come standard on the Tuscon.

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  ITS GREAT - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By 3warners - June 6 - 11:46 am

  Owned 2002 XG350L, this car blows the doors off, hands down. Better performance, better looks and a suspension system. Hyundai just gets better and better.

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  DONT DO IT!! - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By A_Moreaux - June 6 - 11:26 am

  Theres no denying that this car is one of the most beautiful in its class. However, I was unfortunate enough to ignore the warnings and went with this car. The paint is trash. Look at it wrong and it chips. About 4 months ago I started having problems with the car starting which is a CLASSIC HYUNDAI PROBLEM. Its all over the internet, have a look!!! At stop signs the a/c, radio, and lights will go off until you start driving again and it never quite starts right away (if it starts at all). The seats are hard that the moonroof has been repaired THREE times already. I have heard that there are defective parts in the brain that no one admits to.

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  This car sucks. - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By pepper27 - June 6 - 2:00 am

  I just bought my Hyundai Accent used about a month ago with only 50,000 miles on it. Well right before the warranty ran out the transmission went out on it and had to be rebuilt. Then right after the warranty ran out i was driving down the freeway and the car started to make a funny noise. So i drove to a gas station and looked under the hood to see all of the oil pouring out from under the engine. This happened with only 61,000 miles on the car. So i filled the car with oil and drove home and called my friend the mechanic and he said tha the block was cracked.

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  Great Value for the Price - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By SSeegers - June 5 - 12:40 pm

  This is my first Hyundai and I find the Tucson to offer the best features and most comprehensive warranty for the money. I have driven over 8000 miles getting about 22-24 mpg in the city and 26-32 on the highway. Mileage is subject to wind, a/c, and tire inflation pressure. I gained an additional 2 mpg by increasing the tire pressure from 30 to 40 psi. Plenty of room for a family of four and our luggage even on longer trips.

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  Two Years and Still Happy - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Laura - June 5 - 10:00 am

  Weve had this vehicle for almost two years now (48,000 KM) and still love it. It looks great and weve had zero service issues with it thus far. The only two small issues that we have with it would be the not-too-great gas mileage and a bizarre helicopter type sound in the car if one rear window is open when there are no others open - strange problem, but we quickly learned not to do that! We are still very happy with the vehicle and have since recommended it to others who have also bought a Santa Fe!

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  Excellent car for the value - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By prewindy - June 5 - 10:00 am

  Without a doubt the best sedan under $25k in the market today. Hyundai has sure stepped up the quality in the 2011 Sonata. It drives nicely and is comfortable. The sound system is excellent and I love the bluetooth connection. If you are looking for a fun, quality, and good looking car then the Sonata is your car to test drive.

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  One nagging problem - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Alan - June 5 - 10:00 am

  Since buying the car Ive had a wind noise at the front doors. Ive been to the dealer 8 times to try to get this fixed. They adjusted my door one time but it didnt help. I drove a different Sonata today with a service writer and even the new one had the same annoying noise. He said he hears it, but never noticed it until I pointed it out. I called Hyundai consumer affairs and am waiting to see what they will do for me. I told them Id like then to buy the car back. Ive never been more unhappy with a car. If not for this one problem, I would be very pleased with it. Be sure to take the actual one you are going to buy for a test drive first and pay attention to wind noise.

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  fun to drive tib - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By lloyd - June 4 - 1:30 am

  Fun to drive, I live in Hawaii and we have a lot of mountain roads. I drive from sea level to about 2700 ft elevation daily, get about 30 mpg so far." just bought a little over a month ago. Great on corners, smooth ride and has comfortable interior, use to have an elantra but I am enjoying new ride. I test drove a tib when I got elantra a few years back but went with mpg, now the sporty ride. Like the new design of body and head lights.