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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  Navigatio n System is Worthless - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By David - October 26 - 9:02 am

  I love just about everything about this car. Its too bad that Honda decided to sell me a $2,500 in dash GPS system that is totally useless. The voice recognition is impossible to use, the maps are inaccurate from day one, & a map update cost hundreds of dollars. The very last thing that I want to do after spending $22,000 on a car is get home and find out I need to spend another $250 for accurate maps. Its a deal breaker for me and will steer me away from the Hyundai dealership the next time Im looking for a car. I feel like they have taking me for a ride, and not the kind I was hoping for when I purchase my Elantra.

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  Well done! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By TheEngineer - October 24 - 7:23 pm

  My review is based on my past experience with cars. I currently drive a Lexus LX470, Accord, Lexus LS, and a Audi 90 Q (the audi I actually gave up a long time ago and it sits in my garage). As for qulaity, from the short time I had it is SUPERB ! I thought only the Japanese could deliver this level of quality. My first Korean import and I am happy though I do worry about the significant portion from Canada (bad experiences in the past with Canadian parts). The fit and finish is right up there with the rest of my cars. I would not mind paying for extra safety features such as side impact air bags and a safety cage. A XM radio with USB MP3 feature would be great. Less Curves.

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  Love the car - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sonata driver in NC - October 24 - 4:52 pm

  When I buy a car, I keep it on average about 9 years, about twice as long as the length of the loan. I will keep this car for at least that long. I like that its body style -sort of Mercedes/Jaguar looking. Glad I got one of the last new 2005s with that body style. The only complaint I have is the paint on the door handles (inside and out) is starting to flake off, especially on the much used drivers door. A small fix, Im sure. I have only had 4 cars in my life (the first 3 were Datsun B210, Mercury Sable, Chevy Lumina -- I kept them for a long time, too). This is by far the all-around best one Ive owned.

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  Great car for little money - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Matt - October 24 - 2:25 pm

  Ive owned this 08 Elantra SE for just a couple of days and have been loving it so far. This is not my first Hyundai, more like my 4th and they have all been excellent cars. The 2008 is no exception, great price, so many standard features, good performance, quiet ride and good handling.

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  Dont be afraid of Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By WM/Charlotte - October 21 - 2:00 am

  I really like the design. From the front people think its a Mercedes. Im tall and the headroom and seat room beat most of the other cars I considered.

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  Very reliable and affordable - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kinetic - October 21 - 12:33 am

  We bought this car new while my husband was in grad school. Weve now had the car for over 6 years--were just under 65,000 miles on the odometer--and have NEVER had a single issue with this car. We get all the scheduled maintenance, plus the recommended maintenance, and the result is a perfectly operating SUV that gets pretty good gas mileage (especially for a 6 cylinder SUV) thats beyond reliable. As a note, my sister has a 2001 Hyundai Elantra that she loves, too. Just like us, she loves her car and has never had any issues. Hyundai has come a long way; their cars are super reliable now!

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  Brake Pad replacement - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jennifer - October 19 - 3:23 am

  At 20,000 miles, after hearing a noise on the right front side of my car, I was told I needed to service my brakes. I have NEVER had a car that needed brakes with such low mileage. Now, at 40,000 miles, I was told I needed new brakes pads again. This time, I looked at them myself. The right front pad on the inside was completely worn. The right outside was half-way worn. The left front brake pads (inside and out)were hardly worn. It obviously has a problem! And the dealer tried telling me its normal! I probably had a stuck caliper piston this whole time and they probably didnt fix it the first time! Besides, my caliper pins are missing!!!!

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  hyundai santa fe - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By wayne kitchen - October 18 - 11:46 pm

  This vehicle does not handle well on wet pavement especially in moderaate rain showers. The drivers compartment does not have adequate stretch room for the left leg and foot. The gas mileage is awful.Easy to par

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  Bang For Buck - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Dale Cummings - October 17 - 12:13 am

  The Tiburon SE is alot of car for the money(ESC,TCM,Sport tuned suspention, which gives it a much better ride than the GT). I drove all the Tibs and the SE gets 4 stars in the fun factor. I was looking at the 350Z but didnt want to pay another 7-10K more for a car that seemed to handle the same as the SE. And storage was an issue too. 14.5 cubic feet in the back, plenty of room for a week on the road. Its not the fastest car in its price range, but it looks and feels like a sports car. In world of boring bubble cars this little hot rod stands out in the crowd.

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  Accent Is Solid but MPGs stink! - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By steve30122 - October 14 - 2:46 pm

  I bought my Accent after beginning to have trouble with my previous car, a VW Jetta Turbo. Notice my ratings above, they are completely honest. I have been very disappointed with the gas mileage for a car this size and with this little performance. My fuel economy averages in the mid-20s overall. I did exceed 30 mpg on a couple of long road trips, but only reached 33 mpg. Performance is pitiful if not down right dangerous. Its difficult to enter a crowded Intrste Hwy w/o getting pummeled. Now heres the good stuff. Havent had a single hiccup with this car. The reliability has been perfect for 2 yrs/53K even in tough, city driving. The design and build have far exceeded my expectations.