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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  Deadly Defect !!!! - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Deadly defect - December 22 - 10:30 pm

  With 826 miles on the vehicle I was coming up to a stop sign, heard a pop in the steering column and lost all steering on the vehicle. You could spin the steering wheel completely around. Coasted to a stop, had it towed to the nearest Hyundai dealer. They found it was an assembly line defect in putting the steering column together. They were very sorry it happened, but insured me they had never seen this before. They acted like my radio knob had fallen off. If I had been going down the highway at 60 mph I wouldnt be writing this now. If you have a Veracruz I would recommend you have your steering column checked. If it happened once it can happen again!

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  Good but could be better - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By rland - December 22 - 6:30 pm

  The Santa Fe sold me as soon as I drove it on the test drive. For the most part, I like it, although the cloth seats can become uncomfortable on long trips. Also a bit of an aggravating buzzing noise coming from somewhere around the drivers door. Some hesistation after putting it in park or neutral then putting it back into gear. I am disappointed in the gas milage. No where near what I was expecting. But other than that, it is a great vehicle.

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  2005 TUSCON LX - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Love my Tuscon - December 22 - 6:50 am

  I was tired of taking my old SUV in repeatedly for the same problems. When I test drove the Tuscon, I was thoroughly convinced. With the V6 it has pep and the electronic stability control has it gripping the road securely and maneuvering like a much smaller vehicle. Its fun to get in it and just drive. It also came with standard ABS brakes and 10 airbags adn a super warranty. Being a sports Mom, it has the room to carry the bat bag, Moms chair, a cooler and still enough room to carpool 3 teenagers to the game. The controls are well located and easy to see and operate. Love the chunky look of it too! While Ive only had it a short while, I am enjoying it immensely.

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  Not bad at all! - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Mike Reis - December 22 - 2:00 am

  I took a chance on Hyundai, and so far it has paid off. I have had only minor problems here and there (much less than my Chevy Blazer, though), and the dealer has always taken care of me with same-day service. The car has decent pick-up, and the hatchback is very convenient for carrying large items (I have transported three large backpacks with ease). The only drawback was handling, particularly in bad weather, but new tires seem to have resolved that issue. I cant see how you could get a better deal on a new car at $10,000.

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  Excellent! - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Amy - December 21 - 2:33 pm

  I am very happy with my new car. I love the driving position and the pick-up. Its generally a quiet ride, except on the highway. Fuel economy could be a lot better, I am averaging 19.4 mpg and have driven 500 miles. I expect this to improve. I tested a lot of compact SUVs and crossovers and I could not find any better value for the money.

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  Great little car! - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By janjer1 - December 21 - 11:16 am

  Bought this to carry my drums to and from gigs. Has plenty of cargo space and very comfortable for long highway trips. Have the manual trans which is very tight shifting - no slop between gears - nice. Have over 5k miles now and fuel economy is over 30mpg according to the dashboard indicator. Very happy with this little gem - yay Hyundai!

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  A Joy to Own - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By car buyer - December 21 - 7:46 am

  Well, I have owned my Sonata gls 4cyl auto with sports package for two months now. I had shopped cars in this class from all of the manufacturers. I can say I am very pleased with the car. I havent found a single defect that makes me want to return to the dealership for a fix. They did a fine job of manufacturing in Alabama. So far, the fuel economy has averaged city/hwy at 23 mpg--and there are a lot of hills around here. The 4cyl has demonstrated plenty of power when entering the beltway from a ramp or when climbing hills around town. Hyundai resale values will be climbing higher with this kind of craftmanship. A strong buy from me on a great car.

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  2000 Sonata - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By dbakerskip - December 21 - 2:00 am

  Only problem is the right rear window motor has gone out a few times. Extremely reliable vehicle.

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  Hyundai Hit The Nail On The Head - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Chuckster - December 20 - 2:26 pm

  We have owned several Lexus products since that brands inception in 89 and still have a 2006, SC430 coupe. The Genesis is comparable to the LS and superior to the ES series in every way. Our Genesis is Sterling Blue with the Tech. Pkg.. We have had the car for a month now. It feels solid, rides and handles well for its size, is quiet and everyone we know think its a good looking car. Gas mileage is good at 22 city and 28 hi-way on regular fuel. We saved $$ and have a car that meets and exceeds our desires. Time will only tell if the car stays true to our expectations of trouble free motoring.

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  I can attest to the safety of this vehicle - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By debarge - December 20 - 9:20 am

  After having my 2011 rear ended at 60 mph and not even stiff the next day I am a believer. Although the car was totaled I was fine! The car had 13k miles on it and was just what I needed. I drive from S Fl To Alabama a few times a year and this car has enough room for me the wife and more cargo then you would think. Gas mileage and performance were great. It isnt a BMW so dont expect one but, beats the honda and toyota cars in its class. After reseaching and driving the offerings from the competitors I choose a 2012 sonata. the blue link is a nice feature if you have need for such. I would advise the popular option 1 that adds the power seat and alloys wheels.