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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  I Love My Elantra! - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By taurus38 - August 30 - 2:00 am

  My Elantra is one of the best cars Ive ever owned. Bought it for the price, warranty, looks, economy. Ive had it for just over 3 years and have 75K miles on it. The only problem Ive had is with the transmission getting stuck in 2nd gear twice so far. Otherwise, it runs great, gets good gas mileage and is very dependable. Im planning on buying a new Elantra this weekend if I can get another good deal!

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  I love my sante fe! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By M. Allen - August 29 - 4:03 pm

  I tried the Tucson and the Sante Fe, and although they are very simular, I prefer the Sante Fe. It rides better than the Tucson and has more room. I just love my Sante Fe and I love driving it. I recommend it to anyone considering getting one.

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  Beautiful Car, but....... - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By jandogg55 - August 29 - 9:22 am

  I love the car. I work with Dealers from All over the world. ( I do NOT work for a Hyundai Dealership) but I do work with dealerships from every vehicle type on the road. The only draw back is the passenger seat sits low. They need to put an adjustment control on the seat just like the driver seat. Im 58" & driving so I didnt notice it until my sister who is only 51" said I cant see out the front window, so I gave her a pillow to sit on. My Father is 63" & he sat in the back seat with no problem at all. He said he had enough room to stretch out his Long Legs.

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  Nice little car - 1996 Hyundai Elantra
  By Alex1 - August 29 - 2:00 am

  Bought it used, had it for almost 3 years, about 80k now. Pretty happy so far. Relatively fun to drive, stable on the highway, fast, roomy. Mostly Minor problems and maintanance, but parts for Huyndai are pretty expensive. Overrall, a very nice car, but not as cheap to maintain as the price may suggest.

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  Good car, bad gas mileage! - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Janos - August 28 - 3:03 pm

  I bought my Santa Fe back in October 2008 - my wife wanted us to have a 4 wheel drive vehicle in case of bad weather. I expected the mileage to go down some from the sedan I had but figured with with conservative driving, Id at least get in the low to mid 20s. Definitely NOT the case! Im averaging closer to 16 to 18 miles to the gallon even with mostly highway driving at 70. It runs smoothly and is very comfortable to drive but every time I fill the tank, I cringe. Snow / slick road handling is so-so. My wifes Mazda 6 actually handles a lot better in snow & ice which kind of defeats the purpose of getting the four wheel drive Santa Fe! I will probably end up going back to a sedan.

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  Very Decent If Purchased Correctly - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By bobbichen - August 27 - 6:15 pm

  This is a medium term follow up. I have owned this unit about 6 months with about 5k miles on it. Simply put, I went in with low expectations but it is growing on me. I had the issues with the transmission like many. Three trips to the dealer (flash upgrades and a fluid refill due to a dealer mistake) followed by disconnecting the battery for 30 seconds (computer reset) finally sorted it out. Now the vehicle drives smoothly with only an occasional missed shift. Mediocre MPG (about 16 to 18 city). All around, though, for the price (purchased at wholesale) it is hard to beat.

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  Very Satisfied - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By craig - August 27 - 2:00 am

  I have owned this vehicle for almost 4 years and have had zero problems. The only money I have spent on it has been routine maintenance. I enjoy driving it, and Hyundai (or my dealer) even covered fixing the heater fan even though it was broken because a mouse built a nest in it.

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  Feels like a luxury compact for < $20K - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dr Memo - August 26 - 7:26 am

  My wife and I have owned a 2007 Elantra GLS since Oct, 2006. So far, we are delighted with this car; it has an unrivaled value/price ratio. Its fuel economy is impressive: 28/36 mpg (8.4/6 l/100 km) city/hwy. According to the EPA 2007 Fuel Economy Guide, the Elantra is 2nd among non-hybrid mid-size cars. We love our Elantra because it handles great, its *roomy* and exquisitely appointed. The car is very quiet, though engine noise is evident at high speeds (>75 mph/120 km/h). On the highway, our 5-spd handles just like an automatic: we can cruise/pass without down-shifting! The Elantra is a high-quality, affordable, fuel-efficient car with lots of features and all-around good performance.

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  good price, great price - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dcherry - August 26 - 3:03 am

  I did not think I could ever afford to buy such a nice SUV. It is like that big Toyota with lots of room. I tried out the Toyota, and was overwhelmed with the price of it. Once I got in the Hyundai, I was hooked. It is nice. It is so comfortable. Even the back seats are so huge that anybody riding back there is very happy. I rode in the back of the Toyota and was so squeezed and the plastic parts inside looked so cheesy and the big sticker price turned me off...oh, and there was very little warranty on the Toyota. So I got the Hyundai and I have been happy every since. BEST DECISION EVER.

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  Pretty decent car, good value... - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By owner in texas - August 26 - 2:00 am

  I am a satisfied Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 owner. Good value at purchase and also had a 0.9% APR in March 2000. Now about the car - seems well built, and there have been very few problems. It is now approaching 60,000 miles and I have only had to take it in to the dealer three times. Twice for recalls and once for a warranty issue related to the keyless entry and power windows. Runs well, feels solidly built, has decent power, reasonably quiet even at high speeds. Adaptive transmission drops the ball sometimes and shifts roughly, but otherwise there do not seem to be any engine or transmission problems yet. Front brakes replaced at 57,000 miles.