RockoJ

Ive seen the latest hyundais and they have made great strides.
compare a hyundai from year 1999 to a hyundai model in year 2009.
i do think overall hyundai is still lagging in overall design,safety,and engineering when compared to its well established japanese rivals. but with the launch of the hyundai luxury model the genesis, i think Hyundai may begin to let the engineering trickle down from its genesis model into its whole line of cars in one way or another/.
in your opinion does hyundai have better build quality than its japanese and or american competition?
i was in a 2009 santefe i was impressed how the way the door shut and the overall build quality of the vehicle.butthe seats sucked, the design is bit horrid .

Tiko

The present herd of Hyundai vehicles amaze me in fit, trim and quality. I worked in a Ford dealership years ago when Hyundai was first introduced - and, believe me, they were perhaps second only to the Yugo as far as reliability - and the problems weren't minor ones.
I've never personally owned one, but, you are correct, they've certainly got their act together since their introduction.

ScarJokes

HYUNDAI is almost there. Just because they loaded up a car with a lot of luxury goodies does not make them a World leader though.
I bought one of the first 1984 HYUNDAI PONYs in North America (not sold in the States) and it was a piece of crap. The newer HYUNDAIs are a world apart from those cars but they still aren't caught up to the Japanese.

WestCoastin4Life

The Koreans are not great original thinkers, nor are the Japanese, they are great imitators. They also are better at using cross technologies then US makers. But what are they imitating is the question.
While you may be impressed with the Genesis, I am not. I would rather have an original then a cheap copy!

Tiko

Have an '07 Sonata, 2.4 litre, after having two Honda's and two Toyota's. Have not seen less quality and the highway MPG is in excess of an impressive 37 on most highway trips.

Many U.S. made parts - AND - the vehicle was built in the U.S.A. (alabama).

RockerChick

The Hyundai Genesis is a great car that has won numerous international awards and is a bargain compared to other comparable cars.

In 2004, Hyundai tied with Honda for initial brand quality in a survey/study from J.D. Power and Associates, for having 102 problems per 100 vehicles. This made Hyundai second in the industry, only behind Toyota, for initial vehicle quality. The company continued this tradition by placing third overall in J.D. Power's 2006 Initial Quality Survey, behind only Porsche and Lexus. Hyundai/Kia Automotive Group is the world?s fourth largest automaker (second in Asia) in terms of units manufactured and sold per year and one of the Big Asian Four (with Toyota, Honda and Nissan).

In recent interviews with Toyota executives, they have expressed concerns about Hyundai-Kia and their market share. Hyundai-Kia is the only automobile manufacturer that Toyota fears - and that says something. Kia is also moving up sales rapidly, even quicker than Hyundai due to their improving quality and design (hired the head designer from Audi about two years ago). Hyundai-Kia is the fastest growing foreign brand in China and is the largest exporter of cars in India (Hyundai has plants in both countries). Hyundai-Kia was the only major automaker to sell more vehicles in 2009 than 2008.

The new Hyundai Sonota YF, along with the new Kia K7 is going to redefine the market segment for affordable large/mid-sized sedans. I travel between Korea and the US about every other month (been doing this for the past two years) and I can see the progress in Korean technology in all facets of business and products. I have had the chance to visit the Hyundai automotive plant, Hyundai Shipyard, and the Samsung electronics factory, and I can tell you it is getting better than the Japanese. The Korean's are accomplishing what the Japanese did in a lot shorter period of time.

South Korea has (in the world) the largest shipbuilding facility, largerst automobile factory, largest oil refinery, the second largest steel mill, are leaders in digital flat panels, memory chips, cell phones, robotics, construction (just built the tallest building in the world -Burj Khalifa), and numerous other industires.

South Korea is ranked first in the world in the Digital Opportunity Index, and first among major economies in the Global Innovation Index. South Korea is one of the world's leading technology innovators, having the third largest number of patents in force worldwide, after Japan and the United States. It has the world's highest patent filings per GDP and the highest patent filings per RD expenditure, as well as the second highest patent filings per million population. Among developed countries, it has the fastest patent filing growth at over 14.8% in 2007.

Tammy

They almost as good as toyota and honda.
They already surpass other minor Japanese makers (mazda, mitsu, subaru, etc)

TheRabbi

I think they have made gigantic strides the last few years, the Genesis is indeed impressive. I am happy with my 07 Azera Limited never a problem or a recall something Toyota has been struggling with as of late.

rodrigo

Hyundai vehicles are almost there as said before. And unlike before, almost is in fact is good enough.

Some areas still need to be looked at. Some refinement and engineering issues in its midsize and compact sedans (Elantra and Sonata, respectively) need to be addressed. And you will see that happen soon with the next generation models.

I have a '08 Elantra i just got home in and out of the rain, and i can tell you i like the car a whole lot. With the Elantra Hyundai needed to catch up in build quality. And they did it. Its very solid, doors close with a heavy thunk, it rides well and its suspension is compliant, but you can still feel the road for safe handling. The body never shakes or shudders even over hard bumps, and the panel gaps are tight inside and out, Its a good small car that anyone in the market for a compact car could consider. IOW, it is competitive in its segment, Absolutely. No longer a cheap compromise, it is truly an excellent value. Especially slightly used.

The Genesis is good, but the rebirth of Hyundai started long before. Its not even a rebirth, but was a long term goal of the company to build good cars. And they have for the most part succeeded. Its the more mainstream autos that will further lift Hyundai, however. Not Halo cars like the Genesis. The new Sonata, the current and coming Elantra, the soon to be here new Accent, and of course the outrageous Genesis Coupe. These cars and others like them (Sante Fe, too) are where Hyundai need to compete and win in the marketplace. And from i can tell at this point they are well past failure, and are firmly successful.

They may never surpass Honda, Toy, and Mazda in overall quality. But they match them or come close in all the important areas. And in the case of some models, well, its going to be no longer if they are better, but just what is different about them? I thought i'd never say it, but i may drive a Hyundai for many years to come

Steff

YES!
the minor japanese brands like mazda, mits, etc are NOTHING compared to hyundai now!
cmon have you seen the Genesis Coupe 3.8?!?
and since toyota cars suck now, cause of the braking problems,
Hondas the only one left.
and hyundais used to suckk but now they dont,
compare the genesis sedan with any bmw, MB, or lexus.
Take the badge off, and itll easily go as a mercedes.
and the genesis coupe, wow it kills
0-60 in 5.5 sec? thats pretty good