I know folks who have, I owned a Kia that shares much engineering with Hyundai.
Yes, people do have fine experiences but the past decade has not been kind to Hyundai/Kia owners. They couldn’t build a decent GDI 4-cylinder (Theta 2), their 3.3L likes to strip headbolts (and more) and pile on the whole anti-theft cost-cutting that even Mitsubishi and Nissan didn’t (and doesn’t) do.
My roommate’s Accent chewed through it’s oil unexpectedly fast and seized. My parents 2.4L Sonata could go at any time (little to no warning), when they got free oil changes the dealer would intentionally overfill it to compensate. My sister’s Elantra is prone to piston slap. And they’re all immobilizer-less. Luckily there’s lawsuits that might help but it’s a risk for those who depend on their vehicle.
They certainly look slick, have more features for your dollar and are quite comfy inside but there’s ALWAYS some sneaky engineering flaw that rears it’s head sooner or later.
If you take my third-gen Sorento, it was a fine car. Comfortable, well-packaged, designed interior, good controls and materials choice. Transmission took everything I threw at it, plenty of space.
Shame that I had to worry about sudden knocking, seizing (2.4L, 2.0T) or headbolt failure (if I had the V6) washer fluid tank leaks (also afflicts it’s Hyundai cousin), BCM failure messing with the gear lever, trailer wiring electrical short/fire (not applicable as my tow harness was aftermarket), and a well-performing AWD system that fails around six digit mileage and can’t be maintained by the end user. (sealed)
And that’s if it wasn’t stolen or vandalized first #kiaboyz - either way would leave me out of a car waiting for parts for weeks to months. (If it was totaled, that would’ve been the best course of action)
I went looking for what a similar AWD component failure cost on similar age Crosstreks and Highlanders but it was practically unheard of online.
You can look at their EVs too. You think going electric solves problems? Nope. They underspecced some charging port so the Ioniq 5 can’t charge as fast after heat concerns. And then the ICCU leaks. Their first-gen Ioniq/Niro/Soul EVs have shit-designed reduction gearboxes that dump metal into the oil and need oil changes while the Bolt doesn’t for maybe 150k miles.
Yes, you can find other cars with fatal flaws but it’s business as usual in Hyundai and Kia land. They play whack-a-mole with problems (their new engines SEEM better, they added immobilizers standard) but customers are ultimately the ones left holding the bag when the latest dumb penny-pinching makes itself apparent.
(oh yea and poor resale, high insurance too dependent on vehicle trim and location. They are the only makes where I recommend 3000 mile oil changes)