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Korea has certainly surpassed the American "Big 3" for build quality and is now better for long term reliability. Compared to Japanese cars, it kind of depends on the particular model. JD Power data on initial build quality has Kia and Hyundai as #1 and #3. The newer mass market Korean cars now have timing chains so the chronic snapped timing belt on an interference engine problem that plagued them is mostly dealt with. There still isn't enough data on the recent cars to know how they'll stand up as 10+ year old high mileage beaters where Toyota and Honda have always had the good reputation. There's certainly no reason to doubt that a stripped Hyundai Accent will go 150,000 fairly trouble free miles. That's a pretty big discount compared to a Civic or Corolla in the basic transportation niche.
Personally, I still have a completely irrational brand stigma issue with Korean cars.
The only problem I've had is a 2003 Kia that had a timing belt break before the replacement interval. It was six years old at the time. I got the engine replaced absolutely free under the 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. And that won't happen again, as all Hyundai and Kia vehicles now have a timing chain. Other than that, all four of our Hyundai and Kia vehicles have been great. Our 2015 Sonata has way more technology than most comparable sedans. I don't think any other sedan in its class has adaptive cruise control with stop/start functionality. Regular adaptive cruise control is fine at highway speeds, but it kicks off when you drop below about 30 mph. With stop/start functionality, my Sonata will come to a complete stop in stop and go traffic, and it will start up again when the vehicle in front of me starts to move. I've spent hours in SoCal bumper to bumper traffic and never had to touch the brakes or gas. Can't do that with a Nissan or Ford or any other comparable sedan. I did a lot of research before buying my Sonata and over two years later, am totally satisfied with it, and can't think of any other sedan in its class that would have worked out better.
Hyundai and Kia have FAR surpassed the crap that spews out of Detroit. Detroit is at the bottom of the heap since Yugo went out of business. One Korean make, Daewoo is about as bad as Detroit garbage, but then again they are partially owned by GM.
I don't know how you quantify these things. But Hyundai has the best warranty of any manufacturer. I looked at Hyundais the last two times I bought and I definitely noticed that the Hyundais all seemed to come with more features for the money than other manufacturers. My father got a Sonata last year and the features that he got on a lease for about $170/mo is impressive: Blind Spot detection, Lane Departure Warning, Rearview cam, parking assistance, sunroof, power everything etc.
The high end Genesis and Equus are almost half the price of comparably equipped German cars. I sat in an Equus at the LA auto show a few years ago and I can't imagine even a Rolls being more luxurious than that. I know it is but at 3x the cost? But we all know people that are shopping for that level of a car can generally afford a fleet of Rolls or Bentley so saving $150k doesn't mean anything to them. The Genesis coupe is also a really great value for a rear wheel high performance coup.
I concur with the sentiment they've really come a long way. I'd definitely consider a KIA or Hyundai when I am ready for our next vehicle, unless I end up getting a truck. But I'd give them a serious look for a car/SUV. My brother owns two Hyundai Santa Fe's and one is nearing 100K, other is brand new. He liked the first one so much he got a second.
I know someone through work who switched from a BMW 7-series to a Kia K900 when her lease was up. She told me she loves it and still can't believe she's driving a Kia.
They're starting to get some respect, even in the luxury market.
I own a 2012 Sonata, the quality has been okay, but not great. Many other owners have had issues with oil consumption and spun bearings (recall for "inspection"), but so far I haven't. Rubber steering coupler went bad at 30k miles, a/c compressor started moaning around 35k.
They're probably on par with GM and Ford, and even Nissan, but they've still got a ways to go before catching up to Toyota and Honda.
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