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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  Keep it a Secret !!! - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By gladiator55 - February 11 - 8:59 pm

  Well balanced performance, excellent fit and finish and $10 to 15 000 cheaper than similar size sedans. This car is perfect for those customers that arent under the spell of premium brands.

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  Wow great priced awesome machine - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By miamicarguy305 - February 8 - 4:22 pm

  I can not believe the comfort, the sport mode speed around corners this sucker moves. I am a E350 mercedes guy no more high priced lease german auto makers are not going to be able to compare.

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  Lot of car for the money - 2013 Hyundai Genesis
  By sdunnin - February 6 - 2:43 pm

  For the money I dont think you can get a better luxury sedan with regards to price to feature ratio. I got the R-Spec version which comes with just about all available options PLUS 400 Horsepower. Other cars in the same class with similar features that I looked at cost at least $10,000 more. Aside from a few minor annoyances (no display of current climate settings, trunk lid design that lets water flow into trunk when opening) Ive been very pleased with the car.

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  Great Little Car - 2013 Hyundai Accent
  By dcoo - February 3 - 7:45 pm

  Great car for price. I have a 2013 Accent SE. Gas mileage is great. Way better then the VW Beetle I had. Very roomy and truck is a good size.

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  Great Value - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By srn63 - February 2 - 1:21 pm

  I test drove several cars over the course of 6 months and narrowed my choices to the BMW 5 series and Audi A6. Hands down the Genesis offers the best value for the buck. Considering all the features you will pay at least $15,000 more for a BMW and Audi. The Genesis ride beats the BMW 5 series and is very comparable to the A6. The car is whisper quiet, great acceleration, sporty but comfortable ride. BMW and Audi should be on watch...Genesis hits them right between the eyes. I am shocked this is only a B rated car on Edmunds

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  Used to be a BMW-only guy - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By uncgq - January 24 - 9:28 pm

  I used to say that I would only ever buy a BMW but when I drove this car, I was convinced otherwise. Ill never sell my manual trans 735, its a classic, but this thing has it. If you dont care about snob appeal, this is the car to buy, hands down. Plenty of power, interior comfort, a great long drive car. For me the build quality surpasses current model BMWs and feels much better made. Purchased a CPO with 45K miles and have put 40K miles this year and have yet to be disappointed.

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  its a good basic car - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By sal96 - January 23 - 9:27 pm

  05 sonata purchased at 166k miles (mostly highway), previous owner serviced it at the dealership, car is very reliable if maintained well, people who complain didnt service their cars. Overall the ride is comfortable, acceleration, braking is good. The interior feels a little cheap, but comfortable. (That is how older hyundais and kia are so dont be surprised). Trunk is very spacious. The engine does have plenty of power. Many 6 cylinders Sonatas out there (they are actually cheaper than 4 cylinder cause they have worse gas mileage) I strongly recommend the 4 cylinder, easier to service, maintain, better gas mileage. I even towed a small U haul Box with a washer using the sonata

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  A Former BMW Loyalist - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By kbdoc - January 13 - 5:28 pm

  A vastly superior ride to my 5 series with equivalent handling and features. Although it doesnt match the sportiness of an Audi A6 or a Cadillac CTS, it is a fantastic cruiser and should strongly be considered by anyone thinking about the Mercedes E class, Jaguar XF, or Maserati Ghibli.

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  Amazing - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By a33 - January 12 - 12:02 pm

  Car is absolutely amazing and a great value. Test drive a Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, and Acura and this is a sure winner. It has way more trunk space, way more interior space and the features are more than the same level luxury brand, for 20,000 less.

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  2015 Hyundai Genesis w/ Ultimate Package - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By djc2015 - December 29 - 6:04 pm

  Before purchasing my 2015 Hyundai Genesis with ultimate package I did extensive research and took several test drives including one in which the dealer gave me the opportunity to keep the vehicle overnight. I read dozens of reviews and every last one praised the interior luxury including the real matt wood, aluminum trim, extremely comfortable soft leather 12 way power drivers including thigh extension, effectively heated and cooled , heated steering wheel, 9.2 inch infotainment touch screen with manual controls for those who prefer them. I have no idea what vehicle was being reviewed as subsequent Edmonds reviews praise the Genesis as an exceptional value.