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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  like the car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Debbi - July 6 - 2:00 am

  I got a really good deal from the dealer. I wasnt going to buy that day, but the deal was too good. Other cars I looked at, didnt have all the features of this car for the money. This car was fully loaded and for the size, has good back seat room. The styling is nice.

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  The Best New Car Buying Experience - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Rich Palmeri - July 5 - 8:26 am

  WOW! This car has it all. My previous car was the 04 Sonata. Great car, But what a great change. The Power is just instant zoom... more room then my 04, the handling is just amazing, tight, sporty and smooth. Hyundai is on their way to #1 with this one...

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  Not so satisfied customer - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Nevets - July 5 - 2:00 am

  Ive had two problems already with my Sonata. The first was the engine seized upon acceleration as I was leaving work. They claimed it was due to engine cylinders breaking up - they found some parts in the oil pan. Now I have a problem with the computer it seems. The engine wont cruise with or without cruise control - the RPMs go up and down, acceleration is shotty on automatic (little better when I use the shift-tronic).

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  Great Value - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Paul Dry - July 4 - 10:10 pm

  This car has it all and for about half of what a Lexus would cost. Further the way these are packaged, unlike american cars where everything is ala carte, everything is included. Fit and finish are great and the car is solid

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  A really nice car !! - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By Insurance7171 - July 4 - 2:38 pm

  I bought a 2017 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T and i am so glad I did . The car looks from the outside , rides really well especially in sport mode. Has a big back seat and is very quite on the road. As far as acceleration, you need to put in in normal or sport ..not ECO . Economy is when you are on the highway cruising . This car look better than the other mid -size sedans and the value for the money is awesome . I bought this car for $20,300 plus taxes ...Its was $26,400 MSRP!!!That is a great value and it has a 10 year warranty . You really cant go wrong with the turbo , it has enough power , good highway mileage ( 36 average) and is a good looking car ..

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  Extremely Pleased !!!! - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jennifer Hart - July 4 - 2:00 am

  I love my car. Everyone who has ever ridden in my car says its a smooth, quiet, roomy and comfortable ride.

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  Worst vehicle Ive ever owned - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By der3156 - July 4 - 1:33 am

  Since day one when it was delivered to me I have had transmission problems! For almost 3 years it has been back and forth to three different dealers. Nobody can stop the vehicles from downshifting when braking and making a loud clunking noise. Meet with Factory Rep. tomorrow. Have contacted state consumer folks and this vehicle DOES qualify as a "Lemon". If necessary, I will force dealer to take it back. Stay away from Hyundai. It has taken me this long to get a 2nd meeting with the factory Representative.

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  2006 Hyundai Azera - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Ed - July 2 - 10:23 pm

  I really like this car! It has all thefeatures Ive wanted in a car but never expected to find at this price.As Consumer Reort said the only negative related to the Azera was the gas mileage, however Ive been getting 20 mpg in city drivianf between 29 & 30 mpg on the highway.

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  Love turns to Loathing - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By JRichmond - July 2 - 5:13 am

  Got a year-end closeout deal on the 2007 Veracruz Limited. From the first few days I had sporadic issues with keyless entry not working, memory set seat and steering wheel position not resetting or sometimes not responding at all. Radio presets often jump back to 1st preset-no matter where in the 6 station order you are, power windows and ignition refused to move on 2 occasions. The kicker is the feeling that the power-train slips and one time refused to engage after I came to a stop at a red light. Everything begins working once I restart the car.

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  Great Car - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Larry Fowler - July 1 - 10:00 am

  Weve had this car for six months. Its the best car weve ever owned!