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:

• 

  Refined crossover - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Bob - May 31 - 6:53 am

  Have taken this vehicle on a 1000 mile road trip and everything about the vehicle exceeded our expectations. Quiet cabin, elegant interior, plenty of`space in second row seats and satisfactory gas mileage. Everything works as advertised. Fit and finish matches previously owned Infinity and Acuras.

• 

  2005 Overview - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By B Thomma - May 30 - 11:56 pm

  Car has been reliable and meets my needs. The only problem has been the check engine has continually been going on. This has caused me to return to the dealer to have it corrected. The problem in every instance is in the gas cap overfill. The dealership has always fixed the problem and given a loaner car when needed. Another problem was with the radio. The AM reception was no good. This was their top of the line radio. They replaced it with a less expensive radio and the problem was corrected.

• 

  Best Value on the Market - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Steve S. - May 30 - 3:10 am

  I drove just about every thing available in mid-size sedans. For the money, I couldnt find another car that could compete with the 06 Sonata. Never thought I would buy a Hyundai ... until I drove this one. You owe it to yourself to check one out and save yourself a lot of $$$! Every bit as good as Nissan or Toyota ... and much better than anything Ford/GM/Chrysler offers.

• 

  Not worth it - 1995 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jasmine - May 30 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car because I had no choice - it was the only one available that I could afford. It has given me nothing but problems - the brakes went out (twice), it rattles terribly, it stalls when the a/c is on (and sometimes when its not), and the interior fogs up when the heat is on. However, it does get good gas mileage and it is comfortable. But I will not buy another Hyundai.

• 

  GT-R - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Superstar - May 30 - 2:00 am

  Ever since the Tib went on sale in 1997, i wanted this car. It looked like nothing i had ever seen, and for a cheap amount. my grandfather bought me a used blue 2001 tib with 10,400 miles. ive now had it for 8 months and has been so much fun. i prob wash it atleast once a week. sufficient amount of pick up for an economy car and is fun to shift. already have put a magnaflow exhaust and an AEM cold air intake on it. lots more performance for $500 worth of mods. its worth it. overall, great first car for a 16 yr old!

• 

  Car of The Year Worthiness - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By Josh Ehrendreich - May 30 - 1:53 am

  Ive been driving the Elantra Eco for a little over 30 days. I felt in love the first time I drove it and each time since then. I look forward to the next time I get to drive it. Perhaps it ought to be noted Im coming from a 1999 Camry to this 2017 model. Im still playing catch up on the modern conveniences, but if anything it makes driving easier and for sure more fun. I did test drive the Kia Forte, Mazda 3, Honda Civic and Fit, Toyota Camry, Corolla and Yaris before I tried the Eco. Im used to the roominess of a Camry and is about the only thing Id downgrade on the Eco, but compared to all other cars I test drove, its on par with those. Technology it is on par with Kia Forte and above all the others I test drove. Steering and road handling are very good to great. I think the only thing Im noticing slight issue with is MPG. Im currently averaging 33.5 mpg, but some of that is me idling the engine while I figure out the new tech. I also drive more in city than on highway. Whenever I go on highway now, I go into Sport mode and love the extra pickup. Anyway, the main reasons I picked this vehicle were: economical value, technology / CarPlay, mpg, comfort/handling, and reliability. Oh and I love the heated seats. I think this car delivers on all fronts and really would be surprised to see it not get Car of The Year type recognition

• 

  My Little Toy - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Lucky - May 29 - 6:56 pm

  Tiburon handles very well on curves and turns. The backseat is roomy that my 10 year old son and my 3 year old daughter comfortably fit. In fact, my kids always prefer to ride in my Tiburon rather than my wifes 4 door midsize sedan, no matter how far the destination is. Very aggressive looking yet undeniably attractive, especially if you throw some nice wheels on the vehicle. Not to mention owning the Tiburon with a very low cost of ownership, because of the great warranty.

• 

  First Hyundai Experience - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Tiana - May 29 - 4:20 pm

  My first time riding in the Santa Fe was actually in a rental.. Id never looked at Hyundai before but my experience was so nice I ended up purchasing one. It offers an extremely smooth ride, really comfortable, fun and peppy drive, and the console is very stylish!

• 

  130k and going strong - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By zircon - May 29 - 12:23 pm

  I bought the XG with 13K now have 132K. It has performed excellently. Changed the timing belt at 70k and will change it again at 140K. Expect to drive to 250K. Local dealer wants my car, evidently in demand some where. I think I will by a Genesis next if the dealer is dealing. thanks

• 

  Awesome car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By flickydude - May 29 - 11:53 am

  Before I got this car, I had driven 2003 maxima. It is fun to drive, saving GAS, and performance. It looks sporty. It has more features than I has expected with Keyless entry, and chrome door handles and best warranty.