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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  Most reliable family sedan in NA - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Hanson Kim - May 1 - 1:36 am

  It does every work when I need to do such as passing ahead, emergeny break, cornering at high speed.

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  Happy Hyundai Santa Fe Owner - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By HappyHyundai - May 1 - 12:00 am

  Its been almost 7 years & I still love my Santa Fe. Still handles smoothly & gets great mileage:21-23 mpg. So glad I went w/the AWD 3.5L engine. The maintenance schedule has been easy to follow. Only used the warranty once 3 yrs ago for a sticky exhaust valve that kept triggering the check engine light. It handles snowy & twisty mountain roads just as easily as commuter miles. Has been great for home depot trips, camping & road trips, skiing, & taking the dog out for a beach day. Passengers love the roominess & comfort of the backseat plus the great storage capacity in the cargo area. Bought softer tires for a quieter ride. Curious to see how well it holds up for the next 100K miles

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  Best SUV for the $, but opp. for improve - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By First Timer - April 30 - 10:00 pm

  I spent 40+ hours researching many SUVs and drove several as well (used MDX, X5, X3, RX330, new Outlander, new CRV, new Rogue, new Escape). For the money, this is simply the best value and best looking. Drives like a car, very quiet ride (almost as good as my Toyota Sequoia). I can relate to the hesitation between 1st and 2nd gears now that Ive had for a few weeks. Not as bad as previous reviews, but worth noting, particularly if you are being a "conservative" driver to save gas, which by the way, does not come close to the sticker estimate. We have yet to get to 20 MPG, even on the highway. Thats been the biggest disappointment. Overall, very pleased so far.

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  Former Passat Owner - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Rancelot - April 30 - 7:03 pm

  Ive got pratically all the features that were in my fully loaded 02 Passat, yet several thousand dollars cheaper. The six year 60,000 mile full coverage warranty was quite a draw too. So far so good!

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  Nice CAR - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By Ryan - April 30 - 5:50 pm

  Ive had the car for just over a week and it is a very nice car.. everyone is suprised when they find out its a hyundai...I put it on 20" rims and it looks awesome!!! I am very pleased with the car.. Great luxury car...

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  Good car - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By Rick C - April 30 - 3:07 pm

  Good reliable car at a moderate price. No major issues encountered during the three year leasing period.

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  2012 Sonata Hybrid Standard - 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By palomies - April 30 - 1:34 pm

  Took delivery of my new Sonata Hybrid on July 18. Very happy with car so far. Five tankfuls of fuel have given me an average over 39 MPG...if the tank is mostly highway driving I get average over 40, if mostly city/errands and such about 36. No problem with switching between electric and gas engine. I think there may be a learning curve to learning to drive the car for the most economy as sometimes the gas engine will come in pretty strongly, especially in hilly terrain. Car is very comfortable for long drives, my bulged discs dont even know! (to be fair, my 07 Sonata was the same way). The handling may not be quite as good as my last Sonata, but this one also feels much bigger.

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  Sonata GLS - Third Review - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Gary D. - April 30 - 4:45 am

  I bought this vehicle new in June 2011, having traded in a 2009 Sonata. At the time it represented a substantial advance on the prior line in styling, content, power, and mileage. The content for the price point was compelling. Also, I had found only a couple of competitors in the midsize segment had a comfortable drivers seat. Although I can afford to buy a new, more expensive vehicle now, Ive decided to hold onto this because it is bulletproof. There have been NO REPAIRS needed on it and no need to go to the dealer (The HYUNDAI dealers are a bit of a shifty lot). I replaced front brakes at 72,000 miles and the rear brakes yesterday at 82,000 miles. Ive had to replace a battery, tires, a headlight, and a bulb - thats it, in almost 6 years. Its a comfortable ride whether on highway or local, although a bit more wind noise than Id like. Specifiec Comments: The satellite radio is great, good sound and reception, however, the CD player is only fair. The AC and heat are adequate. The trunk is enormous. I dont use the back seat except for the dog, but it is large and comfortable. The front passenger seat position is low, but they rectified that in the 12. Plenty of power for me. To get the EPA 35 on the highway, you have to go a steady 60-65, at 70-75, I get high 20s. The Bluetooth works OK but is a bit finicky in connecting the contacts on your phone. The car feels very safe, has good power, is comfortable, inexpensive to buy and to own.

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  hyundai sonata - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By ken fox - April 29 - 7:53 pm

  4000 miles so far no troubles, the only concern I have with this vehicle is the fuel economy, My car has not got the mileage the sticker says it should get. But has great power for a 4 cylinder. Very fun to drive!

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  LITTLE CAR/BIG GUY/LOVE IT - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Big G in Hollywood - April 29 - 10:00 am

  Im a big guy--62", 345 lbs. I also needed extra headroom--short legs, tall body. From the specs I saw on Edmunds, it looked like this car would fit, but I couldnt believe a Hyundai would even come close to being comfortable. I traded in my Ford Excursion for this because I run around Hollywood a lot. Wow, was I surprised. Its comfortable, its economical, and (so far) its reliable. Youre not going to find any other new car this great for less than $15,000.