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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  Love This SUV - 2008 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Love My First SUV - December 28 - 10:00 am

  Ive only owned this vehicle for a couple of months and Im very pleased. This is my very first SUV. My sister owns a Sonata and my dad owns a 2007 Tucson and Ive never heard them complain so I got one. My Tucson is a 2.0L 4-cyl but I like it. Could do a lot better on gas.

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  Nice Car, Except..... - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Joe Sherman - December 28 - 5:40 am

  Boy, there is a lot to like about Elantra. Best looking small car out there, much more plush, roomy, solid and fun to drive than Sentra, Corolla, Civic, Focus, etc.. But why does a car this size with a 4-cyl/5-spd get such poor gas mileage? Even driving over flat roads at 60mph, I cannot get better than the mid-20s for highway mileage. I have driven larger 6 and 8- cyl cars and gotten better mileage. Cmon Hyundai, you build a nice car, now get with the program and deliver better mileage (especially with gas costing $2.75/gal!!!).

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  My Review - 1998 Hyundai Accent
  By Tony Bonelli - December 28 - 2:00 am

  Stylish yet economical. The engine has guts on the road yet gets almost 40 mpg. I drive long hours and find it extremely comfortable. The sound system is great.

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  A Sonata in A+ Major - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By A Sonata in A+ Major - December 27 - 5:13 pm

  Theres a reason users give it a 9.7 and Efmunds only 7.8. Edmunds was only with it for a few hours. Live with this car and you will love looking at it before you get in and love it even more behind the wheel. First, it looks and feels more like a Benz than a Hyundai. I still cant believe I bought a Hyundai and Im lovin every moment of it. Got a Limited in Black. Wow, does this car sparkle. And does it get looks from others. I had 2 guys in a new Porsche Turbo convertible turn around once they past me just to look at the front. The car speaks luxury. And all for very little $$. I had a 2007 Camry XLE with V-6 and got tired of this boring car and seeing myself coming and going.

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  Safe - 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By consumeresq - December 27 - 10:59 am

  I only had my 13 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid for 6 weeks before it was totaled by someone running a red light. The car did what is was supposed to and protected my son and I from serious injury. The airbags went off and even the body shop said it fared very well for the impact it received. I enjoyed the car and think you get a lot for your money. The gas mileage was a little disappointing, but it had better than expected acceleration up hills. I think it has great styling and looks a lot like a Lexus. My only other complaint would be the gas pedal had a strange placement, I felt I had to have my seat too close in order to comfortable press on the gas pedal.

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  My Hyundai - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Grandma - December 27 - 9:10 am

  I love my vehicle. I have not had any trouble with it at all until last month.I have made 3 trips to Texas from Wyoming and never had a problem. I keep up with the changing of the oil and always try to keep at least half a tank full of gas as I never know when I am going to have to go out of town for some reason. I can take most of what I need and still have plenty of room for my little sitzu to go. She has plenty of room to get to her bed. I like the way the windows work. The service men at Underridders in Billings, Mt. do the service work on it as they sell Hyundais however they cant seem to find the trouble I have this time. I hope they can find it soon so I can have my car back.

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  Loved the vehicle but biggest NIGHTMARE! - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Amanda - December 27 - 8:43 am

  Bought the car, ran great until i hit about 70000 miles. Engine spun a bearing. Had to replace engine even after following all of the manuf. recommendations and what not had reg oil change proofs and what not. Called hyundai usa (which is a joke) The car cost me $17000 dollars $4000 engine work went through 4 engines in 6 months I never once beat this car or anything I treated it like gold. My 2 year old and I used the vehicle to commute. cost me $3000 when I traded it in. Hyundai will never get a penny from me they are a rip off!!! Dont ever buy any Hyundai!! Friends owned and agree.

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  Great little inexpensive car - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By shoesalive - December 27 - 2:00 am

  Vehicle picked out by the wife to replace 93 Maxima. She liked the way it looked and handled. Passed over Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry. I love to drive it and I own Chrysler 300. Handling is great. Price is unbelievaable. Long range durablility could be an issue but bumper to bumper warrenty is unsurpassed.

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  Incredible! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By tertullian - December 26 - 3:50 am

  This is a great car. I have reviewed: Sentra, Corolla, and Civic. But I came to buy Elantra for its value overall. I bought 07 Elantra GLS + Preferred Package + Automatic for only $13,000. The other cars dont even come close to that price. The car is well made and its safety features are far above the competitors. The car drives well, it is comfortable, it is roomy (bigger than my old Galant 98). My wife just loves the car. Thank you, Hyundai and keep up the good work.

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  Best Bargin SUV Available - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By A. J. - December 25 - 5:43 pm

  I am a Grandfather, and have purchased many vehicles, I checked out the Honda, Toyota, and Lexus small SUVs prior to looking at the Tucson. The Tucson was equal or better than the others I had test driven and......the price....I saved a bundle. Fantastic SUV....I would highly recommend with no reservations.